herhalde. & Kudur — queer meyhane

Meyhane means house of wine (originally in Persian: mey=wine, hane=house) and tonight Brussels' queer Turkish-and-beyond collective herhalde. invites their Berlin sibling collective Kudur to transform the beurscafé into a queer cabaret meyhane for a communal gathering around food, drinks, music and performances. 17:00 (open) 19:00 start performances 00:00 (end) For decades meyhanes and gazinos also offered rare spaces where transgender and queer performers shared the stage with mainstream artists (despite periods of state repression). These venues became places of visibility, artistic exchange, and collective joy, showing how music has long created space for gender and sexual diversity. Whether your drink is rakı, arak, ouzo, or rakija, it is about togetherness across borders and languages, around a table with good food, music, and a bottle to share. We meet to unwind, to celebrate, to mourn, to sing, to gossip, to dance, and to remember. These tables hold friendships, chosen families, and countless stories. We will host a very queer version of this long-standing meyhane tradition. Come to sing your hearts out and get shamelessly drunk over your feelings. A meyhane is THE place to embrace them! LINE UP Queer artists from Turkey, now living across Europe, will take to the stage, highlighting the power of transnational queer solidarity. Herhalde Meral Meral, who never leaves home without a comb in her purse, brings together the hood, meyhane and melodrama around the same dining table. Arabesque, hilarity and queer joy recharge her. She embraces the familiar and tells common stories with more courage, more glitter and just a little “too much”. Cos’ the hood belongs to us, so are stories. Absofreakinglutely! https://www.instagram.com/beratbbk Beyefendi Beyefendi is the product of a long line of people who danced while they suffered, sang while they cried, laughed when they were beaten down. He is the ultimate entertainer, a Kurdish village boy turned superstar, in touch with his feelings and always ready to have fun. And oh! Don't forget to hide your wives! https://www.instagram.com/berfusr DJ Ay Ay Ay Berlin-based DJ and curator DJ Ay Ay Ay (he/him) is co-founder of the Kudur collective, a party series centering trans and queer artists of color. He is serving surprise gems, blending Turkish pop and nostalgic sounds with contemporary club music. Born in Turkey with an Armenian background, his work is shaped by questions of identity, memory, and collective belonging. https://www.instagram.com/arikoz/ Gizem Host of the evening is Gizem (they/she/he), the founder of herhalde., an anti-Turkish-nationalism community for Turkish speaking queer and trans persons in Belgium. They’re a community builder, a human rights professional, and an actor. They set up tables around familiar tastes, sounds, and words from home. https://www.instagram.com/gizemuzbek/ + open stage for performers from our local community, open call soon! food Gizem from herhalde. will prepare an open buffet of typical meze to go with your rakı. about herhalde. is an anti-Turkish-nationalist trans & queer space in Brussels, active since June ’25. It’s the first space dedicated entirely to turcophone trans & queer persons in Belgium. herhalde. means slay! or of course! in Turkish queer slang, and ‘being in any way, shape or form’ in verbatim. It’s a compliment to affirmative solidarity and fluidity. https://www.instagram.com/herhaldebxl/ https://linktr.ee/herhaldebxl Kudur is a Berlin-based trans/queer PoC collective, active since 2022. It emerged from a shared love for Turkish pop and an appreciation of the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean musical cultures. Kudur" translates from Turkish as "go crazy”, embodying the turbulent, unruly nature of our events that challenge cultural and social hierarchies. https://www.instagram.com/kudur_berlin https://linktr.ee/kudur_berlin