Regional Show

The Ajka Art City programme series brings contemporary art closer to the public through street art actions. Our traditional Folk Dance Ensemble and Rock and Roll Modern Dance Association offer a day of relaxation and enjoyment for all participants. On 18th August, we dress up in folk costumes, and on 19th August, we evoke the legendary Rock and Roll era, so it's worth searching your parents' and grandparents' wardrobes now. On 20th August, stars with roots in Ajka come back home to meet guests and townspeople, while opera singers, actors, musicians and artists join local arts groups for spontaneous performances to give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Gastronomy enthusiasts can sample game and fish dishes. The world's first Krypton factory hosts music, light art and contemporary art programmes, and on 2nd September, the town's mining tradition is revived with a nostalgic trip back to the 70s and 80s on Miners' Day.

Date: 18-20.08.2023. and 02-03.09.2023.

Balaton Film Music Festival is part of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture programme. It is a nationally unique, exceptional programme, which will be held in Balatonalmádi on a civil initiative. The three-day festival, scheduled for the last weekend of August 2023, will feature symphony and chamber orchestras performing some of the most exciting Hungarian and international film music of all time. The festival will feature film music themed concerts on all three days at three different venues.

Date of the programme: 25th August 2023 - 27th August 2023

The WATER, EARTH, and AIR are elements that are significant in our lives, yet we often forget their importance, and the importance to preserve them. Our events attract more and more people to this region and our city every year, so we thought that these events are an excellent opportunity to draw attention to environmental protection and the significance of sustainability. This triple bond is very important in Fonyód's life: WATER is perhaps the most major, since Lake Balaton is the real summer attraction. EARTH symbolizes the two hills in Fonyód, Várhegy and Sipos hill, and the forest covering them, which is also the decoration of today's Fonyód.... where the AIR is still very good and healthy, which has been a great attraction for more than 100 years for those building holiday homes here.

Date: 26.08.2023.

KeszthelyFest 2023 – Save the Date!: Four-Day Multidisciplinary Arts Festival at Lake Balaton

KeszthelyFest was held for the ninth time between 6th and 9th July 2023. One of the main aims of the free event is to provide a truly entertaining and memorable experience for locals and tourists alike, mixing different styles of music, gastronomy, humour, literature, history and fashion.

Date: 6th – 9th July

Helikon Festivities 2023 – The Festivity of Encounters

Hungary's biggest secondary school talent festival took an unusual new direction in 2023 moving beyond its former format. It presented at the same time the most successful competition productions and schools of the past years, the artists and star performers who took part in the Helikons of previous decades and have since established themselves, and the professionals and artists sitting on the juries as well as the artistic groups and local creative communities associated with them.

Date: April 2023

Partner: Helikon Kastélymúzeum Nonprofit Kft

The Festival of Nations is a four-day event that invites Hungarian and European dancers and musicians to showcase the cultures and heritage of various nations. Visitors can not only learn about different traditions through exhibitions, processional dances, barn dancing and stage performances, but also take part in international dance competitions.

The programme will showcase values that are not only for those interested in the diversity of European traditions. Child-friendly services and interactive programmes for families will be a special focus.

Date: 8th – 13th August 2023

Website: http://marcaliprogramok.hu/

Imre Kálmán was born in Siófok, and his compositions are still often heard in the streets of the town. In 2023, 12 young conductors from all over the world interpret the composer's most important works and compare their talents in front of an international jury. The three-round competition was open to all: in the city's most beautiful squares, Imre Kálmán's legacy was brought to life by the orchestra, dancers and singers of the Budapest Operetta Theatre.

Date: June 2023

The heart of the Pannonian landscape welcomed visitors to an unusual festival on the second weekend of July

"Barock" Festival is a fusion of tradition and modernity. The festival's guest of honour, the Szentegyházi Children's Philharmonic Orchestra, with 150 young performers, brought in tradition and national values, linked to the evening's rock music programme by local and international brass bands. So those who were present on all three days of the event took part in a special journey through time and style. In Sümeg, in the heart of the Pannonian landscape, history permeates everyday life. The spirit of the Baroque era suffuses the city embraced by the Bishop's Palace, the Castle and the Franciscan Church. In addition to the musical experience, festival-goers could also immerse themselves in history with a jousting demonstration, a taste of Turkish times, fire jugglers (millennia-old "magic") and light painting (modern-day "magic"), as well as a range of interactive adventures in the city's institutions.

