Only three concerts were held in 2012, but the event immediately captured the attention of an audience appreciative of jazz, inspiring the couple to organize further editions of the festival.
The vision was clear: to create a festival where jazz and the unique Balaton lifestyle come together. From 2016 onwards, Valde’s team was strengthened by young musician Dániel Sánta. They found key partners in Zoltán Mészáros, who runs VeszprémFest (one of Hungary’s leading premium international music festivals, held every summer in the historic city of Veszprém, near Lake Balaton), and experienced event organizer Gábor Széplaki.
With its intimate, candlelit atmosphere, the festival has gradually expanded its program, featuring an outstanding line-up of Hungarian and international jazz, soul, funk, pop and R&B artists. Performances take place across four venues: the MOL Main Stage, the Fábián Juli Stage, the Butlers Street Stage, and the Taittinger Champagne Terrace.
During the early evening concerts, visitors can relax on blankets spread across the grass, while later in the evening they can dance barefoot on the lawn, enjoying performances by outstanding artists beneath the star-filled sky.
Among the international artists who will perform at the three-day festival from Aug. 6-8 this year are Rick Astley, one of the biggest British pop stars of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and America’s Gregory Porter, a breakout star from the mid- to late 2010s who is widely regarded as one of the leading jazz vocalists of his generation.
Other names to look out for include the U.K.’s Ella Eyre; British 1980s sophisti-pop, jazz-funk, Latin pop, and blue-eyed soul band Matt Bianco; French jazz-funk, soul, and groove band Electro Deluxe; Dutch duo Adani and Wolf; and the authorized tribute project Earth Wind and Fire by Al McKay.
Hungarian performers include Soma Mamagesa, whose music blends jazz, pop, world music, rock, ethnic influences, and spiritually themed lyrics. Also featured will be Vanavan Jazz, a Soma-led project that focuses on classic jazz standards by some of the greatest female jazz singers.
A picnic-style gastronomic offering complements the music. Relaxing on the green lawns, festival goers can indulge in sandwiches, classical Greek doughnuts and authentic French cheese specialties and glasses of BalatonBor, a Hungarian regional wine brand and quality-assurance initiative created to promote a community label for Olaszrizling wines from the Lake Balaton wine region.
Festival goers can also enjoy exclusive fashion shows at the MBH Bank Winefashion Court, featuring special collections created for the occasion by Hungarian designers Tomcsányi and Peter Merő. The family-friendly festival experience is further enriched by children’s activities and photography exhibitions, both of which have become integral parts of the festival program.
The Palóznak Jazz Picnic will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2027. By then, the festival will already have welcomed nearly 25,000 visitors, reflecting its growing popularity as one of Hungary’s favorite boutique festivals.
For more details, check out the official website, available in English and Hungarian, at jazzpiknik.hu/en/
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