Entry to the 46th Kékszalag (Blue Ribbon) Regatta is open until 9 July, and boats will set sail from the Balatonfüred marina at 10 am on 10 July. Around 600 ships will set out to complete the traditional, 155 km Balatonfüred-Balatonkenese-Siófok-Keszthely-Balatonfüred route.
Unlike last year, this time both multihull and monohull vessels can enter the race. Contestants will have 48 hours to sail around Balaton, with the fastest of them probably crossing the finish line on opening day. This year the Water Rescue Services of Hungary will add a mobile app called BalatonHelp to their arsenal toguarantee the safety of those on the water. The app will continue to be available after the race.
Those staying on the shore won’t have to twiddle their thumbs while they are waiting for the first ship to pull into the marina. The side event of Kékszalag, VinCE Balaton awaits at Tagore sétány with gastro exhibitions, wine tastings and concerts in the evenings. The vintages of winemakers from the Balaton wine region, Villány, Szekszárd, Mátra, Eger, Mór and Tokaj will be on offer. The Csopaki Semillon, the official wine of this year’s Kékszalag was created by Zoltán Simonyi, the vintner of the Fáncsi Hegyi Wine Cellar. Festivalgoers will get the chance to taste top quality wines on the water during wine-themed yacht excursions and in the air on a hydraulic platform.
Kerekes Band and the Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra will take the stage, as will contemporary poets and musicians in the framework of the ad hoc Rájátszás project.
Soccer fans will have several screens available to watch the last game of the football world championship, and the organizers are also planning a pools game in which participants can win various prizes.
Similar to previous years, Kékszalag will raise funds for charity: this year you can donate to the child hospice service of the Hungarian Hospice Foundation.
