The accompanying programme to the 56-year-old tradition of the Debrecen Flower Carnival, the Galiba Children’s Festival, which will be held for the 11th time this year, will offer nearly 200 free activities for children and their families over five days in the country’s only classic amusement park, the Debrecen Great Forest, between 17th and 21st August.
The continuously renewing, more than 60-year-old park offers unforgettable experiences for children all summer long, and from 17th August onwards, the first day of the festival will offer a full range of activities for the public to enjoy. The children’s festival will feature interactive and exciting stage performances, magic shows and concerts, board games, video games, arts and crafts, sports demonstrations, and a range of activities that will offer fun and skills development, as well as a world of trades and crafts.
What will you be when you grow up?
The Galiba Children’s Festival brings modern and traditional professions closer to the little ones and helps the older ones to learn what the new jobs of today are all about, professions addressed include Zookeeper, botanist, magician, physicist, chemist, soldier, gardener, flight attendant, policeman, driver, actor, board game tester, e-sportsman, fireman, paramedic, policeman, railwayman, musician, dancer, singer, model, archivist, priest, pharmacist, hairdresser, environmentalist, fencer, aerial gymnast, gymnast, sports shooter, kung-fu master, aerobics instructor, coach, stilt walker, footballer, handball player, interpreter, scientist, engineer, marketer, programmer, designer or TV presenter.
During these five days in the Amusement Park, fairground comedians can appear anywhere and at any time – the wonderful rattling of the Agyagbanda band is the music of the fairground; and the Vojtina Puppet Theatre, the Ort-Iki company, and the Duo Trio stilt walkers will dazzle youngsters.
Music education is not the only part of education, but it plays an important role in health – listening to music increases brain activity and productivity, and listening to music that is enjoyable to listen to releases dopamine. Through interactive instrumental demonstrations by the Lituus Brass Orchestra, Magic Forest, the Garrison Orchestra, and Rocksuli, young children can get closer to instruments, music, and different musical genres.
Reading fairy tales is a defining element of childhood – the folk tales of the Galiba Children’s Festival are complemented these days by music and folk music, folk dance performances, and dance music by Imre Bíró and his orchestra.
For adults, the name Matyipróba, which is linked to the name of our folktale hero, Matyi the Goose, will be a novelty. This test will allow children to test their skills with the help of wooden folk games, and the winner will go home with no less a title than Matyi of the Year!
Board games are enjoying a renaissance among children and adults alike! The team from Mit spielunk? and the Debrecen Pagony bookshop will offer visitors hundreds of board games to choose from.
Visitors will be able to take part in zoo walks for an entrance fee, where they can meet Maty the Goose and 900 other geese from 200 species from 5 continents, and get to know these amazing animals – see them feeding, learn about their nature, and habits, and learn about their keepers. In the botanical gardens, an exhibition of possums and cacti awaits budding botanists and botanists, while young geologists can discover the treasures of the Earth’s womb in the exhibition The World of Minerals, Poetry of the Earth.
Every year, the Galiba Children’s Festival aims to educate young children about the importance of sport and a healthy lifestyle. The DEAC gymnastics department, the handball and football teams, the aerial gymnasts of Claudia’s Angels, and the various dance schools (Latin Zumba, modern dance, ballroom dancing, majorette, acrobatic show, hip-hop, shuffle) present different forms of movement that children can connect with and discover what, in addition to the joy of sport, is also a way of relaxing.
At the festival, children can meet the amazing paramedics, brave firefighters, soldiers, and policemen who will arrive with amazing equipment and vehicles that adventurous kids can even try out – a fire slide and an ambulance are just two of the iconic pieces they can take possession of during Galiba. And speaking of vehicles… KidCar has child-sized remote-controlled electric mini-cars, while DKV has a mini electric minibus for children to test their skills in the bus’s escape room. DERKE brings transport-related toys for different age groups, from wooden toys to interactive quizzes. The Association for Healthy Young People will be there with a bike, motorbike, and car simulators and related activities.
The most rewarding moment for children is when they get on their own bike for the first time – this is the experience that brought to life the pedal bike competition for 2 and 5-year-olds on 21st August on the KRESZ track in the amusement park.
The Galiba Children’s Festival will feature a wide variety of crafts, painting and colouring, fridge magnet and badge making, face painting and hair braiding, or the very popular lucky wheel, picture painting.
The Can You Be King, Small Blanket, Oviakadémia and Equal Opportunities Association will help to fine-tune children’s senses with sensory activities and fine motor skills crafts, while the Miracle Dog Foundation will demonstrate the healing role of canine therapy.
Of course, today’s modern games will also play a role in the five-day festival, with Rioter Games representing gamers, a range of exciting VR games to try, and FIFA and Formula 1 consoles. Beat Sabber, currently the most popular game among children, is expected to be the biggest attraction.
Visitors will also get a first-hand look at the latest technological advances – from 3D printing and robotics to the magic of graphics software through green box photos, where graphic designers will be creating a backdrop for children from Demona to The Ice Magic.
The Galiba Children’s Festival is a must for ice cream, colourful ice cream, popcorn, cotton candy, and horn cakes, with healthy treats, fruit cups, and a children’s menu. The Zádor Debrecen coffee roastery offers refreshments for adults in edible cups made from corn flour.
On the five days of the Galiba Children’s Festival, admission to the theme park is free of charge.
