Beyond Darklands

Beyond Darklands is the new name, used since 2026, for Darklands, the fetish festival Leather Pride Belgium has run in Antwerp every winter for more than a decade. It is one of the biggest kink gatherings in Europe. For the 2025 edition, the 15th, organizer Jeroen van Lievenoogen told VRT he expected 27,000 visitors from 74 countries, most of them gay men.

The base is the Waagnatie expo hall on the Rijnkaai, by the Scheldt. It hosts the big parties, a fetish market and shows. Smaller events run in the gay bars and shops around town, including Boots and the Mister B store, and the Saturday Puppy Walk goes through the city centre. Recent editions have also had quizzes, drag shows and a "Kink responsibly" programme with welfare groups covering safe sex and mental health. According to a gay-travel listing, the rebrand came about because the Waagnatie site is being redeveloped. That listing says outdoor space there won't be available through 2030, so the festival is going fully indoors with a layered setup.