The first Hungarian festival of the summer: Fishing on Orfű – Minifishing

The first festival this summer was the family-friendly, summer-launching mini version of Fishing on Orfű, Minifishing. The festival was founded in 2008, and the most important bands and musicians of Hungarian pop music have given concerts every year ever since. We visited the picturesque village of Orfű.

The festival was cancelled last year due to coronavirus restrictions, so this year, the organisers decided to hold two versions. The real, “big” Fishing on Orfű will be held from August 25th to 28th, and we have visited the Minifishing from June 17th to 19th.

We wholeheartedly recommend checking out this festival this summer if you would like to visit a wonderful location in a nice little corner of the country near the cultural capital, especially if you are interested in Hungarian pop and rock bands.

• Summer programmes in Hungary without an immunity certificate

Orfű is a small village on the shores of a small lake, not far from Pécs.

The village, located in a beautiful Mecsek valley, has been hosting the family festival for more than 10 years. Fishing on Orfű was named after a song by the festival’s founder, András Lovasi, one of the key figures of the last two and a half decades of the Hungarian music scene.

The Panoráma camping site and Orfű itself are easily accessible by car, and there are festival buses from Pécs as well.

Both the big names of Hungarian popular music and new, young bands perform on the stages of the festival. This year, the audience could see 30Y, Bori Péterfy, Kiscsillag, and Hiperkarma on the big stage, and several younger, emerging Hungarian bands also performed, like Carson Coma, Galaxisok, or Ricsárdgír. If you like authentic and popular Hungarian pop and rock bands, this festival is for you.

In addition to the selection of music, you can taste local wines, buy specialities from Pécs, and, of course, if there is a 40-degree heatwave, like this week,

fortunately, the lake is there for you.

There are also pedal boats and sup facilities, and in addition to the typical beach food, it is worth visiting the restaurant called Szomjas Vándor on the beach. Naturally, there is a gastro corner within the festival: festival-goers can choose from a selection of street food-type dishes.

The festival also offers so-called “off programs” for those who like to spend the days actively as well. There is usually a theatre garden with plays by small companies or one-man shows. Fröccs tours are also available for the few lucky ones who can buy the tickets in time. These are organised tours around the lake led by some of the performing musicians, accompanied by wine tasting.

According to ATV, this time, the number of participants in the festival was limited at 3,000, but if the corona situation keeps improving, the “big” Fishing will not have a limit at all.

If you are wondering what the concerts and the atmosphere of the festival is like, you can check out the concerts of previous years in THIS archive.

Read alsoHungarian festival guide: which are cancelled and which will be held in 2021?

Source: ATV