Date: 7th – 9th July

Implemented by: the Self-Government of Sümeg Town

Partners: main professional partners: Sümeg TDM, Bishop’s Palace, professional partners in geology (universities, geologists)

Come and Shine!

Tapolca, a gem of the Balaton Uplands where all beauty can be found both above and below ground, is preparing for a big splash this August! Thatnks to the European Capital of Culture project, the decade-old free access pool of cultural assets is to have a novel addition between 16th and 19th August 2023. VEB2023 ECoC is now creating an opportunity to breathe new life into Tapolca Festive Days (www.tapolcaiunnepinapok.hu) in look, content and cultural diversity, marking a big step up.  Beside music, literature of a thousand faces is ont he offer, a new scene, another branch of art, presented in the possibly most exciting way. In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Sándor Petőfi’s birth, literature this year will step out of cultural and education institutions to show itself off spectacularly to audiences, bring joy, create values, give knowledge and wisdom, and party again together with its old loves: music, dance and theatre like the young do. From the early afternoon hours for four days, locally and nationally known poets, authors, singers, musicians, dancers and actors take to two visually refashioned stages in Kisfaludy Street, the heart of the town. The festival mood will be based on Neoton, Bon Bon, Irigy Hónaljmirigy, Jag projekt and Claudia, Kowalsky meg Vega and New Level Empire.  Would you like to board the imaginary train of poetry and music with Zoli Beck and Krisztián Grecsó or rather go on a literary walk with  István Péter Németh? Are you curious about Dániel Varró’s thoughts? Fancy talking about Ágnes Nemes Nagy with Miklós H. Vecsei?...  Come and shine in Tapolca!

Date: 16 - 19 August 2023

10th Popper Dávid International Cello Competition

Over the past 22 years, the whole world from Denmark to Australia, from America to South Korea has learned where Várpalota and Hungary are. The best cellists from Hungary and the world compete in Várpalota on their way to success, judged by a jury of internationally renowned cellists. The competition, which is highly acclaimed by the world's professional audience, celebrates its jubilee in 2023.            

Rock Palota Festival

In 2023, Hungary's biggest amateur rock music festival will be launched, featuring nationally renowned bands.

Date: 25th – 26th August 2023

Implemented by: Thury Vár Nonprofit Ltd

Partner: Rock Palota Association

ZIRCicON – A New Free Festival in the Capital of the Bakony!

It is in a lovely hilly setting, with iconic performers, family-friendly programmes and authentic gastronomic offerings that ZIRCicON 2023 will open its doors on 11th August 2023 as part of the VEB2023 ECoC Programme. The capital of the Bakony will become one single colourful programme cavalcade - in addition to natural and historical attractions, a children's concert by Alma Ensemble and Judit Halász, a show by Ethnokor band, a play house, a falconry demonstration, bird ringing, craft and museum educational activities, exhibitions by local artists, a photo booth, and a folk tale theatre will await both children and adults. Zirc's twin municipalities, Nivala, Pohlheim, Barót and Dercen, will delight the audience with high-quality folk music and folk dance performances and barn dancing.  ZIRCICON will make the two-day festival even more memorable with iconic figures of the popular music scene: Margaret Island, Bagossy Brothers Company, Punnany Massif, Magna Cum Laude, and the KFT band, DJ Sterbinszky x Mynea, DJ Kicsee and Károly Tehel DJ sets. A shuttle train will transport visitors between the venues on Saturday. ZIRCicON, with the interactive participation of civilians, local products, genuine Bakony flavours and atmosphere, offers unforgettable experiences for all guests interested in culture, relaxation and entertainment. The participants of the festival will be refreshed by the good air of the Bakony and will be able to pass on the adventures, contacts, cultural experiences and the good reputation of Zirc and the region. See you in ZIRC at ZIRCicON!

Date: 11th-12th August 2023

Venue: Events space, Rákóczi tér and Alkotmány út, Zirc