The New Brunswick Hungarian festival might have started in a gloomy mood, thanks to the rainy weather, but the people quickly turned it into a memorable day. The 43rd Annual Hungarian Festival took place on the streets, close to downtown, in a picturesque area on June 2nd.
There were vendors, exhibits, folk art and folk dance, crafts and of course lots of Hungarian food. Admission was free, but the streets were packed with vendors, and there were some truly delicious and interesting things you could spend your money on.
Photo: instagram.com/hungarianfestival
Many say that the main attraction was the food. For Hungarians who live so far away from home, it is a delight to have some traditional Hungarian foods once in a while.
Let us see what dishes you could get if you were there.
The favorites: lángos, kürtős kalács, túró rudi
The programs started at 11am. After the opening ceremony people went to buy something for lunch, and there was a nice selection. You could get stuffed cabbage, sausages, goulash, but we could not find any paprikash. Of course, at a festival like this, even if you were hoping for something that just did not make it onto the vendors list, you will find other things that maybe never even crossed your mind as a possibility. Like bread that tastes just like the ones you would get in Hungary. Or if you want something long-term: Hungarian wax pepper plants. You can buy your own plants and have all the peppers you want for months.
Lángos is another thing you must try, if you have not done so before.
Interestingly, the vendors were selling lángos at the festival, but only plain lángos. No sour cream and cheese or other toppings, at least not that we have seen.
In some cases you even had the luxury to choose a vendor. There were two vendors selling kürtős kalács, one called it Twisted cake, the other called it Chimney cake. If you still want some desserts, there was strudel, with several different fillings, of course.
There was also some homemade Túró Rudi. But if you see such delicacies at a Hungarian festival, be prepared to snatch them up as soon as possible, because they will not last long. In fact, most of the food was gone by 3:30pm.
Program
Some local organizations were also present at the festival, like the Széchenyi István Magyar Iskola, which is a school and kindergarten that teaches Hungarian language and culture. They have a program that enrolls children from preschool up to eighth grade. They also teach adults who want to learn the language. They are open every Saturday during the school year.
The Hungarian American Athletic Club is currently in their third building that was completed in 2006. They formed a chorus and folk-dance group, and they are the ones who give home to other Hungarian organizations like the Hungarian school. They also have a very successful fencing group.
The Magyar Apparel was there too, selling T-shirts with witty Hungarian or English inscriptions. There was a puppet show for the children, and a mass at the St. Ladislaus Church, so there were really many different programs to choose from.
There were a few concerts during the day. Bands like the Smokers (Hungarian American rock band) and Transzilvorium (Hungarian/Szekler American rock band) were also invited. They performed Hungarian songs from the 80s and 90s, from Edda, Republic, Bikini, Magna Cum Laude, Tankcsapda and many others.
Featured image: instagram.com/hungarianfestival
Source: Daily News Hungary
