Balgarianovinite.com 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. Sofia Hosts Parallel Pride and Family Marches as Orthodox Church Opposes Sofia Pride 2026 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-06-13 19:22:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law