Silly walks: Python fans get into their stride in Budapest

Hundreds of Hungarians marched through central Budapest in a "silly walk" parade on Monday, copying flamboyant moves from British comedy group Monty Python's famous television sketch, in order to mark April Fools' Day.

The march was organized by Benedek Petrok, a 27-year-old education assistant, who said the event provided an opportunity for people to forget about their daily problems.

Participants, including old and young alike, held a one-minute warm-up session before setting off for a three-lap march near an underground station that serves expensive hotels in central Budapest.

The sketch by the Monty Python team, who made their name in the 1970s television series Monty Python's Flying Circus, shows British actor and comedian John Cleese as a bowler-hatted civil servant walking in an unusual manner to the "Ministry of Silly Walks."

His character in the sketch was charged with assessing applications for government funding from individuals keen to develop their own brand of silly walk.

av/rc (Reuters)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.