Hortobágy, the first and the largest national park in Hungary, founded in 1973, will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2024 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Located just half an hour’s drive from Debrecen, this unique landscape is an outstanding example of the harmonious cooperation between man and nature. The combination of peacefully grazing herds of animals, the people of the Puszta, the still living pastoral traditions, the romantic sweep pole wells in the distance, the unique gastronomy and the rich flora and fauna of the Hortobágy can be experienced all year round. From spring to autumn – or, as they say in the Hortobágy Shepherds’ Year, from herd-out to herd-in – there are a host of programs and events in the Hortobágy that bring the heritage, customs, and traditions of this special world even closer to us.
So, it is worth visiting this wonderful region in 2024 to experience the unique charm of this endless wilderness!
Main events in the Hortobágy in 2024:
27 April 2024
St. George’s Day Herd-Out Festival, Craft Fair, World Heritage Day, Puszta Day
St George’s Day was one of the highlights in the life of the shepherds. It was also the day when the first animals were driven out of their winter shelters. Meet the shepherds of the Hortobágy and celebrate the arrival of spring with them! Discover the World Heritage values of the Hortobágy!
4 May 2024
Hortobágy Village Day
18 May 2024
National Shepherds’ Meeting & Competition, Shepherd’s Dance Competition
The National Shepherds’ Competition and Meeting, held every year on the Saturday of Pentecost, will bring together herders from all over Hungary for the 28th time on 18 May in the Puszta Animal Park in Hortobágy, where the best will show off their skills to the public on Saturday after the Friday qualifiers. The main competitions, which consist of tasks that are part of their everyday work, are: cattle catching, water pulling, throwing a dragon, using a herder’s stick and a hoop whip. The inevitable final chord of the two-day competition is every year the joint chugging of the participants and the audience.
An accompanying event of the meeting is the traditional Shepherd Dance Competition, organized by the Hajdú Dance Ensemble of Debrecen, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, during which the audience can get acquainted with the dances of the shepherds of Hortobágy.
During the event, you can enjoy a folk-art fair in the Puszta Animal Park, 1.5 km from the Nine Hole Bridge, and taste traditional shepherd’s food. Walking through the typical lowland livestock buildings, visitors can see many old Hungarian animal species.
12-14 July 2024
56th Hortobágy Equestrian Days
In the past decades, the Hortobágy Equestrian Days have become the most important event in the region, with a transnational reputation. The main aim of the event is to promote the past and present of the pastoral culture of the Hortobágy region, the work of the Máta Stud Farm and its collection of horses, which is still in use today. The Hortobágy Equestrian Days are a summary of Hungarian equestrian life, including professional riders as well as amateurs and horse-loving adults and children.
The Hortobágy Equestrian Days, with its half-century history, is a grand old event of national equestrian events: the programs will take place on the grounds of the stud farm, which has been in existence since 1671, preserving the atmosphere of the old riding days, while presenting the various aspects of today’s equestrian life, with the Hortobágy countryside, a World Heritage Site since 1999, providing an excellent backdrop and setting.
9-11 August 2024
Night of the Shooting Stars
The highlight of the month of August is the Perseid meteor, from 10 to 15 August, when the “Tears of St Lawrence”, the shooting stars of the Perseids from the constellation Perseus, will once again be visible, making for a great evening out. The Hortobágy Observatory Park adds to the experience, as the light pollution is moderate and many more stars can be seen from here.
18-20 August 2024
Hortobágy Bridge Fair
The history of this traditional festival dates back to the early 1800s, when farmers from Debrecen and the surrounding area held livestock fairs at Hortobágy at the foot of the Nine Hole Bridge. At that time, it was mainly horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs that changed hands. An animal fair was inconceivable without a flea market. Craftsmen from Debrecen and the surrounding area would line up with their wares. After the fair, the visitors could enjoy a feast in the taverns.
Nowadays, it attracts crowds from all over Hungary and beyond as a national folk art and flea market. In addition to folk, handicraft and organic products, the fair also features antiques and modern-day achievements. Visitors will also be able to sample traditional, regional dishes typical of the Hortobágy.
The Bridge Fair is accompanied by a series of cultural events and programs, mainly devoted to traditional and folklore heritage.
5 October 2024
Meeting of Hungarian Grey Cattle Friends
26 October 2024
St. Dömötör’s Day Herd-In Festival, Craft Fair and Crane Festival
In the Hortobágy, shepherds and their livestock alike prepare for the winter by driving their animals from the pastures of the puszta to their winter shelter, following the traditions of old folk customs.
Visitors to the event will be able to meet the shepherds’ animals up close – Hungarian racka sheep, Nonius horses, a four-horned buffalo herd, a six-horned Hungarian grey cattle herd – who will be paraded by the shepherds and herders.
As part of the Hortobágy National Park Directorate’s Crane Festival program, there will be stage shows, folk and nature games, Ferkó Kádár’s Photo Theater, and craft activities.
