Sofia Hosts Parallel Pride and Family Marches as Orthodox Church Opposes Sofia Pride 2026

UPDATED Sofia Hosts Parallel Pride and Family Marches as Orthodox Church Opposes Sofia Pride 2026

Metodi Yordanov

An image from the Family March (top) and the Sofia pride (bottom) in Sofia, June 13, 2026 (BTA Photo/Blagoy Kirilov)

Sofia,

13.06.2026 21:31 | UPDATED 13.06.2026 22:10

(BTA)

Two contrasting public events took place in Sofia on Saturday, with participants gathering for Sofia Pride in support of LGBTQ+ rights and for the Family March in support of traditional family values, held separately, and supported by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which expressed its opposition to the Sofia Pride.

Sofia Pride Calls for Equality, Acceptance

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 Plovdiv [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.

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,” 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.

March Draws Supporters of the Traditional Family

Meanwhile, the March for the Family took place for a sixth consecutive year, drawing participants who expressed support for traditional family values.

The event was organized by the Family Month Association, the Rod [Kin] Association and the Our Home is Bulgaria Foundation and was attended by Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil.

David Alexandrov, one of the organizers and a member of the Family Month Association, said Bulgarian families face challenges linked to the country's demographic crisis and called for policies to support larger families, including tax and fee relief and incentives for participation in cultural activities.

From a stage outside St Nedelya Cathedral, Alexandrov read a declaration by Progressive Bulgaria expressing support for the Family March. He thanked political parties that have backed what he described as efforts to support the Bulgarian family.

Marchers carried icons, wooden crosses and Bulgarian flags, while white, pink and blue balloons were distributed among participants. Stalls offering Orthodox Christian literature were set up near the cathedral, and activities for children included a soap-bubble demonstration. The procession was accompanied by the National Guards Unit’s brass band.

Bulgarian Orthodox Church's Stance

Patriarch Daniil said that said the Church teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman and voiced concern about the promotion of behavioural models that, in his words, are incompatible with Christianity. He emphasized that the Church does not reject anyone and prays for every person, but has a duty to protect believers from what he described as spiritual deception. Daniil called for the protection of traditional family values and announced plans for the Church to take over the organization of the Family March from next year.

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church also said on Saturday that it opposes the holding of Sofia Pride 2026 and disagrees with the ideas and messages promoted through the event.

Sofia Mayor Terziev Calls for Tolerance, Mutual Respect on City's Residents

“Instead of hating, let us choose to understand others. In one city, we are all connected,” Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said, as quoted by the press centre of the Sofia Municipality. Terziev called for tolerance, mutual respect and overcoming division during a weekend marked by numerous large-scale and diverse public events in the capital. He stressed that Sofia’s strength lies precisely in being a shared home for all its residents.

/MY/