Despite an official ban based on a controversial "child protection law" passed in March, the centre of Budapest was lit up in rainbow colours on Saturday. Pride president Viktória Radványi estimated attendance at between 180,000 and 200,000, a huge leap from the previous record of 35,000. Local media estimated the turnout at around 100,000. Regardless of the exact number, it marked an unprecedented show of visibility in a country where LGBTQ+ rights are increasingly under pressure.

Mayor Gergely Karácsony declared Pride an official municipal event in an attempt to bypass the national ban. This gave organisers and participants some level of protection, but the risk of fines or even up to a year in prison  remained. Under the new law, police were still authorised to intervene and could use facial recognition technology to identify attendees.

Police were visibly present but did not step in. Their main focus appeared to be maintaining distance between the Pride march and a handful of far-right counter-demonstrators. The event remained peaceful: 36 identity checks were carried out and two arrests made, but there was no large-scale intervention.

The march received wide international support. Over thirty embassies, the European Commission, and dozens of Members of the European Parliament publicly backed the event. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised in the run-up to the march that equality and non-discrimination are “core values of the Union” that “must be respected at all times and in all Member States.”

Prime Minister Orbán lashed out at the march, calling it “repulsive and shameful” in a closed online group. He claimed that Brussels and opposition politicians were behind the event. He offered no evidence for this but specifically pointed to drag performances and information on gender-affirming care at the march as “unacceptable”. The Pride demonstration became one of the largest public expressions of anti-government protest Hungary has seen in years.