Buenos Aires’ annual Pride Parade has been held on the first Saturday in November since 1997. This year, however, organisers have been told they will need to postpone the event until later in the month because of a papal visit.
The city’s governing council has informed organisers that the annual parade, which commemorates the formation of Argentina’s first LGBTIQA+ rights group, Nuestro Mundo, must be delayed. The city has introduced a ruling stating that no events other than those associated with the papal visit can take place between 6 and 13 November.
“This proposal has one objective: to allow the march to take place and for the government of Buenos Aires to support it with the resources necessary to guarantee a safe, orderly and celebratory event, as has occurred in the past,” the council said in a statement.
Organisers of the Pride Parade said the decision was disappointing, particularly as Pope Leo will not arrive in Argentina until 8 November and the parade had been scheduled for the day before his arrival.
They have decided to ignore the council’s request and proceed with the festival, noting that thousands of people will already have booked travel and accommodation for the annual event.
They also noted that the request to reschedule the march came from the governing council of Buenos Aires and that they had received no direct request from either the national government or the Vatican.
The papal visit will be the first time Pope Leo has travelled to South America since being elected in 2025. While the pontiff was born in the United States, he spent much of his career serving in Peru.
His trip will see him spend 11 days in Uruguay, Peru and Argentina.
Pope Leo will be in Argentina from 8 to 11 November and is expected to visit Buenos Aires, Córdoba, the country’s second-largest city, and Luján.
His predecessor, Pope Francis, served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires before becoming Pope but never returned to the city during his pontificate.
