Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Budapest on Saturday, June 27, to participate in the first Pride parade since Viktor Orbán was ousted in April’s elections. The former prime minister’s party introduced a ban on Pride events in 2025, a move which was met with resounding defiance from the LGBTQ+ community and allies alike. Last year’s march saw an estimated attendance of over 350,000, making it the largest Pride in Hungary’s history.

This year, the parade was allowed to go ahead, setting off from the city’s famous opera house and travelling through the centre before crossing the Erzsébet Bridge over the Danube River. Marchers endured temperatures of 38 degrees, a symptom of the record-breaking heatwave occurring across Europe. 

It was the 31st edition of Budapest Pride, with participants saying that the mood was notably different to recent years.

As reported by RTÉ, Luca Uj said, “There used to be a lot of tension. But now I see people as being somehow happier, and there are more older people too.”

According to Reuters, 18-year-old Fanni Fajth felt that the mood was more optimistic, saying, “Everyone is just so much more uplifted.”

She added, “I think it would be wonderful if we just had equal rights finally after all these years.”

Speaking about the political changes over the last year, 51-year-old Mate Tarnai said, “We feel more freedom personally as well, and also the atmosphere in the country is much more relaxed than last year.”

Tens of thousands of people gathered to celebrate LGBTI rights in Hungary at the Budapest Pride a year after the previous government threatened to ban the march. Change is possible.

Together, we choose to resist.#HumanityMustWin pic.twitter.com/8NSMrao2l8

— Amnesty International (@amnesty) June 29, 2026

Viktor Orbán served as Hungary’s prime minister for 16 years before being defeated in April. During that time, his government implemented a range of anti-LGBTQ+ policies, including those that prohibited gender change on personal documents, adoption by same-sex couples, and the “promotion” of LGBTQ+ topics in schools.

His successor is Peter Magyar of the centre-right Tisza party. Although his government has not appealed the Orbán-era legislation that outlawed Budapest Pride, the ban was lifted, and police authorised the event to take place.

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