Organizers have sought to create a program catering to different generations and different ways of celebrating, allowing visitors either to spend the entire day at one location or move between several venues.
Among the main locations will be Margaret Island, Buda Castle, City Park, Kossuth Square, the Várkert Bazár area and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics embankment.
Margaret Island will host activities from the morning until the early hours of the following day.
Family programs will include juggling, stilt walking, crafts and board games, followed later by music. The Sziget Beats program will open with DEVA, followed by Random Trip with an LGT Special set and the Boban Marković Orkestar, while Quimby will perform in the evening.
From 8 p.m. until 1 a.m., the island’s Rose Garden will host the Fénykert, or Light Garden, featuring works by Hungarian and international light artists exploring the relationship between nature and technology.
The installation will also be open during the same hours on Aug. 21 and 22.
Families looking to visit several parts of the city can also head to the Festival of Folk Arts at Buda Castle, where traditional crafts, interactive workshops and folk dancing will be on offer. City Park will host military technology programs, while Parliament will open its doors to visitors during the day.
Food will also form a major part of the celebrations. The Street of Hungarian Flavors around Várkert Bazár will showcase the culinary traditions of the Carpathian Basin, including this year’s Cake of Hungary and St. Stephen’s Day bread.
Elsewhere, visitors will find a more contemporary street food selection, including artisan pizza, gyros, Mexican dishes, smash burgers, raclette and meat-free options, alongside desserts and drinks such as ice cream, churros and matcha.
The centerpiece of the evening will be the half-hour audiovisual show Chapters From the 1,000-Year History of the Hungarian Nation, beginning at 9 p.m. along the Danube.
The fullest view will be available from the Buda side of the river between Chain Bridge and Margaret Bridge. The projection and laser components of the show will be repeated between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. without fireworks or drones, while projections will continue on Parliament and Chain Bridge until 1 a.m.
Those joining the celebrations later in the day will also have several concert options. On Kossuth Square, Anima Sound System and Jumodaddy will perform alongside surprise guests. The program will also include what organizers describe as the first live performance of the first Hungarian global hit, The Sound Of The Spiritual, by Imael Angel and MSSNGRS. Abertura X Matyó will close the program.
International electronic music will take center stage at the Műegyetem embankment, where DJ Reload, Germany’s Christian Löffler and Berlin duo Modeselektor will perform. The evening will close with LavaLava duo Tolo and Falcao.
Visitors interested in Hungary’s official commemorations can begin the day with the ceremonial flag raising, military officer inauguration and air show before moving on to other venues. The traditional St. Stephen’s Day procession of the Holy Right will also form part of the day’s events.
Organizers said the large number of venues and programs is intended to allow visitors to create their own schedule according to their interests and pace.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
