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About Skopje Pride
About Skopje
Skopje has its own Pride march, and compared with many other cities in Southeast Europe it is still young. The first Skopje Pride took place on a Saturday at the end of June, when around a thousand people marched through the city centre. Government ministers and foreign diplomats joined the march, which was widely read as a political signal. Since then the march has been held every year and is counted by edition; the organisers refer, for example, to the fourth or sixth Skopje Pride.
Pride is organised by the National Network Against Homophobia and Transphobia, an alliance of queer civil society groups. A long-standing pillar of the community is the LGBTI Support Centre, founded by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, which offers legal advice, self-help groups and advocacy. The Queer Center Skopje also provides free psychosocial and legal counselling and runs a national helpline.
The march is more of a political demonstration than a street party. It usually opens with speeches in Woman Fighter Park in the centre and then moves through the city, for example past the Ministry of Education to the government building or into the City Park. Macedonian musicians and other artists perform along the way. Each year has its own motto and a manifesto with concrete demands, recently for instance against the slow implementation of legal gender recognition. Police secure the march with a large presence.
The march is often preceded by several days of events announced as Pride Weekend: panel discussions, cultural evenings and parties. Attendance usually ranges from a few hundred to around a thousand people.
The legal framework remains narrow. Same-sex partnerships are not recognised in North Macedonia, and marriage is defined in law as a union between a man and a woman. An anti-discrimination law that explicitly covers sexual orientation and gender identity is, however, in force. Anyone planning to attend should follow the organisers' announcements, as the date, route and side programme are published anew each year.
Skopje Pride – frequently asked questions
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