3 Days Of Events To Celebrate St. Stephen's Holiday

  • 19 Aug 2018 9:58 AM
  • Hungary Matters
3 Days Of Events To Celebrate St. Stephen's Holiday
State events marking August 20, the major national holiday celebrating Hungary’s statehood, will be held over three days this year, read on for related information and inspiration!


Celebrations this year are to reflect on a time when emphasising Hungarian statehood, national identity and national cohesion was more important than ever.

Programmes include a gastronomy festival of Hungarian specialties starting on August 18. This year’s festival will focus around Hungarian coffee houses and spices.

Other programmes include concerts on each day, featuring Hungarian rock band Tankcsapda, which will give a concert at the Gellért monument at the foot of Elisabeth Bridge on the Danube embankment.

The highlighted event will be the traditional fireworks spectacle to be held along the banks of the River Danube.

Attendance by half a million spectators is expected.

August 20 is a holiday of St Stephen in honour of Hungary’s first Christian king and Hungary’s statehood.

Click here for a detailed program

Related links

Hungarian National Holiday Events, 18 - 20 August

  • How does this content make you feel?

XpatLoop Media Partner

Hungary Matters

Launched in January 2014, this newsletter published on week days covers 'everything you need to know about what’s going on in Hungary and beyond', according to its publisher the state media agency MTI.

Explore More Reports

  • Spreading Holiday Cheer: The Christmas Shoebox Action in Hungary

    Spreading Holiday Cheer: The Christmas Shoebox Action in Hungary

    • 1 Dec 2025 2:24 PM

    The Christmas Shoebox Action (known locally as Cipősdoboz Akció) is a major charity drive aimed at collecting and distributing Christmas gifts to disadvantaged children, primarily here in Hungary. The core goal is simple: to ensure these children receive a present that brings a genuine smile to their faces during the holidays — a simple joy that many of us take for granted—and to offer something that can practically brighten their lives.

  • National Christmas Tree of Hungary to be Unveiled Fully Decorated on 30 November

    National Christmas Tree of Hungary to be Unveiled Fully Decorated on 30 November

    • 25 Nov 2025 5:54 AM

    Hungary is officially kicking off the festive season, following the successful transport of this year's national Christmas tree to Budapest. An impressive, nearly 23-metre-tall silver fir was felled in Ibrány, a town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, before making the 300-kilometre journey to the capital. It arrived at Kossuth Square on Monday morning, where it will serve as the central holiday feature.

  • Free Entry to Terror Museum in Budapest on 23 October National Holiday

    Free Entry to Terror Museum in Budapest on 23 October National Holiday

    • 20 Oct 2025 12:37 PM

    To commemorate Hungary’s national holiday on 23 October, the House of Terror Museum will offer a wide range of programmes, including special guided tours, history classes, educational workshops, film screenings, and outdoor exhibitions dedicated to the heroes and victims of the 1956 Revolution and War of Independence.