In Belgian cities, nightlife has always held a prominent place, respected not only as a social phenomenon but also as a fundamental aspect of cultural heritage. From its historical roots to contemporary developments, the nightlife scene continues to evolve, reflecting the diverse and dynamic nature of each city. Across the country, authorities are committed to ensuring that nightlife is inclusive, safe, and accessible for all.
February marked a symbolic moment for the sector and policymakers across Belgium as the first gathering of the Belgian nightlife network took place. Following an initial discussion at Stadt Nach Acht in Berlin, which identified the need for further collaboration, representatives from Antwerp, Ghent, Liège, Leuven, Brussels city and region, VI:BE and Brussels By Night came together to exchange best practices, align efforts, and coordinate nightlife policy developments.
Why such a meeting ?
The reason for this gathering stemmed from a shared recognition of the importance of social safety within nightlife environments. Addressing issues such as inclusion, combatting gender-based and sexual violence, establishing protocols, and strengthening care teams legal status were identified as shared priorities. The four-hour workshop facilitated collaborative discussions and highlighted the common values and practices shared among the participating cities.
Concrete key outcomes ?
One of the key outcomes of the meeting is the ongoing process of crafting a pitch to create an official care teams’ status as many clubs and night actors implement it or want to do so for the well-being of the public. This collaborative effort underscores the commitment of those involved to promote a safer nightlife scene across Belgium, both for the public and the workers.
The journey thus far has been super useful as we exchanged our developments and ways of approaching harm reduction in general. Though such initiatives already existed in the past, this was the very first collective meeting on a Belgium scale.
We’re also very happy to know that there will be meetings very soon to highlight other nightlife topics together.