Record turnout and rising support mark Antwerp Pride 2025
Antwerp Pride is on course for its biggest edition yet, with 90 delegations confirmed to take part in Saturday’s parade. Organisers say it will be the largest parade in the event’s 18-year history.
The Pride Parade, the centrepiece of the festival, will once again wind through the streets of Antwerp, passing the Scheldt Quays and other city landmarks. Proximus will broadcast the event live, this time extending coverage to French-speaking Belgium. Last year, more than 495,000 viewers in Flanders tuned in.
The celebration began on Wednesday evening with an opening party at OLT Rivierenhof in Deurne and will continue through Sunday. New and notable participants this year include a delegation from the Federation of Funeral Directors, sex worker advocacy group Eros Elite, Walt Disney Company, Familiehulp and Balkan Pride.
Rising sponsorship
Beyond the record-breaking turnout, Antwerp Pride is also seeing a financial boost. Sponsorship income has risen by 20 per cent compared to 2024, organisers confirmed to Gazet van Antwerpen. This is a welcome development, given growing concerns about the political climate, particularly pressure from US president Donald Trump on companies to roll back their diversity and inclusion efforts.
“We were worried at the start of Trump’s term,” said Geert Van Praet, chair of Antwerp Pride. “There was a lot of uncertainty, and some of that was felt among our corporate partners, too.”
Despite these pressures, Antwerp Pride has maintained and even expanded its network of supporters. International sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Deloitte, MSC and Ford appear alongside Belgian partners including Proximus, Maes and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Sponsorship now accounts for around 18 per cent of the event’s funding.
“If many companies had pulled out, the future of the event could have been at risk,” said Van Praet. “We’re not on the level of Amsterdam in terms of big-name sponsors, but we have long-standing partners who genuinely support our message of diversity and inclusion.”
#FlandersNewsService | Antwerp Pride 2023 © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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