Preparations at the 95-year-old venue are already well advanced, with Managing Director László Barnák and Technical Director Miklós Várkonyi briefing the press on site on June 15.

The festival’s traditional Dóm Square venue visit took place on a grey June morning, shortly before rehearsals were due to begin for the opening Ajándékkoncert on June 27.

Since the festival took over the site on May 26, the press was able to enter the square for the first time on June 15, offering a first look at the preparations for a season that promises a wide-ranging programme of theatre and live performance.

Várkonyi said the technical works are progressing in the usual order and pace, with around 100 staff working on site to ensure the festival’s 1,000-square-metre main stage, service areas and technical systems are ready for the opening.

He noted that the renewal of the audience area’s wooden floorboards has now been completed, with 2,200 planks replaced by weather-resistant paving slabs.

The ring-shaped revolving stage at the centre of the production area has also been renovated, with the nearly HUF 30 million investment helping to keep the long-serving structure fit for continued use.

Barnák emphasised that the festival’s investments are aimed not only at maintenance, but also at improving audience comfort and safety. He said the Szeged Open-Air Festival has always been more than a stage and seating structure: it is a cultural meeting point where theatre, music and the performing arts bring audiences together in a shared experience.

He added that this year’s programme will reflect the major questions and themes that concern people today, brought to life through large-scale productions, contemporary visual design and the work of leading Hungarian creators and performers.

He also underlined the festival’s role as one of Hungary’s defining cultural institutions, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to Szeged each year and creating memorable experiences for generations of theatre-goers.

With millions of spectators having attended over the decades, the event has become an institution with its own identity and atmosphere, shaped by both artists and audiences.

The 2026 season is especially significant as it marks a double anniversary: the 95-year-old festival will open its 75th season.

Barnák also used the occasion to congratulate Várkonyi on his 70th birthday, praising his more than three decades of dedicated work for the Open-Air Festival.

Detailed program: 
szegediszabadteri.hu/en/programs

More: 
szegediszabadteri.hu/en

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