Hungarian Folk Festival

The biggest Hungarian Folk Festival, which is also the home of a mini Cheese Festival (!), is held in the Buda Castle every August. The event is called the Festival of Folk Arts / Crafts (in Hungarian the Mestersegek Unnepe).

Festival	Date	Venue
Hungarian Festival of Folk Arts	August	Buda Castle
Mestersegek Unnepe	including August 20, national holiday	Courtyards, Grounds of Castle: Lion Courts, Savoya Courts, Hunyadi Courts
	3-5 day festival with daily concerts, shows, fairs	Entry with Festival Tickets only (Budapest Card not accepted). Entry includes free admission to Hungarian National Gallery and Budapest History Musem

This fantastic festival attracts thousands of visitors who want see the hundreds of traditional craftsmen excelling in century old crafts, the roots of Hungarian culture. You can also buy the authentic folk items, and see the craftsmen who show how artisanal objects are being made. After all, folk art is the basis of applied arts and design objects and surroundings of contemporary culture.

Even if you are not a folky sort of person, you will enjoy the location nice foods, drinks, and some of the shows.

Programs of Folk Art Festival

The festival is more than a folk fair, it is also a folk fiesta, a fete with Hungarian folk dance shows, folk bands, old folk games for children, folky puppet shows, parades and exhibitions of folk arts, etc.

Crafts Workshops in Folk Art

Folk workshops are held at the festival every day: try your hands at traditional folk art, in weaving, carving, egg painting, beading, etc.

Folk Craft Displays

Basket weavers, wax candle makers, blacksmiths, Hungarian style wood carvers, felt makers, potters and many more present their amazing work to the visitors of the Festival of Folk Arts in Budapest. You might even try their hands at each craft.

It is a great way for adults and children to take a creative time travel, and you will get help from the local crafts people and students of Craft Schools to find out more about apprenticeships and trainings.

Hungarian Cheese Festival

Try the best Hungarian hand craft cheeses at the festival in the festival: the Cheese Festival within the Festival of Folk Arts.

Cheese makers will present their skillfully made cheeses made from goat milk, cow milk, sheep milk, plain, or seasoned.

Some of the cheese makers come from old Hungarian communities in Transylvania (formerly a Hungarian region).

Learn about the skills of cheese making, butter churning.

The Hungarian Cheese Knighthood is awarding the finest cheeses at the annual Best Cheese contest.

What to Buy at the Folk Fair?

Hungarian folk art motifs are successfully finding their ways into modern fashion. Beautiful dresses will be on display. Touch, feel them, and buy them if you love them.

Some visitors like the beautiful blue-dye fabrics with little white flowery or geometrical patterns, others appreciate the various bead, lace, wooden, clay jewelry, or wood carvings, ceramics. An easy to carry home gift is the handmade gingerbread decorations, rag dolls, lavender gifts, felt hats, leather belts, embroidered folky blouses and tablecloths of Kalocsa, Matyo design or other traditional Hungarian folk patterns.

Let’s not forget about the wonderful Hungarian cheeses you can sample and buy at the Festival of Folk Arts in the grounds of the Buda Castle.

Folk Costumed Ladies and Gents

Don’t be surprised to see some men, women and children donning folk costumes. This is a perfect day to show the traditions, and some do.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

See how Hungarian Folk Arts are part of the American Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, USA. You can see Hungarian folk fashion shows, and enjoy the shows presented in the “Hungarian Village” stage of the Festival of Folk Arts in the courts of the Royal Palace on Buda Castle Hill. Follow the ancient language of folk dances, the liveliest conveyor of century old traditions. Through the events of the Smithsonian Folklife at the Hungarian Festival of Folk Arts, you can see how Hungarian folk is transferred to other countries, and enjoyed by foreigners.

Guest Countries’ Folk Arts

The Hungarian Festival of Folk Arts is an event where another country’s folk art can also display their traditional crafts, culture and music to promote the idea of the importance of preserving our valued traditions, their special organizing power, beauty and wealth.

Other Hungarian Folk Festivals

Hungarian Folk Dance Festival

The Hungarian Folk Dance Festival, officially known as the Gathering of Folk Dance Houses / Tanchaztalalkozo: the annual weekend festival is the biggest Hungarian folk dance event in Budapest Hungary. No wonder its venue is a sport stadium so that all the participants can dance until their feet sore.

Hungarian Christmas Folk Fair & Advent Market

The biggest Advent Markets in Hungary are in Budapest at Christmas, in the city center displaying beautiful folk crafts and other contemporary, but often folk inspired crafts, simply known as the Budapest Christmas markets:
Budapest Christmas Market on Vorosmarty Square
Budapest Christmas Market near St Stephen’s Basilica

Hungarian Valley of Arts

The atmospheric Valley of Arts is a folk loving, and folkish festival. Muvesztek Volgye is set in the countryside of Hungary (Kapolcs, Taljandorogd), among gentle green hills, hay stacks, and welcoming villages. For 10 days, you can spiritually re-energize yourself. Just dive into the peaceful Hungarian folk festival and enjoy concerts, shows, live together with folkish minded people, make fresh bread, make music. A must do and the best Hungarian festival for enthusiastic folk festival lovers! A summer festival in July / August.