Pride parade

The northern port of Thessaloniki is hosting the EuroPride parade on Saturday evening, marking the end of a 10-day celebration of the LGBTQI community, with events that ranged from the awareness-raising and political to the fun.

Pride Month, celebrated every June, is a vibrant and significant time of year dedicated to honoring the LGBTQ+ community and commemorating the ongoing struggle for equal rights and acceptance. The month-long celebration features parades, festivals, workshops, and various events that bring together LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies to celebrate love, diversity, and progress.

Sofia Pride 2024, the largest event advocating for human rights in Bulgaria, is scheduled to take place at Prince Alexander I Batenberg Square on June 22. This new venue will host the pre-march concert, featuring some of Bulgaria's top musical talents, providing a platform for young artists to perform in front of thousands.

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In June, Pride Parades were held, among others, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Croatia, highlighting the struggle for LGBT rights in these countries.

Turkish police detained 113 people including protesters, activists and journalists at Istanbul's 21st Pride Parade on Sunday, which was banned like many other LGBT Pride month events across the country.

The organisers of the annual Pride Parade in Ljubljana have criticised police handling of reports of violence against the LGBTIQ+ community and tepid government response after what they described as the worst hostility against the community in years.

Drag show at Kvirhana Queer Festival in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Photo: SOC/Asja Mustajbasic.

Sofia Pride was held in the Bulgarian capital for the 16th year in a row. There was a concert in the Prince's Garden, which was followed by a peace procession.

For the first time, the event was openly supported by 11 Bulgarian families, who invited everyone to join Pride Parade as a sign of support for people from the LGBTIQ+ community.

The 2023 Ljubljana Pride Parade highlighted the continued need to fight for the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community as two incidents mired otherwise joyful festivities on 17 June that organisers say attracted a crowd of 3,500.

People attending the Pride Parade in Sofia, Bulgaria, 18 June 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

On Thursday, the movie, telling the semi-autobiographical story of two 13-year old boys whose friendship turns sour after homophobic remarks at their school, will be screened in Sofia's Odeon hall.