and illegal by the European Court of Human Rights' Bączkowski v. Poland ruling. That month, the 2007 parade gathered about 4000 attendees. The 2008 march attracted "several thousands" again, and the 2009, "over 2,000". In 2010 the event was not held, as Warsaw hosted the international EuroPride event, drawing a crowd of around 8,000. This event was organized privately and required an entrance fee, which was the cause of controversy. The parades have been organized annually since, and attendance has grown substantially over the years, from about 4000 to 6000 attendees in 2011, 18,000 in 2015, to about 45,000 attendees in the 2018 parade. On 8 June 2019, around 50,000 marched in the event. Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski participated in the event twice as well as granted the festival city patronate. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the parade was called off. It rebooted on 19 June 2021, and again, the mayor Rafał Trzaskowski participated in the event, granting the parade city hall patronage. Although no accurate number of participants was officially announced, selected media stated that there were “thousands” present at the event. In 2022, the march was held alongside KyivPride, which, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine causing many Ukrainians to flee the country and Russian aerial bombing campaigns, could not hold an event in the city. In addition to LGBT rights, the march also focused on supporting Ukraine and calling for peace. A recurring demand of the parade is the recognition of same-sex unions in Poland. See also Tęcza (Warsaw) Warsaw Gay Movement References External links A brief history of Equality Parade Open letter Equality Parade 2013 LGBT rights in Poland LGBT history in Poland Recurring events established in 2001 2001 establishments in Poland Events in Warsaw Equality marches in Poland