Expressions Mixtes 3: Brussels gets a festival where queer stories refuse to fit in one box

Every June, Brussels quietly grows a new kind of Pride: one made of dance floors, book tables, exhibitions and conversations that stretch long into the night. Expressions Mixtes 3 is back this year, turning the city centre into a queer, intersectional arts festival where Afro, Latinx, Caribbean and diasporic perspectives sit at the heart of the programme instead of at the margins.

Born from a series of documentaries about LGBTQIA+ experiences in Belgium, the project has evolved into a yearly event that mixes performance, activism and community care. If you’re looking for a Pride‑season space that is as much about listening and creating as it is about partying, this is it.

A festival rooted in queer, diasporic Brussels

Expressions Mixtes was initially built around three films, Expressions Mixtes 1, 2 and 3, which explored the lives of LGBTQIA+ people from different backgrounds living in Belgium. With the support of figures like Hassan Jarfi and lawyer Alice Nkom, those documentaries were widely used in educational and professional settings to talk about racism, homophobia, transphobia and the overlapping realities of migration and queerness.

From there, the organisers decided to push the concept off the screen and into real life. The festival now takes over spaces in the city to give a platform to artists, thinkers and activists whose work speaks to the complexity of LGBTQIAP+ identities: Black and brown queers, migrants, racialised communities, people who don’t usually see themselves centred in mainstream Pride programming.

The mission is clear: create a space of dialogue and sharing through art and culture, where conversations about sexuality, gender, race, faith, class and health can happen on equal footing.

What’s on the programme?

For the 2026 edition, Expressions Mixtes unfolds across several days and two main locations:

• From 10 to 14 June, Hôte Gallery hosts a multidisciplinary exhibition and an artisan market, bringing together visual artists and creators around original works, crafts and independent productions.
• On 12 and 13 June, the action shifts to the Centre Culturel Bruegel (Rue des Renards 1F, 1000 Brussels) for a stage programme and a Queer & LGBT Book Fair.

At Bruegel, you can expect:

• dance performances, concerts and live music
• slam, spoken word and performance art
• workshops and talks around identity, health, activism and creation
• the Queer & LGBT Book Fair, with independent authors and publishers, readings, talks and signing sessions.

The festival operates on a pay‑what‑you‑can basis (“prix libre”), keeping the doors open for teens, students, precarious queers and anyone who doesn’t have a culture budget but still deserves to be there. No reservation needed for the Bruegel days – you just show up and dive in.

More than a line‑up: a meeting point

Expressions Mixtes describes itself as an inclusive artistic and cultural rendez‑vous that shines a light on creations rooted in diverse paths, identities and sensitivities. That sounds abstract until you step into the space. Then it looks like:

• a Black queer dancer using movement to talk about grief and joy
• a trans writer signing copies of a small‑press book you won’t find in chain stores
• a DJ set that blends Afro, Caribbean and electronic sounds in front of a crowd that actually looks like Brussels
• a panel where people talk openly about sexual health, racism in healthcare and the specific needs of Afro‑Latin‑Caribbean communities.

The festival is curated by Artfusion asbl, whose broader work includes sexual health awareness with special attention to Afro‑Latin‑Caribbean publics. That perspective runs through the programme, making Expressions Mixtes feel like a rare space where health, art and community are all part of the same conversation.

A festival Brussels needs right now

For Ket’s readers, Expressions Mixtes 3 is one of those events that quietly change the temperature of the city. It doesn’t try to compete with Pride’s big floats or mega‑stages; instead, it builds a more intimate, intersectional Pride where people can see their realities reflected beyond slogans.

In a political climate where both LGBTQIAP+ rights and anti‑racist struggles are under pressure across Europe, festivals like this one are not just “nice extras”. They are training grounds for the alliances, friendships and projects that will carry us through whatever comes next.

If you want your Pride season to include more than one kind of dancefloor – and if you care about queer spaces that take race, migration and class seriously – Expressions Mixtes is where you need to be in June.

Practical info

More info & full programme: 

What: Expressions Mixtes 3 – queer, intersectional arts and culture festival

When:

Exhibition & artisan market: 10–14 June 2026

Stage programme & Queer & LGBT Book Fair: 12–13 June 2026 (from 10:00)

Where:

Hôte Gallery – multidisciplinary exhibition & market

Centre Culturel Bruegel, Rue des Renards 1F, 1000 Brussels – performances, workshops, concerts, slam, book fair

Access: Pay what you can / prix libre, no reservation needed at Bruegel

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