Approximately 3,000 people marched through the centre of Brno on Saturday carrying rainbow flags and banners, and accompanied by music, at the closing parade of Brno Pride Week.
This year saw the largest turnout for the parade to date, thanks to the pleasant weather and the growing queer community in the city, festival director Melinda Mlichova told CTK.
Rainbow flags and banners supporting marriage for all and trans rights were visible in the parade. Participants carried banners with slogans such as “Love Finds a Way” and messages referring to equal rights. Some carried Palestinian flags.
“There were also many banners commenting on the current political situation,” noted Mlichova.
During the parade, a few opponents to the parade expressed their disapproval via comments or gestures, but otherwise the event was peaceful, Mlichova said.
The Brno Pride Week festival began on 31 May and concluded on Saturday with the parade and a closing party at Fleda. The slogan of this year’s edition was: “There’s always something that unites us”, responding to the current situation of sexual minorities in the Czech Republic and around the world, and emphasising the importance of safe spaces, respect, humanity and community cohesion.
Due to a limited budget, this year’s Brno Pride Week focused primarily on smaller community events and collaboration with cultural institutions, non-profit organisations and events organised by Masaryk University. The organisers said their goal was to keep the festival accessible, meaningful and open, even under conditions where it was not possible to build the programme of large-scale productions.
