Van Welderenstraat - Nijmegen

The Van Welderenstraat played an important role in the creation of Pink Wednesday. The occasion was not very cheerful. In the early 1980s, riots regularly took place in this street, targeting gay men, lesbians and feminist women. In 1983, things went completely wrong during the Vierdaagse festivities near the gay café ‘t Bakkertje. Among other things, a Molotov cocktail is thrown inside.

The lhbt-movement of Nijmegen and the national organisation of Pink Saturday did not leave it at that. They were fed up with the violence and disturbances. As a response to the violence, the decision was actually made in 1984 to organise more parties during the Four Days Marches. In the following years, the Van Welderenstraat grew into the backdrop of the pink parties and the inclusiveness of the Nijmegen Four Days Marches. The catering establishments in the street actively cooperate for this and the parties grow in popularity.

In 2002, the second day of the Four Days Marches was officially renamed ‘Pink Wednesday’, deliberately reflecting on the influence of the LGBT movement on the inclusive nature of the Four Days Marches. Since 2005, the passage through Van Welderenstraat has been replaced by a stretch along the Waalkade, as the street became too busy, leading to congestion.