[4][5] Pride receives funding from the City of Zagreb and[6] a number of international human rights organizations and embassies.

[7][8] The event usually consists of a Pride March through the city center, followed by a gathering at the Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square where speeches are given by LGBTIQ activists.

Each year the organizers adopt a theme and a collection of principles and values called the "Pride platform", which is designed to be reflected in the march, speeches, and publicity for the event.

In 2003, one year after the first LGBT pride in Croatia, then ruling coalition consisted of mostly center-left parties and managed to agree and passed a law on same-sex unions.

Registering those relationships was not allowed nor did they include the right to make a joint declaration of taxes, property, health insurance, pensions etc.

[16][17] Despite this law being more symbolic rather than practical, it was considered as a milestone in the Croatian legal system as it was the first to recognize the existence of same-sex relationships.

[18][19] Croatia also prohibits all discrimination against LGBT individuals through several laws: On 1 January 2013, the new Penal Code was introduced with the recognition of hate crimes based on gender identity.

At the time of the first Pride, coalition consisted of mostly center-left parties was in power, providing support for future expansion of rights.

[22] In 2003, a parliamentary election was held, and the right-wing Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won the majority of seats.

HDZ opposes LGBT rights, but they have enacted several laws that ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as part of the negotiation process before joining the European Union.

A member of SDP and former Minister of Environment and Nature Protection in the Kukuriku coalition, Mirela Holy, has been a notable supporter of LGBT rights for years.

Other supporters of LGBT rights in Croatia are Rade Šerbedžija, Drago Pilsel, Ivo Banac, Furio Radin, Darinko Kosor, Đurđa Adlešič, Vesna Teršelič, Lidija Bajuk, Mario Kovač, Nina Violić, former Prime Minister Ivica Račan's widow Dijana Pleština, pop group E.N.I., Severina Vučković, Vlatka Pokos, Luka Nižetić, Franka Batelić, Arsen Bauk, Peđa Grbin, Tomislav Tomašević, Boris Milošević etc.

[27] Sometime around 9:00, just before the gathering, unknown attackers beat up Croatian theatre director Mario Kovač, who was supposed to be Pride's master of ceremonies.

[8] As the gathering progressed, homophobic opponents to Gay Pride Zagreb rallied at the western side of Zrinjevac, yelling "Go to Serbia", "Kill the Serb", "Fags to concentration camps", "Heil Hitler", "Sieg Heil", "Die", and "We are Aryan", and then invoked the name of the first President of Croatia Franjo Tuđman.

[8] Multimedia Institute's public space net.culture club MaMa was attacked, as it was co-organizer and host location with address listed on the poster (for pre-program and organizing work).

[8] Several skinheads who threatened them and cursed them, which led to another police intervention, met the organizers of the event, who after the gathering attempted to take the props to a van that was waiting for them in Đorđić Street.

[8] The second Zagreb Pride was held on June 28, 2003, organized by the lesbian group Kontra and the Center for the Rights of Sexual and Gender Minorities Iskorak.

The motto was "Proud again" (Opet ponosno) and was dedicated to the introduction of anti-discrimination provisions into Croatian laws and amendments to the Family Code.

[27][29][30] The third Zagreb Pride was held on June 19, 2004, organized by the lesbian group Kontra under the slogan Vive la différence (French for "long live diversity").

[31][32] For the first time, the march was supported by people or groups from pop culture, for example Nina Violić, Dunja Knebl, E.N.I.

[35] With just a few weeks of preparations and about US$1,500,[34] an informal and until that day unknown feminist group Epikriza organized a small march in July with about 100 people and without any program.

The attempt to organize such an event in Belgrade, Serbia in 2001, ended in a bloody showdown between the police and the counter-protesters, with the participants heavily beaten up.

[27] The theme of the march was the right of sexual minorities to be visible in society and to express their identity without fear of discrimination and abuse.

The media led the campaign to support the LGBT community, calling everyone to "march in the upcoming Zagreb Pride".

Mile Kekin, a frontman of the Croatian punk rock band Hladno pivo was named a "homofriend" of the year.

[27][54][55][56] The 13th Zagreb Pride was held on June 14, 2014 under the motto On the right side of the history (Na pravoj strani povijesti).

In the proclamation of the procession, it was pointed out that freedom depends on social, economic and other factors and in the circumstances of assured existence and stable material conditions.

[62] The 18th Zagreb Pride was held on June 8, 2019 with the motto 18 Proud Years (Osamnaest ponosnih godina).

[67] The procession started for the first time from Markovo trg, then went down from Stross to Mesnička and Ilica, and ended at Draškovićeva at Ribnjak, in cooperation with Art Park and Animafest.

[73] On June 4, 2022, Zagreb Pride was held for the 21st time, without incidents and with strong presence of politicians and media.