30th Bar Buka
Bar Buka is an lgbtqia+ bar located in De Pijp, Amsterdam. Buka means ‘open’ in Indonesian and while our focus is on lesbian visibility, everyone is welcome.…
Description
Bar Buka is an lgbtqia+ bar located in De Pijp, Amsterdam. Buka means ‘open’ in Indonesian and while our focus is on lesbian visibility, everyone is welcome.
Seven years ago we opened our doors and since then we have built a loyal community of regulars. Not everyone who visits us is lesbian, but everyone who comes feels connected to — and welcome in — the lesbian community.
Lesbian venues are scarce, disappearing and under pressure, so it’s not a given that there are places where lesbian women feel safe, seen and accepted. Our bar is more than just a hospitality venue. All year round we organise a variety of events, such as speed dating, pub quizzes, kinky women meetups, bingo nights, crafting workshops, 50+ afternoons and karaoke nights. Our bar is a safe and warm meeting place for visitors from the Netherlands and international guests. Our aim is to bring the community together and connect people.
As one of the few women’s bars we bring a perspective that is less often central in the boat parade. Our boat shows that lesbian women are not a niche, but an indispensable part of the community. At the same time our presence stands for connection with other queer identities and allies, as naturally come together within our bar and community.
Through our participation we want to make visible to Amsterdam — and to visitors from outside the city and beyond — that there is a permanent place where lesbian women and other queer people can meet, feel safe and be part of a broader community.
Our slogan for the boat is: THIS IS WHAT THE LESBIAN COMM-UNITY LOOKS LIKE
With this boat concept we show that Unity is not about being the same, but about being together: taking up space with all our differences and holding on to each other instead of letting go. Our boat symbolizes lesbian solidarity, a safe place where diversity exists and no one stands alone. For Bar Buka, Unity means women of different backgrounds, ages, gender expressions and nationalities are visible together, find each other in joy, recognition and solidarity, and show that difference is a source of strength. We celebrate the diversity within the community, and the diversity of the people who feel at home with us.
