Air show and fireworks to take place in Budapest today, programme here

Hungary celebrates its national day on 20 August, when Hungarians, regardless of where they live in the world, commemorate the birth of the Christian-Hungarian state. The main attractions are the air show over the Danube and the magnificent fireworks in the capital’s downtown. However, last week, both were postponed because of the poor weather conditions. There was no rain, so the government fired Hungary’s top weather officials, generating an international outcry. What is more, they also announced that the air show and the fireworks will be held this evening. Here is the programme.

Air show

As we reported before, László Palkovics, the minister for innovation and technology, fired the top officials of the Hungarian Meteorological Service (OMSZ) last week. That is because the OMSZ’s weather forecast did not come true, so they should not have postponed the fireworks and the air show on 20 August. The decision provoked an international public outcry, Hungarian meteorologists declared their support for their colleagues, and experts highlighted that their profession is about chances, not 100% prognosis. Anyway, the minister seems to stick to his decision.

Meanwhile, government-close journalists say such decision would not have been made if PM Viktor Orbán had been in Hungary. But, since he is in Croatia on a summer holiday, the decision was made. The government sessions, for example, are led by deputy PM Zsolt Semjén.

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All in all, it seems that today nothing will disturb the air show of the Hungarian Defence Forces and the magnificent fireworks during which at least 40 thousand rockets will blow up in Budapest.

Based on a defence ministry statement, Gripens of the Hungarian Defence Forces will fly in formation over the Danube River between 7.30 PM and 8.00 PM, 444.hu wrote. The venue will be the river segment between the Parliament and the Chain Bridge. As a result, residents should expect an increased sound effect there. However, this evening’s air show will be shorter than the original one planned for 20 August.

Fireworks

According to Magyar Narancs, the fireworks this evening will present some great moments in Hungarian history through the dream of a boy. Based on a Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ) statement, the show will start at 9 PM. Its title is ‘The game of fire and light’. Furthermore, there will be monumental light paintings and a drone show.

The story will be the dream of a boy who meets the ghost of the Holy Crown of Hungary to discover some great chapters of Hungarian history until the 20th century.

Read also: Fireworks will be cancelled again in Budapest? Here is the forecast

The first block will be about the foundation of the state. The second one’s topic will be about the Hunyadi era and János Hunyadi’s victory in Belgrade over the Ottoman forces (1456). The third part will be about the 1848 anti-Habsburg, the fourth about the 1956 anti-Soviet revolutions. The final minutes are to compare Hungarian history with our present and future.

The venue of the fireworks will be a 4 km long Danube segment between the Margarate bridge and the Petőfi bridge. There will be a drone show in which 600 devices will take part. Some bridges and iconic buildings in Budapest will also get a unique lighting. Moreover, some lighting elements in the Danube and holograms projected on the sky will make the event more colourful.