Hungarian Culture Day expands to week-long celebration with new identity

Hungarian Culture Day will now span an entire week and adopt a distinct identity, unifying events across the Carpathian Basin, Magdolna Zavogyan, state secretary for culture, said at a press conference in the Hungarian National Museum.

Themed “Culture Connects Us” for 2026, the initiative aims to strengthen national identity in Hungary, the Carpathian Basin, and the diaspora, Zavogyan said. “Preserving Hungarian culture is not just about honouring the past but securing the nation’s future,” she said.

This year, 30 museums nationwide will offer free entry on Jan 22, while 190 cultural institutions beyond Hungary’s borders will host events. The government has also awarded ministerial certificates of recognition to over 600 cultural professionals.

Zavogyan highlighted recent wage increases for culture workers: a 20 percent raise in 2022 and an additional 15 percent from Jan 1, 2026, benefiting 41,000 employees.

In 2025, Hungary’s 12,000 cultural institutions welcomed 50 million visitors, with nearly 7 million attending exhibitions.

Anita Kiss-Hegyi, state secretary for cultural relations, announced a gala event at the Hungarian Academy of Arts on Jan 21, with similar galas planned in several county seats. The programme includes screenings of the film Hungarian Wedding in Tallinn, Cluj-Napoca, and New York, as well as regular Akvafolk events at Budapest’s Akvarium Klub, featuring Hungarian folk dance for international audiences. The Liszt Institutes will also organise global events.