Hungary’s first and largest national park offers visitors a wide range of activities in 2025. In addition to the traditional big events associated with the shepherd’s year, such as the Shepherd’s Feast or the Fairs of the Heart, this year’s program will also include the internationally acknowledged Hortobágy Equestrian Days, which have a history of more than five decades, and the National Herders’ Competition and Shepherds’ Meeting, which will be held on Pentecost. The season opens at the end of February with the popular Open Stables Weekend.
Open Stables Weekend
22-23 February 2025
Barn opening and family weekend with foals, lambs and other puppies. The stables of the Máta Stud Farm, the sheepfolds of Szatmártelek and the livestock farms of the Pusztai Zoo open their doors to visitors, guided by the shepherds and animal keepers who look after the animals. Visitors can meet the youngest newcomers to the winter Hortobágy, this year’s foals, racka lambs, mangalica piglets, as well as sunny chicks, small ducks, geese and goats.
St. George’s Day Drive-Out Celebration
26 April 2025
St. George’s Day was one of the highlights of the shepherds’ lives, as it was the day on which the animals were driven out of their winter shelter to the pastures. To commemorate this tradition, the event is an opportunity to get to know the shepherds and their animals. It is one of the days of the year that draws particular attention to the pastoral traditions of this World Heritage Site and the handful of shepherds who keep their ancestors’ craft alive.
National Herders’ Competition and Shepherds’ Meeting, Shepherd’s Dance Competition
23-24 May 2025
Every year on the Saturday of Pentecost, herders from all over the country gather at the Puszta Animal Park in Hortobágy to meet and compete. The main competitions, which are based on tasks they perform in their daily work, are: cattle catching, water pulling, throwing a dragon, using a herder’s stick and a hoop whip.
Hortobágy Village Day
31 May 2025
The Village Day of Hortobágy has been held since 1992 with the aim of strengthening community cohesion and showcasing the cultural heritage of the village. Programs are held in the fairground and at the water stage. Traditionally, every year there is a cavalcade of horses and horsemen in the village, a cooking competition, music, dancing and children’s activities.
57th Hortobágy Equestrian Days
6-7-8 June 2025
In the past decades, the Hortobágy Equestrian Days have become the region’s most important event, which is known beyond national borders. 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. For the 21st century, the 57th edition of the Equestrian Days is an experience of travelling back in time, of connecting with the past and of revisiting forgotten knowledge.
Hortobágy Nine-Hole Bridge Fair
20 August 2025
Traditionally, this nationally renowned fair is held on the day of the feast of King Saint Stephen, the founder of the Hungarian state. The Nine-Hole Bridge is not only the name of the fair, but also a well-known symbol of this distinctively Hungarian landscape. In addition to folk, handicraft and organic products, the fair also features antiques and modern-day achievements. Visitors will also be able to taste traditional, regional dishes typical of Hortobágy.
Meeting of Hungarian Grey Cattle Friends
4-5 October 2025
Hortobágy is not only the place to save the Hungarian Grey Cattle, but also the last refuge of the people of the Hungarian grassland, the fairyland of the shepherds. It is here that the breeders of this magnificent livestock meet at the bull fair. This weekend, a colorful program of events awaits the lovers of the grey cattle: a cooking competition, a crafts fair, traditional folk shows, a wine market and children’s folk games.
St. Dömötör’s Day Drive-In Celebration, Crane Festival and Craft Fair
25 October 2025
In the Hortobágy in autumn, following the traditions of old folk customs, shepherds and their cattle alike prepare for winter by driving the animals from the pastures to their winter shelter. At the St. Dömötör’s Day Drive-in Celebration, visitors can get up close and personal with the typical animals of the Hortobágy, such as the Hungarian racka sheep, the Nonius horses, the water buffalos and the grey cattle driven over the Nine-Hole Bridge by shepherd, herders and horseman.
As part of the Hortobágy National Park Directorate’s Crane Festival, there will be stage shows, folk and nature games, craft activities, and of course guided crane watching tours. At the Handicraft Fair, visitors will be able to admire a wide range of tools and ornaments made by the region’s typical folk craftsmen.
