Local services
The Debrecen wine festival will be held under the name FestiWine on Déri Square between May 29 and 31, 2025. The organisers held a press conference on the site on May 20.
As a guest at the press conference, Deputy Mayor Diána Széles said that this event, which will be held for the fifth time since 2018, was launched a few years ago under the name Downtown Wine Festival (in Hungarian, Belvárosi Borünnep). The initiative was launched by the former DiVino wine bar in Debrecen, and when the idea was formulated, the initiator and the local government had the common goal of giving the city’s caterers a space to show that they can organise a quality community event that enhances Debrecen’s reputation. With a new main organiser, Gergő Gulyás, this wine festival relies on good traditions, launching the series of summer outdoor catering events in the city, and has always filled Déri Square with wine drinkers and festival-goers. One of its special features is that it does not only focus on the weekend, as it starts on Thursday, thus offering not only a multi-day programme to Debrecen residents but also the opportunity for a long weekend for tourists visiting the city. Diána Széles emphasised, “Debrecen strives to have as many high-quality events in the city as possible, aimed at both residents and tourists, and FestiWine fits perfectly into this offer. It is also a good example of how the business sector and the local government can cooperate for the benefit of the entire community of Debrecen.”
As highlighted by the main organiser Gergő Gulyás, “FestiWine is a wine and cultural festival that combines quality gastronomic experiences and high-quality music programmes in an elegant yet intimate outdoor event. During the three-day festival, guests can taste more than 140 types of special-quality wines, the offerings of dozens of excellent wineries, and meet excellent winemakers, and family-friendly and cultural accompanying programmes await visitors. The music programme will be of similar quality to the wine programme, as Imre Rakonczai will perform on the evening of May 29, Charlie Horváth will give a one-and-a-half-hour concert on May 30, and Bálint Gájer will entertain the audience on May 31.” According to Gergő Gulyás, the goal of FestiWine is to further strengthen the city’s cultural and tourist appeal.
A real special feature of the event will be the first Debrecen sabrage championship, about which sommelier Béla Vállai spoke. “Sabrage is a technique for opening champagne by striking the cork with a knife, dagger, saber, or any other tool, even with the high heel of a woman’s shoe. The championship can be entered on all three nights of FestiWine by purchasing a bottle of champagne and registering with a line number. The sabrages performed will be recorded on video, judged by judges, and the results will be announced on the Wednesday of the week following FestiWine, with three winners.” Béla Vállai emphasised that they would like to add some excitement to the cultural life of Debrecen with this special championship.
The municipal representative of the district that includes Déri Square as well, Csaba Papp, expressed his joy that Déri Square, this amphitheater-like venue with special features, is filled with life during the event. “It is also gratifying that the organisers have thought of families, and as part of the event, which otherwise has an entrance fee, they are waiting for the younger generation with free children’s programmes (face painting, balloon clown, cotton candy, glitter tattoos, crafts, and the “Pitypang” children’s orchestra) on Saturday, May 31, between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.” Csaba Papp said, referring to adults, that wine culture in our country has a huge tradition, which has been strengthened again in the last decade. Wine consumption in moderation is a very good and useful addition to our diet and can also have a beneficial effect on health. The latter can be confirmed, for example, by the long life expectancy of residents of Mediterranean countries.
The organisers invited wineries and cellars to this event so that they represent the elite in their segment, style, and wine region. Wines will be available to purchase by the deciliter or by the bottle, but the wineries will also offer their products in tasting packages.
More information about the event can be found on the internet at https://festiwine.hu/ and https://www.facebook.com/festiwine.
Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu
