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The Festival of the Families – Everything Revolves Around Folk Art

From 17 to 20 August, the largest folk art festival in Hungary, The Festival of Folk Arts, will be organized at the Buda Castle. The festival, which evokes the ambiance of old-time fairs, is the year’s long-expected family event where one can try folk crafts and admire the splendid artwork of craftsmen. A full-day event enriched with wonderful stage programs brings an unforgettable experience to all ages.

The Buda Castle will be transformed into a festive venue crafts and craftsmen experiencing the old-time fairs and having a feeling the visitors entered into the medieval atmosphere. Nearly 1,000 craftsmen and in nearly 100 open workshops, also hundreds of performers will take part in a full day of stage programs, exhibitions, handicraft gastronomic delights and popular activities for children. At the interactive open workshops, more than 800 Hungarian and 150 foreign masters … arriving from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, China and more countries will acquaint visitors with the secrets of their different crafts. enter a medieval atmosphere where they can admire and buy items of unique folk craft heritage, but they can also create these crafts themselves under the guidance of Hungarian masters such as  weaving and spinning which can be performed from wicker, bulrush, straw or corn husk. Wicker is used to make basket and storage containers, while straw is good for hats and bags, corn husk for chair backs and seats, and bulrush for carpets and wall decorations. visitors can also learn ribbon and carpet weaving and hair plaiting and try to spin on the spinning wheel.  Masters will wash, comb, cart and paint, raw wool in the way their predecessors did for hundreds of years.

The 32nd edition of the Festival of Folk Arts offers young artists the chance to present their finalized works with fashion shows and art exhibitions. This will be a must-see, be there family festival of the year, where children, parents and grandparents alike can find programs of their interest. This year, in honor of The Year of Families, family programs will feature traditional games and sports. The little ones in the Babies’ Playground can have a good time relaxing while those who are eager to try traditional folk logic games and sports will be delighted to discover more and more fun.

The Year of Families introduces masters who, having inherited their skills from their ancestors, are members of real handicraft dynasties. Visitors may encounter three generations of shoemakers working together in the same workshop, where footwear is strictly hand-made just as it was a century ago. A three-generation furniture painting workshop features the unique Győr blueprint dynasty, which has been operating for hundreds of years with the same technique. Throughout this four-day event, some of the best musicians, singers, storytellers and dancers in Hungary will perform, offering special cultural delights. Szalonna Band performs with the Páva winner Sarjú Band, and Mihály Dresch will perform with the strings. There also will be concerts by the Karaván Familia and the Bognár Szilvia Quartet. Starting at 7 p.m. on August, 20 Levente Szörényi will be the special guest of the Söndörgő and Vuicsics band. With hundreds of performers, there will be stage shows – a true festival atmosphere and a fairy-tale festival that await visitors in the unique atmosphere of the folk festivals of the summer: the Festival of Folk Arts!

Update Aggie Reiter