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Almost throughout the year, Debrecen hosts a variety of excellent events, all of which are worth attending. These are the festivals you should make sure to go to this year!
Debrecen Spring Festival 5-15 April at several venues in Debrecen
Debrecen Spring Festival will be back between 5 and 15 April 2025! The programme will again feature a variety of genres: classical music, theatre, children’s concerts and Easter activities. There will also be a variety of music, children’s entertainment, children’s workshops, children’s play, children’s workshops, a variety of music and dance performances.
Debrecen Drive 23-25 May at Nagyerdei Stadium and its surroundings
Hungary’s largest automotive showcase will feature hundreds of different vehicles: new models and old timers, sports cars and engines, trucks, power and work machines, police, fire and ambulance vehicles and military vehicles. In addition to this colorful range of exhibits, the organizers will also be offering a broad spectrum of additional activities, including free practice sessions, concerts, celebrity races and a MiniDrive on Children’s Day.
Debrecziner Gourmet Festival 13-15 June in Nagyerdő (Békás Pond)
Debrecziner Gourmet Festival represents an unforgettable medley of tastes and flavors served in the heart of the picturesque Nagyerdő. Debrecen’s “most delicious” gastronomic event brings together the best restaurants and chefs of our city and our country under the shady trees of Nagyerdő to showcase where the peak of gastronomy in Hungary is today. Alongside mouth-watering food creations and spectacular cooking shows, there are also interesting panel discussions and exciting live concerts on offer.
The Night of Museums 21 June at several locations in Debrecen
On Midsummer Eve, museums open their gates and offer a special experience of cultural discovery beyond the traditional opening hours, up until dawn. They never fail to supply a wealth of interesting and extraordinary activities for visitors. These include guided tours, creative and interactive activities, gastronomic and children’s programs as well as concerts and artistic performances.
Campus Festival 16-20 July at Nagyerdei Stadium and its vicinity
One of Hungary’s biggest summer music festivals, Campus, features popular Hungarian artists, emerging young talents and a number of foreign stars. In the bill of fare, almost all genres are represented, from hip hop to metal and from alternative rock to techno. In addition to music, this festival also introduces other art forms such as dance and theatre, visual arts and stand-up, as well as children’s activities, a civic street and a gastronomy and wine village.
Debrecen Wine and Jazz Days 31 July – 2 August in Nagyerdő (Békás Pond)
Enjoy Hungarian wine and live jazz music next to a beautiful pond in Nagyerdő. Hungary’s largest gastro-jazz jamboree features the finest Hungarian wineries, while the most popular Hungarian jazz musicians play simultaneously on several stages. Besides delicious wines and soft jazz tunes, there is also a gastronomic and handicraft fair, a jazz cinema and, of course, the wonderful natural environment of Nagyerdő.
Debrecen Flower Carnival 15-20 August at several locations in Debrecen
Debrecen’s major cultural event, and one of the most popular in Hungary, is linked to the day of King St. Stephen, the founder of the Hungarian state, and to the celebration of the first “new” bread, baked from the flour of newly harvested wheat. The week-long festival brings together local performers and artistic ensembles from all over the world to create a real carnival atmosphere. The celebrations come to a close on August 20, when hundreds of thousands of flowers, both fresh and dried, are used to create a spectacular floral display with the help of floats on the streets of Debrecen, accompanied by local and foreign dancers and living tradition groups. The carnival program is complemented by concerts, children’s activities as well as art and flower exhibitions.
Beer by Lake 15-20 August in Nagyerdő (Békás Pond)
In the most charming part of Nagyerdő, on the shore of Békás-tó, you can spend an entire week in the company of the most diverse Hungarian craft and artisanal beers, alongside refreshments from foreign breweries, including those brewed in the already familiar Czech style. There are also gastronomic and cultural activities available throughout the event, with a variety of food trucks offering culinary delights and beer snacks.
Debrecziner ZAMAT Festival 12-14 September in Nagyerdei Stadium (northern event site)
At the biggest gastronomic event of the fall season, the best restaurants in the neighborhood provide delicious snacks, while Hungary’s renowned fruit brandy producers, among others, serve drinks. Every year, the festival features some of the most famous gastronomic experts of our country, while there is a star-studded line-up of performers taking turns on the stage. The program includes gastronomic presentations, a paired sausage stuffing competition, a craft fair and children’s activities.
Debrecen Advent 29 November – 23 December at Kossuth Square and Dósa nádor Square, in Piac Street and Csapó Street
In 2022, Debrecen’s Christmas Fair was elected one of the most beautiful small-scale Christmas fairs in Europe. For about a month, Debreceni Advent treats visitors to unique handcrafted products, irresistible delicacies, soul-warming mulled wine and stunning festive decorations. The Christmas Fair is complemented by a continuous program of Advent concerts, children’s activities and joint candle-lightings, as well as a chance to admire the gorgeous scenery from the spire of Nagytemplom while participating in a special evening church tour.
Date: throughout 2025
Location: various locations in Debrecen
Source and photo credit:visitdebrecen.com