The Pride in Budapest gathered nearly 200,000 participants despite a ban imposed by Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a record number according to organizers, Agence France-Presse reported.

"Our estimates are between 180,000 and 200,000 people. It is difficult to determine the exact number because there have never been so many people at Budapest Pride," Viktoria Radvan, the event's chairwoman, told AFP, BTA reported.

Budapest's Green Mayor Gergely Karacsón also welcomed the record turnout.

"Thank you, Viktor Orbán, for promoting a more tolerant society," he wrote on Facebook.