On July 7th, a grand parade brings the Budapest Pride Festival, a month-long extravaganza set up to celebrate LGBTQ culture and generate more support, to a colourful conclusion. The procession begins at Városligeti fasor at 2pm, reaching focal Kossuth tér by 5pm. After this fabulous fiesta, Budapest Park welcomes guests with a Rainbow Party headlined by Austrian celebrity Conchita Wurst. The artist gained international attention after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 with the song “Rise Like a Phoenix”. Accompanying events will be taking place across Budapest throughout the weekend.
On Saturday, thousands of people will be walking peacefully side-by-side while liberating music plays amid a rainbow-coloured setting during the Budapest Pride March. The procession marks the closing ceremony of the Budapest Pride Festival, a series of LGBTQ events which have been running since early summer. It’s the first time that such an extensive agenda has been created for the festival, organised by NGOs, informal groups and private individuals. This citywide parade is free to join for anyone who supports the event’s ideals and vision.
From the Városligeti fasor meeting point, masses leisurely proceed to central Kossuth tér, towered over by the Gothic splendour of Parliament. When the procession ends, an alfresco Rainbow Party awaits revellers at Budapest Park, where a wide spectrum of events is scheduled. The programme includes fashion shows, massages and face painting beginning at 6pm. To crown this free-spirited day and night, Europride ambassador Conchita Wurst performs on stage from 9pm. The party concludes with a fireworks show starting just before 10pm. See here for ticket information.
But there are many more activities organised around the closing days of the Pride Festival. At 6pm today, American documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson screens at the Blinken OSA Archívum. The movie investigates the mysterious 1992 death of black gay right activist Marsha P. Johnson through archival interviews with the victim and the drag queen’s family, friends and fellow activists. The film screens with original English audio and Hungarian subtitles.
On Friday at 5pm, the Auróra cultural community hangout hosts a banner-making workshop for creating colourful placards for the following day’s march. Tools and materials will be provided. The same night, the Liget Club will be home to Women’s Pride, with music spanning evergreen classics and recent pop hits.
Then from 10am on Saturday, District VIII’s Görbe Bögre café presents American “new trad” storyteller Danielle Bellone, whose modern-day tales touch topics also related to the LGBTQ community. Bellone’s stories range from traditional folk and fairy tales to poetic explorations. The event is in English with Hungarian interpretation. To register, send an e-mail to csenge@zalkacsenge.hu and please donate 2,500 forints to attend.
On July 8th, Margaret Island’s outdoor expanse should provide the ideal setting for the festival-closing picnic event. Bring a blanket, plus food and drinks. Dogs and rainbow-coloured flags are welcome, too. See the Budapest Pride website for more details about all events. Directions for how and where to join Saturday’s march are also included in English.
Providing a useful source of information year-round, Pink Budapest Guide promotes Budapest for LGBTQ travellers. The publication is available in a biannual print version and online, regularly updated in English, French, German and Spanish.
