The University of Debrecen is preparing for this year’s Campus Festival with spectacular programs and live concerts. Twelve wooden booths will showcase the university’s faculties and departments, while a new venue, the Sports Diagnostics, Lifestyle and Therapy Center (SET), will also join the vibrant university presence at the event. Campus Festival features the most Hungarian performers of any local festival, with more than 250 acts over four days, and nearly a thousand cultural programs. Tens of thousands of visitors are expected between July 16 and 20.
According to MP Lajos Kósa at Thursday’s press conference, “The city and the Great Forest offer one of the best, if not the best, festival locations in Hungary. Campus is now the leading regional festival in the country.”
Mayor of Debrecen László Papp emphasized: “Campus Festival has become the centerpiece of summer — many people schedule their vacations around it.”
The mayor added that Campus has grown into an event of major significance for the city and the region’s youth. “We are proud that this festival has weathered difficult times and remained strong. The city will always be a partner in its organization.”
The campus is deeply connected to the University of Debrecen. Once again this year, the institution places special emphasis on showcasing higher education and science in an engaging and entertaining format.
“For us, the festival is crucial for building our image and attracting future students,” said university chancellor Zoltán Bács. “We hope the programs in University Square create a positive impression that will inspire students to apply here. And they have — in recent years, we’ve received the highest number of applicants among rural universities, and we have the most Hungarian and international students. According to the latest QS international rankings, we’re now Hungary’s top university. Campus Festival plays a key role in these results, along with our partnerships with the city and local companies.”
László Páll, managing director of Debreceni Campus Nonprofit Ltd., shared plans to expand the area around the Main Stage:
“We’re trying to push the stage further back toward the Fog Theater, which should allow 3–4,000 more attendees for headline shows,” he said. He asked festivalgoers not to wait until the last minute to head to concerts and announced fast-track lanes between festival zones opening from 7 PM to help ease movement.
András Süli, program director of Campus Festival, emphasized that while the biggest names in music will return, they’ve again made room for talented young artists from Debrecen. He also noted major improvements in festival safety and faster, more effective healthcare services on-site in recent years.
“Campus is a community product — the result of shared vision and hard work by many like-minded and positive people. In Debrecen, there is strong, forward-thinking collaboration among the city, university, and supporters,” added Péter Miklósvölgyi, CEO of Debreceni Campus Nonprofit Ltd. The festival opens on July 16.
University Square at Campus Festival — spotlight on health
The University of Debrecen wants to showcase its diverse offerings again at this year’s Campus Festival. A new venue joins the celebration: the university’s Sports Diagnostics, Lifestyle and Therapy Center (SET), which will focus on health. Various departments and the Clinical Center will provide screenings and consultations — including the Department of Family and Occupational Medicine, the Emergency Clinic, Eye Clinic, Medical Imaging, and the Biomechanics Lab.
As usual, twelve wooden booths near the Nagyerdei Stadium will host the faculties and departments. Every day from 3 PM, eye-catching, interactive programs await guests. Attendees can try out lab tests such as determining their blood type with a rapid test, using a vein scanner, or comparing microscope slides from healthy and hematologically ill patients. Visitors can also experiment with dry ice, create personalized hand creams, or make a DNA cocktail.
Guests at University Square can sign a mock festival marriage contract, explore the mechanics of self-driving cars through a model, take a “book selfie,” or try a facial expression recognition app to see how good their poker face really is.
In addition to the hands-on activities, the Unipass Stage at University Square will feature talks with elite student-athletes, and university experts will discuss topics ranging from healthy living and Bitcoin revolutions to animal cruelty laws — and even what a cow’s behavior might tell us.
Evening performers include Bálint Gájer, the Palya Bea & Jenő Lisztes duo, Nikoletta Szőke, Vecsei H. Miklós and QJÚB, Ádám Beretka, Soma Nóvé and Sándor Csoóri Jr., Tamás Molnár, Zian Jazz Planet feat. Dorottya Jéger, PG Csoport, Street Sixteen, and the Debrecen Zither Orchestra.
Thirsty festivalgoers can enjoy specialty drinks at the Caribbean bar, such as herbal syrups courtesy of the Faculty of Agriculture (MÉK) or a refreshing spritzer from Mád.
(unideb.hu)