Bonaparte Turns 65: The Last Karaoke Bar in the Historic Center Celebrates for a Whole Year

The Bonaparte is turning 65 this year. The last karaoke bar in Antwerp’s historic center will be celebrating for a whole year.

When Dimitri Vantomme took over the business from Bertil and Michel in 1997, he was just shy of 18. He was a regular there, along with his cousin. The Bonaparte was already a gay-friendly establishment back then. After all, Bertil and Michel were gay themselves. The couple ran the Bonaparte for nine years. The business had been started by a butcher from Antwerp as a grand “Grand Café.” “With a fresco of the Battle of Waterloo,” Dimitri explains. Though he wasn’t around to experience that era himself.

As a young lad, Dimitri wanted to break into show business. But his parents wanted him to have a “real job.” Instead of the Antwerp Conservatory or Studio Herman Teirlinck, he ended up at hotel school. In 1992, Bonaparte became a karaoke bar and immediately served as a showcase for the Japanese company Pioneer. There were as many as 32 screens designed to showcase the Japanese brand’s technological ingenuity. Karaoke was at its peak in the 1990s. Soon after the takeover, dancer Davy Brocatus also joined the business, though only temporarily. But with his help, Dimitri took his first steps into showbiz.

Bonaparte became a dance bar with karaoke. “30 to 40 minutes of karaoke, then playing records to keep the energy high,” Dimitri recalls. Until the pandemic, the bar was open five days a week; now it’s open seven days a week. During the week, karaoke runs from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., and on weekends, it starts as early as 4 p.m. “People know there’s always something going on at Bonaparte. There’s a DJ every night.”

Queer parties

Ever since Bertil and Michel, Bonaparte has been explicitly gay-friendly. Back in his day, Dimitri regularly organized queer parties such as the legendary Pannekoek, Padam, and Vive La Femme. Those parties still exist, but they’re held less frequently. “The nightlife scene has changed, and as a business, you have to evolve along with it,” says Dimitri.

The Bonaparte has a lot on its schedule: the Miss Travestie Antwerp pageant, drag bingo, and “penis pimp” sessions. “The Bonaparte is a jack-of-all-trades. Our team is diverse and inclusive. I’m proud of that—after all, it’s very important. That’s why people from the community keep coming to the Bonaparte. I can see this in the rising number of bar patrons, a trend you can see all over the Grote Markt,” says Dimitri.

Bonaparte, who is celebrating his birthday, will be celebrating for a whole year.