Lede (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈleːdə] ⓘ) is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders, in the Denderstreek near the cities of Ghent, Aalst and Dendermonde.

It consists of shallow-marine limestone and sandstone, deposited in the former sea that covered Belgium during the Eocene.

The bluestone (for roads) and in particular the yellow-brown calcareous sandstone extracted from quarries in Lede and neighbouring areas, were widely used during the 15th to 18th century as construction material for religious and civil buildings.

But industrial development remained limited: a few rural breweries, weaving mills, clothing and shoe companies were founded by local families, but all disappeared by the late 20th Century.

Lede is known for a statue of the Virgin Mary, inside the Martin's Church, called "Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-van-Zeven-Smarten" (Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows), to which a local legend attributes miraculous powers, such as healing of diseases.