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The Debrecen City Ball 2025 will support talented students in Debrecen. The event will be jointly organised on the 25th of January 2025 by the Municipality of Debrecen, the Hajdú-Bihar County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the University of Debrecen.
At the press conference on the Debrecen Ball on the 18th of December, 2024, Mayor László Papp said, among other things, that the last city ball was in January 2020, which is now five years old. “These five years were not really “ball-like”, as there were many challenges in our lives: a global pandemic, a war situation, an energy crisis, and inflation. We hope that the coming years will be somewhat calmer. That collaboration, that cooperation, which is otherwise very typical in the life of the city, will now be manifested again in the form of a ball reflecting the civic traditions of Debrecen, addressing the defining personalities of the city’s social life, with the participation of the local government, the chamber, and the university, at the Kölcsey Center on the 25th of January, 2025. Like the balls previously organised within the framework of this collaboration, this one will also have a charitable purpose. Previously, the organisers were able to support healthcare institutions and organisations, the social sphere, and cross-border initiatives with the help of the ball offerings. Next year, the charity will support talented students in Debrecen.” László Papp emphasised that Debrecen is building its future on local talents.
The mayor said the support criteria were developed in collaboration with the Debrecen Regional Education Center and the Debrecen Vocational Training Center. Young people with talent in sports, culture, arts, sciences, research and development, and innovation can apply for support. It is hoped that around HUF 9-10 million will be raised thanks to donors, bringing the total support to HUF 1 million per project. He also pointed out that the reorganisation of the Debrecen Ball after a half-decade break is based on a social demand that has been well felt in the city recently.
The rector of the University of Debrecen, Zoltán Szilvássy, said that after Budapest, Debrecen has always been the most significant city in the country, and it still is today. The Hajdú-Bihar County Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the country’s oldest and largest chamber of commerce. To its predecessor, there was a time when ten counties belonged. The university, in turn, relies on the city’s five-hundred-year-old educational traditions. Thus, together, they represent a cultural circle whose specific form of expression is the ball. Zoltán Szilvássy mentioned that he is originally from Balatonfüred and that the Anna Ball is one of the most patinated balls in the country. There, important matters were decided, such as the Compromise (Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867), and it is no coincidence that the relief depicting Ferenc Deák can be seen almost opposite the former venue of the Anna Balls. The ball carries traditions and has a huge cultural power. Such a cultural force holds the city, the chamber, and the university together, and their cooperation can lead to sensational projects for the benefit of the town and its surrounding citizens.
Secretary General of the Hajdú-Bihar County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Éva Skultéti, reminded us that next year will be the 175th anniversary of establishing the Debrecen Chamber of Industry, which expanded to include the county level. In the life of the former Debrecen, the large city and chamber balls were also prominent social events during every carnival season, which were always about more than just entertainment. Numerous business relationships were also formed, and decisions were made with balls in the background, often serving noble purposes. Éva Skultéti also said that many people have asked her recently when there will be another ball. Based on this, she is sure that tickets will sell out in a matter of seconds because of the massive demand for this entertainment opportunity. She noted that if anyone missed the Debrecen Ball, there would be an opportunity to participate in further dance events next year.
Managing director of Főnix Event Organising Ltd., Zita Dobos, emphasised that Debrecen Ball 2025 will be held in the spirit of tradition and modernity, and young talents worthy of support will also be presented. For example, Jennifer Szirota and one of her students will demonstrate from where and to where talent can take somebody. Young people, such as high school graduates from Debrecen, will perform the opening dance. A unique feature of the ball will be a charity auction of art donated by Debrecen artists and sports relics. Among the performers will be the Abrakazabra Band with Ádám Szabó, Máté Gudics, and Jennifer Szirota; the Budapest Bar band; Peti Puskás; András Kállay-Saunders; Bálint Gájer; and the Debrecen Big Band.
Talented young people, such as Csenge Bajkán and Vivien Sigér, students of the Kodály Zoltán Music Secondary School and Elementary Art School, have already presented their shows at the press conference.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
