Pride portraits at Café Saarein street party

In summer 2026, Amsterdam held its first WorldPride celebration. As the city filled with massive events, tourists, and corporate branding, Café Saarein - one of the city's oldest feminist and queer bars - decided to host a celebration on its own terms. They closed off the street outside their doors and hosted a free, ticketed party: a safe, intentional haven only for the community.

One of the attendees depicted was Marjan Sax, a groundbreaking Dutch feminist lesbian activist and one of Saarein's original founders - the very woman who fought to open this historic women's and queer café back in 1978. All these years later, we are still here: celebrating, protesting, and carrying the torch for the shared cause.

Photographer: @ljuba._.glitzern
(Big thank you to Talisa for making this reportage possible)