The Strand Festival has not wrecked every other event around Lake Balaton on 20 August and afterwards. Although Zamárdi attracts huge masses to the Lake for the second time this summer, but there are also the farewells of Balatonpark and the Tihany Open-air Festival, metal-fans in Alsóörs and a nationwide lecsó "consultation" in Balatonkenese.
FRIDAY
Szent István Days - Balatonlelle 20-24 August
20 August in Balatonlelle runs until Sunday, so you have plenty of time to join the celebrations. This event, for us, is not about the entertainment offered - although this is probably the only place in Hungary where the festive fireworks are postponed to 23 August -, but those local wines that include the far-famed axis of Légli, Konyári, and Bujdosó, and some dark horses as well.
Siófolk Festival - Siófok, 15-24 August
Although it started out as a world music event, for its final days Siófolk invited the likes of Kowalsky meg a Vega and Szabó Balázs Bandája (which act you can also see two days prior in Zamárdi). This festival is great for those who are wary of the masses of thousands (a.k.a Strand Festival) but still would love to hear playlists from some other source than youtube.
Zorall Beer Olympics - Alsóörs, 21-23 August
This is the second summer weekend at Lake Balaton when even metal-lovers are satisfied. On top of Tankcsapda's 25th birthday bash at Strand Festival, the Beer Olympics that moved from Balatonszemes to Alsóörs promises headbanging long unrivalled on the north shore. With headliners like Paddy and the Rats, Ossian and Zorall, James Blunt-ian melancholy is out of question. The concerts on 3 stages, the 5-a-side soccer tournament, and the tough bicycle tour will be crowned by a Zorall video shoot on the final day. We are willing to bet huge amounts of money on that this weekend will account for a significant percentage of the north shore's summer beer consumption.
Balatonfüred Wine Weeks - 8-31 August
Although everything has revolved around wine in Füred since the beginning of August, the acoustic concerts of Turbo and Óriás on Friday still manage to add to the excitement, so a visit to the north shore is all the more justified. Not to mention the fact that Pál István Szalonna and his band will play on Saturday, which promises a more than proper background for sipping Jásdi and Söptei wines.
SATURDAY
Strand Festival - Zamárdi, 20-24 August
According to one of the chief event planners, Zoltán Fülöp, Zamárdi welcomes everyone with a cross of the beach vibes and the VOLT Festival on this weekend. This will be guaranteed by the MR2 - Petőfi Radio, who are not only the slogan donors (sharing their motto Nagyon Zene - meaning "quite the music"), but also provide the basis of the musical lineup. Hungarian crowd favourites like Quimby and Kiscsillag are accompanied by international stars, such as the Parov Stelar Band and Dub FX, while the grand finale brings you the Best Male Act of the Brit Awards 2014, John Newman. Petőfi Radio will also bring some of its substantial cultural programs to the beach to give weight to the fun, and "gravity" will also be a focal point of the zipline right in front of the Main Stage.
Yacht Balaton - Balatonfüred and the middle of the Lake, 23 August
The guys in Füred are up to something really great: tying together over a dozen sailboats with a suitable sound system is something you only see in video clips. You can still inquire at the event planners about available spots - they will probably make room for you, because they follow the principle of 'the more the better'. For a taste of what's to come, check out the video of their previous party:
National Lecsó Festival - Balatonkenese, 23 August
If you happen to be hungry on Saturday, your destination should be Balatonkenese. You can make lecsó in whole a lot of ways and such a summit is a perfect opportunity to the masters of this art to discuss which sausage is the sausage to be used and the question of which came first peppers or tomatoes. The evening Ocho Macho concert is not a bad choice at all, but do not ask us what the promised 'spectacular, special, liquid fireworks' covers, becuase, franly, we have no idea.
Vajda Balaton Marathon & Kayak-Canoe Festival - Balatonakali, 23 August
In case you vouchsafe for sports instead of eating, you can paddle alongside hardcore kayakers and canoeists in Balatonakali. The 7 km (kids') and the 12 km distances seem to be reasonable, although some will pull their weight paddling 42 kms. In case of stormy weather, the event is postponed by a day.
Balatonpark - Balatonfenyves, 23 August
The open-air stage in Balatonfenyves brought excellent concerts and theatre shows to locals all summer long and managed to steer clear the usual retro pop-rock trend in doing so. The lineup included singer-showman András Hajós, the rock band Anna and the Barbies, and the actor András Kern András, and now the event series will be wrapped up with an oeuvre concert by István Lerch on Thursday and a Zsuzsa Cserháti - Péter Máté tribute night on Friday.
