First Pride March in Budapest After Orban's Election Defeat
Tens of thousands of people took part in a pride march in Budapest on June 27, the first such event since longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orban left office. The march proceeded despite extreme heat (+38°C), with fewer participants than in 2025, when over 200,000 attended.
On Saturday, June 27, tens of thousands of people marched in Budapest for LGBTQ+ rights and sexual diversity, marking the first pride parade since Viktor Orban stepped down as prime minister after 16 years in power. Despite extreme weather conditions – temperatures reached 38°C – the march went ahead, though organizers advised high-risk individuals to stay home and follow online.
Crowd numbers were lower than in 2025, when a record 200,000 people participated. Last year, Orban's government attempted to ban the pride march, citing a "child protection" law passed in 2021 and repeatedly tightened since. However, opposition mayor Gergely Karácsony registered the event as a municipal activity, bypassing the need for state approval.
Hungary's new conservative, pro-European Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who took office in spring 2026 after Orban's 16-year rule, has repeatedly spoken in favor of equality and freedom of assembly. Nevertheless, according to AFP, he did not officially support the pride march and has not yet taken steps to repeal the anti-LGBTQ laws enacted under his predecessor. In April, the European Court of Justice ruled that Hungary's anti-LGBTQ laws violate EU law.
