18 July 2026
The third Pride Walk in Haarlem went from the train station to the square in the center, where the festival took place. The event began with speeches. Youssef explained how new laws will prevent him from obtaining the Dutch nationality. This change came only a few months before he could apply for Dutch citizenship, after living here for five years. The new regulations force him to earn enough to match EU income standards. He is happy with his part time job, which allows him to spend the rest of his time volunteering and helping refugees. Now, he has to give up his volunteer work and find more paid employment.
Sandro, who is closely involved with the queer refugee community, shared a story about the violence against them in the ‘aanmeldcentrum’ Ter Apel. This violence comes from fellow refugees. As the political climate in The Netherlands shifts further to the right and violence becomes ‘ normalized’, safety was a central theme in the communication around the Pride Walk: Look after each other, stay together an don’t provoke.
Kelly, representing the black queer community, gave a hopeful speech about love and caringfor one another. Valerie’s life hasn’t been easy. After watching ‘She’s the He’ she realized what she was already feeling. She couldn’t discus it with her parents. She went for it, but had to do the whole transition alone, without family support. She did find a new family in the queer community!
Bamber, editor of the Gay Krant, spoke about the importance of taking action and making connections with allies. His used the same sex-marriage law as an example. It took 20 years to make that possible. It shows anything is possible and it is important to show up at pride walks. He encouraged people to build alliances and give a positive presence during the Pride Walk.
The walk itself went smoothly. The DJ on the Fissa Fiets (party bicycle) mixed energetic classics, creating a Pride Rave that not only kept the march moving, but also got the public dancing along.
As mentioned, the walk ended at the festival area, where a full program of entertainment followed. One of the first acts was the band Drukte van Belang. They dove into the Dutch music history and played all the pearls they found. A great mix of songs which kept the crowd dancing and singing along. They are a six strong band, but this time they had an extra band member. The two sign interpreters, who translated all day, took turns in signing each song with with the same energy as the band.
For photos of the 2025 Pride March in Haarlem, click here.
Click on the photos to enlarge them.
You must be logged in to post a comment.