Petition to replace the famous August 20 fireworks in Budapest with a light show – do you agree?

There is an online petition aiming to replace the well-known August 20 fireworks in Budapest with a light show. August 20 is one of the national holidays of Hungary when the country celebrates its birth. The more than 7 thousand people who have already signed the petition say that a light show would not disturb small children and animals.

Interestingly, the government previously announced that this year, they would like to organise fireworks bigger than any of the previous occasions, Szeretlek Magyarorszag reported. Zoltán Guller, the managing director of the Hungarian Tourism Agency, said that they plan to make Europe’s biggest fireworks and light show on August 20, and people will be able to enjoy it along a stretch of over

4 kilometres on the embankments of the River Danube.

Apart from the fireworks, the Hungarian Tourism Agency is planning to commemorate the birth of Hungary in Budapest with a complex series of programs lasting for several days. 

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Gergely Homonnai, a Hungarian writer and journalist, started a petition the same day the Agency announced their plans, saying that after the coronavirus epidemic, nobody should “burn” the money of taxpayers with fireworks. He thinks that the new beginning following the virus would be better symbolised if

something new and worthy was invented

to celebrate the birthday of the Hungarian state.

He added that during difficult times like these when a lot of people have already lost their jobs and do not know how to pay their rent, fireworks would not amuse them and are not the best choice to demonstrate that their future and well-being is important for the state. Furthermore, fireworks disturb not only small children but also animals, so there should be other ways to celebrate. For example, there are many Hungarian cities where, instead of fireworks, there are light shows.

Seven thousand people have already signed Mr Homonnay’s petition, but as of yet, nobody has reacted from the Hungarian Tourism Agency or the government regarding the idea of a light show.

Source: szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu