Sofia Pride Held with Calls for Equality, Freedom and Acceptance

UPDATED Sofia Pride Held with Calls for Equality, Freedom and Acceptance

Metodi Yordanov, Desislava Peeva

Snapshot of the Sofia Pride, June 13, 2026 (BTA Photo/Blagoy Kirilov)

Sofia,

13.06.2026 16:36 | UPDATED 13.06.2026 21:06

(BTA)

Sofia Pride is both a celebration and a protest because LGBTQ+ people continue to have to prove that they are no different from anyone else, Kaloyan Kalinin of the Sofia Pride association and the Plovdiv-based Pogled [viewpoint] Foundation said at the opening of the event here on Saturday.

“We are all the same in one respect - we want to be loved, accepted, free and part of a society that does not judge us,” Kalinin said.

He and Nadezhda Tsekulova, a representative of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, officially opened Sofia Pride in Sofia’s Knyazheska Garden.

“To reach a moment of pride, we first need to reach a moment of self-acceptance and to have equal rights with those around us,” Kalinin added.

Tsekulova said that this year the event is supported by companies, institutions, foundations and embassies that stand behind the right of every person to live freely and with dignity.

Ambassadors of several countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and others, unfurled a banner bearing the message “Diplomats for Equality.” "Fifty years ago, the first Pride parade took place in the United States, and since then, more than 14 countries have decriminalized homosexuality and 38 have legalized same-sex marriage. We still have much to achieve, said the Irish Ambassador to Bulgaria," Catherine Bannon.

“Today we are together and united against hate and intolerance, and we are showing that Bulgaria is a welcoming place,” also said the British Ambassador, Nathaniel Copsey.

Participants in the procession carried banners reading “We are not a taboo topic,” “Fact, not propaganda,” “Proud together,” and others. The march was accompanied by two moving platforms with sound systems, playing pop and electronic music.

In the afternoon, a concert featuring Bulgarian artists supporting the cause was held in Knyazheska Garden. Among the performers was Eurovision winner Dara, who also performed the hit with which she won the contest, Bangaranga. She received a medal from the organizers for her contribution to the LGBTI community. Other performers included Mila Robert, Preyah, Teodora Marcheva, and others.

Sofia Pride, which was coordinated with the Sofia Municipality, began with a concert in Knyazheska Garden near the [recently dismantled] Soviet Army Monument and is scheduled to continue with a procession through central Sofia

Participants marched from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. accompanied by sound-equipped platforms.

There was a heightened police presence in the area around Knyazheska Garden. Entry to the Pride event was controlled through several access points where participants underwent security checks.

Sofia Pride took place on the same day as the Family March, an event organized in support of the traditional Bulgarian family. The Family March was scheduled to begin at St. Nedelya Square and conclude with a concert at St. Alexander Nevsky Square as part of the Month of the Family initiative.

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church said in an official statement on Saturday that it opposes the holding of Sofia Pride 2026 and expresses its disagreement with the ideas and messages promoted through the event.

/MY/