While major Hungarian festivals have cancelled their 2021 event earlier this year, there are many festivals that are going through this summer. In this article, we will show you some of the most interesting Hungarian festivals to see in 2021, and we will also explain everything you need to know before attending a festival in Hungary in 2021.
There were so many uncertainties regarding the situation of live music in the beginning of 2021. When it comes to Hungary, the cancellation of VOLT Festival, Balaton Sound and Sziget – among others – was not too promising either. However, vaccination in Hungary progressed really well, and current regulations enable music events to take place in the country. This has given the green light to smaller Hungarian music festivals as well. Many events didn’t give up hope and worked continuously to reshape their event. Below, we will look at some of the most interesting festivals that will take place in Hungary this summer.
June 17-20: MiniFishing 2021, Orfű
Fishing on Orfű moved its original festival to August instead of their usual June date. However, they also organise a smaller scale event during the usual June weekend, called MiniFishing. You can see the full lineup below, 3 day passes are sold out but day tickets are available. For more information, visit the official website.
July 6-10: Metal Factory 2021, Dunaújváros
Hungarian metal festival Rockmaraton decided to move the festival to 2022. However, Szalki-sziget will get their dose of heavy music in 2021 as well. Rockmaraton organises Metal Factory in 2021 with 100 Hungarian bands over 5 days. You can see the full lineup below, full pass and day tickets are available. For more information, visit the official Facebook event.
July 7-10: Bánkitó Fesztivál 2021, Bánk
Bánkitó Fesztivál will go through in a smaller scale in 2021, only with Hungarian bands. The alter-indie festival will also give more ground to new genres, including folk and new-wave hip-hop. You can see the poster below, and tickets are available for Thursday 8 July (rest is sold out). For more information and the full lineup visit the festival’s official website.
July 21-25: Campus Fesztivál 2021, Debrecen
Campus Fesztivál will return in 2021 as well. The festival will bring the most popular Hungarian artists to Debrecen over four days. You can see the lineup below, and festival passes are already available (day tickets coming soon). For more information, visit the festival’s official Facebook page.
August 11-15: EFOTT 2021, Velence
EFOTT, Hungary’s well-established student festival, will take place in August at Lake Velence. The lineup is 98% ready with Hungarian artists. Musically it is extremely diverse, from rock to pop, indie and alternative music. A detailed program can be found in the official timetable. Weekly pass and day tickets are available, for more information visit the official website.
August 11-14: Kolorádó Fesztivál 2021, Nagykovácsi
Kolorádó Fesztivál has moved the event from June to their backup date in August. Among Hungarian artists some international acts will play the festival too. They include Alice Phoebe Lou, Black Midi, Helena Hauff, Hunee, Giant Swan and Roza Terenzi. You can see the full lineup on Kolorádó’s website, and festival passes are available. For more information visit the official website.
August 18-21: Fekete Zaj 2021, Mátra-Sástó
Obscure music festival Fekete Zaj managed to hold their event last year, and they are ready to bring noise to Mátra this year as well. The festival welcomes many different bands from the darker arts, from rock, metal to electronic and alternative acts. You can see the first names below, passes and various accommodation options are available. For more information, visit the festival’s official Facebook page and their website.
August 24-28: Fishing on Orfű 2021, Orfű
Alternative music festival Fishing on Orfű will hold their festival during backup date in August. They were among the first Hungarian festivals to show hope for the 2021 festival season, already sharing their lineup and other plans for this year. The programme includes many popular indie, alternative and rock bands, with a touch of heavy music too. You can see the full lineup in day splits, full pass and day tickets are available.
How to attend Hungarian festivals in 2021?
Before you plan to visit any Hungarian festival in 2021, please read the following details. Hungary has vaccinated 5.000.000 people in the country, which is approximately half of the population. When reaching this milestone, the government eased restrictions. According to current rules, only those people can visit live music events who hold an Immunity Card. These cards were issued to those Hungarian nationals who have received their vaccine (or have recovered from COVID-19 but those cards expire at some point).
So all in all we recommend you the following before visiting a Hungarian festival: first of all, only consider visiting a live music event in Hungary if you have received a vaccine. Secondly, always inform yourself on current travel restrictions both in Hungary and your home country. As Hungary is currently working on bilateral agreements with nation states on accepting each other’s immunity cards, check this site, as it is updated regularly. Furthermore, as the EU Digital COVID Certificate is on the horizon, follow their updates and remarks too, as new announcements could help your planning.
