Approximately 300,000 visitors are expected to attend Debrecen’s major summer cultural events: the Debrecziner Gourmet Festival in June, the Wine and Jazz Days in July, and the Flower Carnival in August — organizers announced at a press conference held at Békás Lake in the Big Forest on Monday.
László Papp (Fidesz-KDNP), Mayor of Debrecen, said that 23 renowned Hungarian restaurants will participate in the gourmet festival, and some of the country’s most famous chefs — including Michelin-starred chefs — will be cooking around Békás Lake from June 13 to 15.
Zita Dobos, director of Főnix Kft., the company organizing the festivals, highlighted that a container kitchen will be set up in the Big Forest, where chefs will offer live cooking demonstrations and tastings for visitors.
This year’s festival will revolve around the theme of “movie food,” with dishes made famous in iconic films being prepared along the lake.
The same location will host the Debrecen Wine and Jazz Days between July 31 and August 2. For the first time, all 22 Hungarian wine regions will be represented — Papp noted — adding that winemakers and wines from Transylvania, Vojvodina, and Slovakia will also be featured.
According to Dobos, the jazz festival will showcase 40 different musical acts across three stages.
The most anticipated event of the carnival week from August 15 to 20 will once again be the Flower Carnival — the mayor said, recalling that the first floral parade in Debrecen was initiated 120 years ago by the local women’s association.
Papp emphasized that this year’s carnival is a tribute to that early 20th-century initiative, aiming to make the Flower Carnival once again a celebration of community and shared cultural values.
Dobos added that, alongside the flower floats, dance groups, civil organizations, and creative communities will play a central role. The carnival parade will also be enriched by dance groups from Germany, Turkey, Italy, Spain, France, China, Brazil, and Greece.
(MTI)
Photo: Főnix Rendezvényszervező Nonprofit Kft.
