The story of Budapest pride
Anyone who wanted to—and even those who didn’t—heard about last year’s Budapest Pride and saw the now-famous image of an estimated 470,000 people filling Erzsébet Bridge. This many people gathered—despite the Prime Minister’s “ban”—on June 28 last year. This attendance broke a record in Hungary, as in previous years the number had not exceeded 40,000. Although many attended as a protest against restrictions on the right of assembly, this is far from the only reason Pride is important. But why is it so significant? In Hungary today, members of the LGBTQ+ community are not treated as equals, either by law or by the average person. Couples cannot marry, which means they cannot adopt children; in addition, they face judgment and hostility every day simply because of their sexual orientation. This is precisely why Pride is so incredibly important. It is the one day of the year when the LGBTQ+ community can truly be themselves, openly show that yes, they are different, yes, they are present, and that they are just as equal members of society as anyone else.
The history of Budapest Pride originally began with a few students from ELTE, who organized the Pink Picnic—a series of secret gatherings held in the early 1990s. The location could be found using small pink triangles, similar to tourist trail markers, and around 300–400 people gathered there. The young participants played music, talked, and screened films. However, this was still a closed event, without promotion, and only those within certain circles knew about it.
The first LGBTQ festival took place in 1997, where films related to the topic were screened—this was the first such event in Eastern Europe. Thanks to the initiative of a few people, it turned into a small march starting from Capella Café. Although only around 300 people took part at the time, it still attracted significant media attention.
The first counter-protester appeared in 1998 with the now-famous sign reading “Faggot Go Home!” However, things did not unfold as the sign suggested—they stayed, and the second march also took place peacefully. In the 2000s, there were several violent incidents; in 2008, the march was attacked—eggs, firecrackers, and stones were thrown into the crowd, and some people were sprayed with foul-smelling acid, though fortunately no one was seriously injured. Counter-protesters have unfortunately become an unavoidable part of the march, but in recent years there have been no violent incidents—which is something to be glad about, even though in an ideal society, counter-protests—and especially attacks—would not occur at all.
The event officially took on the name Budapest Pride in 2009, and that year barriers were introduced for the first time to prevent further incidents.
In the 2010s, the festival’s political support and attendance steadily grew, and it gained national attention. Whoopi Goldberg, an Academy Award-winning actress, sent a message to the participants, and thirteen embassies, along with the European Council, expressed their support for LGBTQ+ people living in Hungary. From 2017 onward, the march took place without barriers, secured by a live police presence, for the first time in nearly ten years—allowing anyone to join at any point along the route.
The pandemic did not stop Hungarian Pride either. It was held online during COVID in 2020, where people could watch highlight videos from previous years, and many gave speeches. The most groundbreaking year so far was 2025. More than ten times as many people attended compared to the previous record. And with hope, this will continue every year, because no matter how much the current system tries to discourage society from the LGBTQ+ community, no matter how much it attempts to frame its restrictions under the guise of child protection—it will not succeed. The freedom of assembly can never be banned or eliminated in any way.
Források:
https://refresher.hu/9106-Egy-haromszaz-fos-piknikbol-tobb-tizezres-tomeg-a-Budapest-Pride-Felvonulas-tortenete
https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Pride
https://budapestpride.hu/tortenetunk/
The history of Budapest Pride originally began with a few students from ELTE, who organized the Pink Picnic—a series of secret gatherings held in the early 1990s. The location could be found using small pink triangles, similar to tourist trail markers, and around 300–400 people gathered there. The young participants played music, talked, and screened films. However, this was still a closed event, without promotion, and only those within certain circles knew about it.
The first LGBTQ festival took place in 1997, where films related to the topic were screened—this was the first such event in Eastern Europe. Thanks to the initiative of a few people, it turned into a small march starting from Capella Café. Although only around 300 people took part at the time, it still attracted significant media attention.
The first counter-protester appeared in 1998 with the now-famous sign reading “Faggot Go Home!” However, things did not unfold as the sign suggested—they stayed, and the second march also took place peacefully. In the 2000s, there were several violent incidents; in 2008, the march was attacked—eggs, firecrackers, and stones were thrown into the crowd, and some people were sprayed with foul-smelling acid, though fortunately no one was seriously injured. Counter-protesters have unfortunately become an unavoidable part of the march, but in recent years there have been no violent incidents—which is something to be glad about, even though in an ideal society, counter-protests—and especially attacks—would not occur at all.
The event officially took on the name Budapest Pride in 2009, and that year barriers were introduced for the first time to prevent further incidents.
In the 2010s, the festival’s political support and attendance steadily grew, and it gained national attention. Whoopi Goldberg, an Academy Award-winning actress, sent a message to the participants, and thirteen embassies, along with the European Council, expressed their support for LGBTQ+ people living in Hungary. From 2017 onward, the march took place without barriers, secured by a live police presence, for the first time in nearly ten years—allowing anyone to join at any point along the route.
The pandemic did not stop Hungarian Pride either. It was held online during COVID in 2020, where people could watch highlight videos from previous years, and many gave speeches. The most groundbreaking year so far was 2025. More than ten times as many people attended compared to the previous record. And with hope, this will continue every year, because no matter how much the current system tries to discourage society from the LGBTQ+ community, no matter how much it attempts to frame its restrictions under the guise of child protection—it will not succeed. The freedom of assembly can never be banned or eliminated in any way.
Források:
https://refresher.hu/9106-Egy-haromszaz-fos-piknikbol-tobb-tizezres-tomeg-a-Budapest-Pride-Felvonulas-tortenete
https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Pride
https://budapestpride.hu/tortenetunk/
