A year after the devastating fire at the Pulse nightclub, the wounds remain painfully open for the parents who lost their children and for nearly 200 visitors who survived the tragedy but continue to live with its consequences.
Many of them had gone to the club that night simply to attend a concert by the Macedonian band DNK. Instead, they left the venue with severe burns and poisoning from toxic fumes as the fire rapidly engulfed the building.
A court process has been underway for some time now, with families and the wider public hoping it will finally reveal the full truth behind the tragedy. For the victims’ relatives, justice remains the only path toward some measure of consolation. What is clear to everyone is that such a disaster must never happen again.
Late last night at 2:32 a.m., residents of Kočani and surrounding towns gathered in silence outside the burned-out nightclub—the place where the last heartbeat of 63 mostly young lives was lost. Holding candles and standing in quiet reflection, they marked the anniversary of the tragedy with sighs, whispered prayers, and subdued tears. In the days before the vigil, many families had already visited the graves of their loved ones, where memorial services were held in their honor.
For the survivors, the past year has been a long and difficult journey. Some recall little from the hours, days or even months after escaping the burning club. Packed into ambulances, they were first rushed to hospitals in Kočani and Štip, then transferred to clinics in Skopje. The most critically injured were flown abroad the same night or the following day in a desperate effort to save their lives.
Several survivors spent weeks in comas, waking up confused and asking what day it was. Over the past year they have learned, step by step, to accept themselves again — to face the looks of strangers, to share the pain of neighbors who lost loved ones, and to find the strength both to whisper and to speak openly about the tragedy that forever changed their lives.
Despite everything, many of them are still determined to move forward and ensure such a catastrophe never happens again. In that effort, they have found support in the solidarity shown by fellow citizens. A grassroots initiative known as Support Kočani, formed by young volunteers shortly after the tragedy, became a symbol of community unity. The group helped redirect donations directly to affected families and victims, often acting faster than official institutions.
“March of the Angels” – a year-long call for justice
Over the past year, the parents of those who died or were injured have become the most vocal advocates for justice. Their initiative, known as the “March of the Angels,” began shortly after the fire as a symbolic expression of grief and hope. Marches have been held almost every Saturday in Kočani and occasionally in front of state institutions in Skopje.
Authorities have announced reforms aimed at improving safety standards, inspections and institutional oversight. However, many families remain skeptical, saying that institutions “promise a lot but deliver little.”
To mark the first anniversary, the Municipality of Kočani organized a three-day commemorative and spiritual program from March 14 to 16. The events included memorial services, the opening of a memorial installation titled “Unfinished Dreams – Every Name Is Someone’s World,” and a symbolic display of “63 White Chairs – 63 Lives,” accompanied by a mural known as the “Wall of Remembrance.”
A gathering was also held in front of the former nightclub building shortly after 2:15 a.m., the time when the fire broke out.
Meanwhile in Skopje, an “International Conference on the Institutional and Clinical Aspects and Solutions Following the Kočani Fire” brought together officials and medical professionals from numerous countries who had helped treat the victims in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.
Other towns whose residents were present at the concert that night also marked the anniversary with their own commemorative events.
The message echoed everywhere was the same: this must never happen again. Achieving that, many believe, will require deep institutional reform and a commitment from every public servant to perform their duties with responsibility, integrity, and without compromise.
