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A concert by the Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra Debrecen and organist Dániel Somogyi-Tóth will kick off a series of events in Bratislava on 11th of June, the ninth edition of the Hungarian Cultural Week – “More than a Neighbour”.

Hungarian Cultural Week, which runs until 18th June, is traditionally organised by the Hungarian Embassy in Bratislava and the Liszt Institute in Bratislava.

Csaba Balogh, Hungary’s ambassador to Bratislava, said at the programme presentation of the cultural week on Thursday: the primary aim of the series of events was to create a week where Hungarian culture would be prominently displayed in Bratislava, in addition to the events during the year.

As a novelty, he mentioned that this year there were more programmes for children and that sport was included in the programme.

He pointed out: More than Neighbour is a success, as shown not only by the feedback from the public but also by the fact that the number of private sponsors’ commitments to the festival’s funding is increasing year by year, and the series of events is now largely run with their support.

Pál Venyercsan, director of the Liszt Institute in Bratislava, told MTI: it is planned to involve a Hungarian city in the organisation of the programme every year, this time for the first time Debrecen, which will bring the opening concert of the festival to Bratislava. The concert will be held in the Franciscan Church.

The event, which runs from Sunday to Sunday, will again take place in several locations, including the former Séta Square, now known as Hviezdoslav Square. The event will offer a wide range of high-quality cultural events, including classical and popular music concerts, exhibitions, and children’s and sports activities. The event will also include a presentation by the Hungarian Tourism Agency and a Hungarian-Slovak business forum.

The second half of the Hungarian Cultural Week will also include a four-day open-air music and gastronomy festival and a craft fair.

The gastronomy festival with concerts is usually the most visited part of the More than Neighbour. This year the event will feature performances by the Budapest Ragtime Band, Csemer Boglárka Boggie, Éliás Gyula Jr., the Group’n’ Swing, the Tordai Zoltán Quintet, the Tóth Vera Band and the Párniczky Quartet.

More than a Neighbour – Hungarian Cultural Week was created to fill a gap in the Hungarian cultural tradition in 2014 as the closing event of Hungary’s V4 Presidency. The first edition of the festival, with its rich programme of events, was a bigger success than expected and has since become one of the most popular summer public events in Bratislava.

Source: dehir.hu | Photo: Facebook (Debrecen városa)