About Us

Kinky Star is a youth and music center that focuses on alternative genres and young, emerging artists. We are a meeting place for music lovers, musicians, and artists of all kinds.

Kinky Star is non-commercial. We strongly believe in the importance of DIY and artistic independence and serve as a springboard for up-and-coming musicians.

The club is open from Wednesday through Saturday. There is always something fun to do every day. To perform on stage yourself, it is best to send your demos and tracks to bookings@kinkystar.com

The programming is not done by just one person. Our music editorial team consists of a number of staff members and volunteers, each of whom has the opportunity to express their opinions.

Kinky Star relies 97% on the work of our many volunteers, from programming to serving fresh pints at our performances. Our crew members are truly the finest people around. Good news, by the way: you can become a volunteer too! Kinky Star has existed since 1997. That was when Luc Waegeman, the former drummer of the SeXmachines, founded the club. The band decided to release their own record, which eventually led to the Kinky Star label and the accompanying café and venue. Want to know more about our history? Then be sure to read our book about 20 years of Kinky Star.

The 10 values ​​of Kinky Star

  1. Kinky Star wants to break boundaries.
  2. Kinky Star is for everyone and of everyone.
  3. Kinky Star wants to be a safe place where there is no room for hate and discrimination.
  4. We believe that art and music should be accessible to everyone.
  5. Kinky Star is a place where we cherish artists and the curious.
  6. Kinky Star is a playground where you can create without fear.
  7. Kinky Star is non-hierarchical.
  8. Kinky Star is independent without being individualistic.
  9. We support collaboration as a creative community in Ghent and beyond.
  10. Kinky Star is not limited to a physical location. We also uphold these values ​​outside the walls of the club.

Mission

Kinky Star is a socio-cultural music and youth center that brings together and activates young people and music lovers through music. We offer an accessible meeting place where experimentation, creativity, and engagement take center stage, and where music acts as a connecting force between diverse generations and communities in an urban context.

Based on a Do-It-Yourself(-Together) philosophy, we place a strong emphasis on the recruitment, guidance, and competency development of young people and volunteers. We create learning and practice opportunities within all aspects of our operations — from programming and production to technical aspects, communication, bar operations, and organization — so that participants can take responsibility, develop their talents, and grow in self-confidence and skills. Today, Kinky Star functions as an accessible learning platform and training environment, where volunteers build knowledge and expertise through workshops, coaching, and practical experience that can be applied within and outside the organization, including as a stepping stone to the professional music and cultural sector. At the same time, we are working on strong internal operations, clear communication, and a shared identity that is conveyed by professionals and volunteers together.

Vision

Kinky Star aims to grow into a professional, multifunctional, and leading music and youth center that plays a pioneering role in a healthy, dynamic, and inclusive Belgian music landscape, with strong local roots and a supra-local reach.

In the long term, we want to be a recognizable and unique player within the Ghent and broader alternative music scene, actively contributing to talent development, innovation, and community building. We strive for a future in which Kinky Star not only responds to new developments in the music landscape but also helps shape them at a national and international level, in dialogue with artists, organizers, youth centers, and cultural partners. We view Kinky Star as an open network organization: a place where knowledge and expertise are shared, where collaborations emerge beyond the walls of the youth center, and where activities also unfold outside its own infrastructure. By sharing our spaces, infrastructure, and know-how, we aim to strengthen sustainable connections within the music and youth sectors.

In that future, Kinky Star will be an inspiring meeting place for a diverse and broad audience, featuring a high-quality and innovative range of activities, a welcoming infrastructure, and strong external communication. In this way, we continue to build an inclusive community in which young people can engage for the long term, grow, and share responsibility for a vibrant, supportive, and creative music culture.

House Rules

At Kinky Star, we strive for a safe and inclusive environment. Here is what you can expect from us:

What we offer:

What we expect from you:

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