The excitement of Christmas fills the air as the Debrecen Advent Festival kicks off on 29 November in the city’s beating heart. Debrecen Advent brings a festive spirit to the city; the main square is transformed into a magical winter wonderland of Christmas lights! Discover the charming craft stalls offering unique gifts and indulge in Hungarian culinary delights such as chimney bread and lángos (fried flat bread). Don’t miss out on a cup of mulled wine or a little skating in front of the Reformed Great Church. With around 750 square metres of sparkling ice spread over a 120-metre stretch, the Kossuth Square ice rink will provide a stunning backdrop for winter fun for professional and novice skaters this year. The Hütté next to the rink offers an authentic Alpine atmosphere and gastronomic delights. This year, there will also be a Ugly Sweater Run in Debrecen, and you can join the Christmas donation (Szeretetdoboz in Hungarian). Don’t miss the magic of Advent in Debrecen, which has something for everyone.  

The excitement of Christmas fills the air as the Debrecen Advent Festival kicks off on the 29th of  November in the city’s beating heart. Debrecen Advent brings a festive spirit to the city; the main square is transformed into a magical winter wonderland of Christmas lights! Debrecen Advent will be hosting the following events this week. 29 November 9.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m. Kindergartners' Christmas tree decorations at the Advent Fair Kindergarten children in Debrecen decorate 24 small pine trees with ornaments they made. The trees will be exhibited at the Adven Fair. 3.00 p.m. - 5.0 p.m. DuoTrio Street theatre at the Advent Fair The DuoTrio Street Theatre improvises its performances from stories inspired by the audience, with the active participation of the general public. Several performances of their interactive stilt show will be shown at the Advent Fair. The members of the company are Tímea Telenkó-Oláh (Vojtina Puppet Theatre), Máté Kiss Gergely (Csokonai National Theatre), Zsolt Györgyfi (Kodály Philharmonia) and Endre Molnár (Hungarian National Circus). 5.00 p.m. Bordeaux Dragon Concert at Kossuth Square Bordeaux Dragon band plays what they call "medieval world music". Set in a medieval atmosphere, their songs are danceable, powerful and dynamic, in keeping with […]

By popular demand, the legendary movie Alien is on the air again in Apollo Cinema.The director's version of Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece is screened in the original English language with Hungarian subtitles on the 30th of November and the 7th of December. Tickets are available in person at the box office and online. Online ticket sales:  30 November Alien - The Eighth Passenger https://bit.ly/3NZKN0s 7 December Alien - Name of the Planet https://bit.ly/3O1pD22 Date: 30 November, 7 December, 7.30 p.m. Location: Apollo Cinema Source:FB events

On Sunday, the 1st of December, families can not only light the first candle on the Advent wreath, but also take part in Debrecen Zoo's “waiting for Santa Claus” activities. Programmes: 09:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Opening of the Santa Claus House 09:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.  Creative handicrafts in the Gibbon House 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Santa Claus visits his zoo friends 10:00 a.m. - Capuchin monkeys’ feast 10:30 a.m. - Trunked bears' foraging tour 11:00  a.m.  - Playful foraging of meerkats  2:30  p.m. - Penguins' snack 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Arthur the Shetland pony brings sweets 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Pony carriage 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Santa's story 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 .p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Warm up at Zoo-Kucko 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Adoption point next to Santa's house 12:30 p.m. Expert guided tour. Depart from the zoo entrance.    More information about the programme can be found  here.   Date:1 December Location: Debrecen Zoo   Source:dehir.hu

For the fourth time, Debrecen will host the Ugly Sweater Run where charity goes hand in hand with the joy of movement and a great atmosphere. Participants will run 3.5 km and 1 km through the beautiful Advent Fair downtown Debrecen. All participants have to do is get out their cutest or funniest Christmas sweater, hat, scarf and bring their donations. The aim of the charity run is to promote community sport and to make Christmas brighter for disadvantaged families and children in Debrecen and its surrounding area. Donations of fruit, non-perishable food with a minimum six-month expiry date and chocolate can be made at the donation point of the Ugly Sweater Run Baltazár Dezső Square on the 7th of  December between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. The donations will be distributed to the families through the staff of the Debrecen Charity Board. The event is free but registration is required at  this link. Programme: 10:00 a.m. on-site registration 10:30 a.m. Christmas show by Fruzsi Erdős 10:50 a.m. Warm-up 11:00 a.m. Start (3,5 km distance) 11:10a.m.  Start (1 km distance) Distance: 1 km and 3,5 km (not certified distances) Route for the 3,5 km distance: Baltazár Dezső tér - Hunyadi […]

The tradition of the Debrecen Bethlehem Festival will be held again this year. The 14 groups arriving from Hungary and across the border will be welcomed by DEMKI institutions – DEMKI Youth House, DEMKI Homokkerti Community House, DEMKI Csapókerti Community House. The opening ceremony will start at 10:00 a.m. on the stage in the yard of the DEMKI Youth House. This will be followed by performances by the nativity groups, accompanied by other cultural programmes and the Törköly Band. In addition to the stage programme, the live nativity scene will feature a dwarf goat and bunny petting. In the courtyard, visitors can buy craft products from folk craftsmen and learn about their crafts. There will also be a variety of folk craft activities for young and old alike. Bethlehem Festival programmes: 10:00 a.m.  - 3:15 p.m. at DEMKI Youth House Yard  10:00 a.m. Opening 10:15 a.m. Törköly band plays 10:25 a.m. Pre-school children's performance 10:35 a.m. Nativity scene from Nádudvar 10:55 a.m. “Chirping” Children's singing group 11:05 a.m. Törköly band plays 11:15 a.m.  Advent carols by Konyár Pávakör tradition-preserving group 11:30 a.m. “Színarany” nativity scene from Nagyszalonta 11:55 a.m. Törköly band plays 12:10 p.m. Shepherd nativity from Nagyléta 12:30 p.m. […]

Vojtina Puppet Theatre company will be revoking the world of Christmases of the past on two weekends in December, revisiting how nativity scene took place, who were the characters in the Christmas dramatic mystery play, what it even means to be a dramatic mystery play. Children and their families who visit the Vojtina Puppet Theatre building in Kálvin Square on Sundays, the 8th and the 15th of December at 10.00  a.m., can take part in a cozy Christmas preparation and make felt and woven gifts. In connection with the advent exhibition of Enikő Gyöngy enamel and jewellery artist, you can take a look at the process of creation and participate in the mystery of its creation. And what will the full family program be like? From 10.00  a.m., children can meet the puppeteers of the Play Theatre in the nativity puppet dance ritual play titled “Let’s Go See Him!”, and then they can make Christmas gifts in the exhibition space with the help of craftswoman Gyöngy Enikő, accompanied by Advent and Christmas carols by folk singer Ildikó Bárdosi. On the 8th of December, they can learn about woven materials and then create a small gift using felt weaving, and on […]