The summer festival season has started! Once again, we won't be bored: we bring it up with concerts, than bring it down with the chill Everness. July means an abundance of parties in Zamárdi, while Tom Jones and street musicians await in Veszprém, alternative programs will take place in the valley, the electronic vibes will fill the middle of Balaton, and jazz will vibrate on the hill of Paloznak. Rest a little in the enchanted forest in August, then say goodbye to summer with one last wild waterside party. What do you think? Here's the schedule.
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VeszprémFest (July 12-15)
VeszprémFest is a bit more serious that the beachside festivals, but it will be just as enjoyable with such artist in the lineup as Tom Jones, or The New Power Generation. Due to the reconstruction of the Archbishop’s Palace, the events will take place at a different venue this year – they will be held at História Garden next to Veszprém Arena.
Part of the MOL Nagyon Balaton event series.
2/9
Badacsony Wine Week (July 14-28)
Balaton-wines are worth a climb, but now they will team up with the distillates from Badacsony Pálinka House and come to you to Badacsony Park. Visitors will have the chance to try the wines of fourteen producers, and to listen to professional lectures, in case any of them aim to become an expert. Once the night falls, it’s time for dancing at the free, open-air concerts – on July 27, for example, popular Hungarian band, Blahaluisiana will play.
Part of the MOL Nagyon Balaton event series.
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Veszprém Street Music Festival (July 19-22)
A few days of rest, and the streets of Veszprém will come alive again. Joyous music will fill downtown on July 19, with talented musicians at every turn. Street musicians will arrive from every corner of Europe, from Austria and Germany to France and the Netherlands. Veszprém Street Music Festival is where cultures meet; it's a colorful community experience, one where it’s good to just be and to drift with the crowd from one stage to the next to hear some jazz, then blues, and then some rock or alternative music.
Part of the MOL Nagyon Balaton event series.
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Valley of Arts – Kapolcs (July 21-30)
What goes on in Kapolcs is way more than a hippie convention. Valley of Arts is in the league of the big names, and they find a way to improve themselves every year. Their selection is pretty good this year, with 1,200 programs to choose from at more than 60 venues. Don’t miss Pink Martini’s concert at the Panorama Stage. For theatric fun, go to Taliándörögd, but they’ll also have literature and contemporary circus, while the Hello Wood village will be built again in Csórompuszta.
Part of the MOL Nagyon Balaton event series.
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Stereo MCs Ferry Concert (July 28.)
Is there a cooler concert venue than the middle of Lake Balaton? We don’t think so. The summer ferry-concerts are becoming a tradition, but this is going to be the first time that a foreign artist will be on stage. The British electronic formation, Stereo MCs will provide the beats on July 28 – and they’ll be in rhythm with the waves of Lake Balaton.
Part of the MOL Nagyon Balaton event series.
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Paloznak Jazz Picnic (August 3-5)
Paloznak is famous for Homola Winery’s jazz festival, but the area itself is so beautiful that it would worth a picnic. Endless green landscapes and vineyards greet us here – the true countryside idyll surrounds us. The picnic baskets, tasty bites, and Balaton wines will be brought out to the lawn on August 3. Then comes the barefoot fun in front of the stage, where Kool & the Gang, Incognito, and Mario Biondi will play. If you fall in love with the landscape, hop on a bike the next day and explore it on two wheels.
Part of the MOL Nagyon Balaton event series.
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Samsara – Siófok (August 8-13)
If you wish to leave the world behind for a few days to be in an enchanted forest among cool yogis, then Samsara is for you. You can step out of the virtual world and experience the real one, while embracing tranquility in the jungle of Töreki. It might look like that this festival is only for a closed community, but there were people among the yogis and hippis last year who just simply wanted to recharge.
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STRAND – Zamárdi (August 23-26)
Although STRAND is only five years old this summer, it’s already among the most popular large-scale festivals. Why do people love it so much? Because, besides bringing the biggest Hungarian favorites to the Balaton shore, it also has gigs of such international stars, as Fran Palermo, Parov Stelar, or John Newman – yet it’s cool and has a friendly atmosphere making it feel like a huge garden party. Where else could there be an amusement park or a hipster bread and dripping station right next to the main stage, if not at the Balaton-shore of Zamárdi?
Part of the MOL Nagyon Balaton event series.
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B.my.Lake – Zamárdi (August 23-26)
Organized at the same time as STRAND Festival, the location of the two festivals is almost the same as well. One part of the lakeshore of Zamárdi is for lovers of popular music, while a few steps away is B.my.Lake with its huge selection of electronic tunes, tasty bites from food trucks, and a cool chill zone.
Part of the MOL Nagyon Balaton event series.
Translated by Emma Póli.
