The Debrecen Wine and Jazz Days is Hungary’s oldest jazz festival, held every year since 1972 except 2020. This year, between 8 and 11 August, wine lovers and jazz enthusiasts are welcome to the Great Forest, where the festival is surrounded by green nature on the shores of Lake Békás during the day, while at night the view is dominated by a magical forest of lights and an enchanting water mirror.
The meeting will present 6 wine regions and 20 wine regions of Hungary through 60 wineries, including wineries from Eger, Mátra, Kunság, Etyek, Csopak, Szekszárd, Badacsony, Tokaj and Villány. The wineries include natural wineries, which cultivate their grapes on small plots of land with great care and produce their wines in oak barrels using traditional methods. A special highlight of the event is the Upper Pannon-Nyakas Cellar, whose winemaker won the Wine Producer of the Year award in 2021. There will also be tastings of wines from the returning winner of international wine competitions, Villány’s Jammertal Winery, and the French elegance of Tokaj’s Maison aux Pois.
World star arrives
This year’s Debrecen Wine and Jazz Days will also feature three music venues; the MASTERGOOD Main Stage and the SYNERGY AND THE CLUB stage, showcasing the cutting edge of the Hungarian jazz scene, featuring young, experimental musicians and experienced, well-known masters. This year’s festival is specifically geared towards Swing and Funk, with a greater emphasis on danceable co-genres. In addition to classical, vocal, fusion and mainstream jazz, there will also be world music and jazz infused with folk. A great atmosphere is created by 180 musicians from 35 bands, and the highlight of the evening is the jazz DJs behind the bar after the concerts, providing the perfect dance music.
The festival’s headliners include former guitarist Steve Hackett of the world-famous band Genesis, who will perform with Djabe on 11 August. The group has already performed five times in Debrecen in the last 16 years, and now they are coming to the Great Forest with their latest show. They will be joined on stage by Bálint Gyémánt and Krisztián Oláh, Gyula Éliás and the Funkustic Quartet, Balázs Bágyi New Quartet, Jazzation, Eszter Váczi, Bálint Gájer and the Debrecen Dixieland Band.
Walking, dancing and painting with wine
The organizers have come up with an exciting innovation for this year’s Jazz Days. For the first time, the public will be able to participate in a jazz dance workshop with two dance schools from Debrecen, one from Kecskemét and one from Budapest. The instructors include world tap-dance champion Árpád Pirovits and choreographer Dóra Krasznai, who is already known as the winner of several international competitions.
The popular walking wine tour will also be an exciting experience, which is available with advance registration. With the help of experts, you can learn about the history of wine and how to get the most out of the celebrated spirit. For those who want to not only taste but also create something lasting, the wine painting workshop is the perfect place to showcase your creativity.
During the day, there will also be a special program for families, with the Galiba Kids’ Corner, where children and adults alike will be invited to enjoy face painting, giant bubbles and quality playtime.
A varied and high-quality gastronomic offer will be provided by the most popular exhibitors, so the wine and jazz days will offer a choice of street food, barbecue and specialties.
Tickets can be purchased online, personally at the ticket office of Kölcsey Központ and Tourinform Office in advance, or on the spot.
For news about the Debrecen Wine and Jazz Days, please visit the festival website and Facebook page.
