PHOTOS: Festivities kick off in Budapest with spectacular shows, affordable beer, wine, pálinka
St Stephen’s Day celebrations are now in full swing across Budapest and throughout Hungary. Families in towns and villages nationwide are invited to enjoy a wide range of games and entertainment. In the capital, the air show, the military commissioning ceremony, and the ceremonial flag raising have already taken place. Yet many more events, concerts, and festivities lie ahead—including the much-anticipated fireworks display, which this year is set to proceed without disruption from the weather. With a heatwave forecast, cooling drinks are being sold at exceptionally low prices across the city.
Find the SZIN Points in Budapest for affordable beer, wine, and pálinka
Every year on 20 August, the government ensures that pretzels, bottled water, beer, wine, and pálinka are sold at nostalgic prices at designated SZIN Bistros. Visitors may be pleasantly surprised at today’s and tomorrow’s throwback prices: a can of Borsodi beer is 430 forints, a decilitre of wine costs 260 forints, and four centilitres of pálinka are available for 850 forints. Bottled mineral water is just 250 forints, cola is 420 forints (with bottles refundable), a Vienna-style pretzel is 356 forints, and a large cheese scone is only 275 forints. At these roughly two dozen locations, one might feel as though stepping back a decade in time.
The budget for this year’s St Stephen’s Day festivities is estimated at 14.5 billion forints. The event is organised by a company owned by Gyula Balásy, according to Telex.
Wondering where to find the SZIN points? You can check them out on THIS MAP.
A full line-up of events in the capital
According to organisers, today’s programme includes:
- From 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., free viewing of the Holy Crown inside Parliament;
- A performance by Pál István Szalonna and his band at the Csárda Festival from 5:00 p.m.;
- Tastings of the nation’s official breads and cakes along Hungarian Flavours Street;
- An afternoon performance by the legendary 80-year-old HOBO in the Artists’ Garden;
- At the Magic Grove, national actor Gyula Bodrogi speaks about Süsü the Dragon at 5:00 p.m.;
- A family fitness warm-up led by Rubint Réka on Family Fun Island;
- Road Movie Live on the BME Quay, featuring Curtis at 6:00 p.m., followed by Road at 7:30 p.m.;
- At 9:00 p.m., the fireworks show begins, which the organisers claim will be the largest of its kind in Europe.
A full list of venues can be found on this MAP.
Family-friendly programmes across the city
On 20 August—the highlight of the St Stephen’s Day celebrations—two major venues in Budapest welcome families. In City Park (Városliget), the day features stories and magic, including a performance by national actor Gyula Bodrogi. Meanwhile, in Buda Castle, the Path of Heroes offers a spectacular time-travelling journey through Hungary’s most pivotal and heroic moments.
PHOTO GALLERY: Flag raising, oaths, and speeches
In the morning, Hungary’s national flag was ceremonially raised before Parliament to the sound of the national anthem. The flag was hoisted by the ceremonial guard of the Hungarian Defence Forces, accompanied by the central military band and the national equestrian honour guard.
Following the flag raising, 132 officer cadets swore their military oath in Kossuth Lajos Square. Chief of the Hungarian General Staff, Gábor Böröndi, stressed that these new officers serve not only in defence of Hungary’s peace and values, but also for the protection of NATO’s nearly one billion citizens and the security of the European Union.
In his address, President Tamás Sulyok highlighted that St Stephen irrevocably bound Hungary to Europe. “Though he became a European monarch, he remained a Hungarian king,” he remarked, describing this as the cornerstone of Hungarian sovereignty. He affirmed that Hungary is a sovereign European state rooted in Christian values—a homeland for generous and free-spirited people with a shared destiny.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, in his St Stephen’s Day speech, spoke of re-founding the state on respect for diversity, the protection of human rights, and human dignity. He underlined that “support is deserved for changes that can rightly be expected to build a homeland we can all call ours.”
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Click for more news concerning the national days of Hungary.
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