Szeged Wine Festival and Day of Szeged Celebration Series 2023 — Detailed Guide
Updated at 11:20, May 12
Wine lovers across the country and over the borders are already preparing for the longest — and one of the biggest — wine festivals in Hungary. In less than 3 weeks, downtown squares and streets of the city of sunshine will turn into a 10-day-long bustling gastronomy festival and celebration. The 27th Szeged Wine Festival and the Day of Szeged Celebration Series start on Friday, May 12.
Szeged Wine Festival and Day of Szeged Celebration — short intro
The Szeged Wine Festival is one of the biggest wine-related events in Hungary, taking place each year in the middle of May in the picturesque city center of Szeged. Around 160 winemakers arrive from all corners of the country to showcase the best of their produce. This is an excellent opportunity to get an insight into Hungarian wine culture and taste almost everything that the country’s vineyards have to offer since the selection at the festival covers all 22 wine regions of the country.
The Szeged Wine Festival and all the accompanying programs during the 10-day event — like the extremely popular Bridge Fair — are part of the Day of Szeged event series, celebrating the day when Szeged received its coat of arms back in 1719. For 10 days, the city center transforms into a bustling cavalcade of visitors and winemakers chatting over wine and enjoying the various performances and concerts. Stalls offering brandies (pálinka), craft beer, and several types of street food will also dot the squares and streets of the city center. Artisans will be selling handmade products ranging from unique ceramics to leather goods, from textiles to jewelry to hand-poured soy candles, and much much more.
Note: All concerts and performances can be attended free of charge
Check out Szegedify’s photo gallery from the 2022 Szeged Wine Festival:
Reusable wine glasses at the Szeged Wine Festival
In an effort to make the city’s festivals greener, the organizer Szeged Fair and Market Operator Ltd. decided last year to replace the single-use plastic wine cups with reusable wine glasses, which will be the case this year too. Visitors can either buy a glass to take home or one that can be returned at the end.
Wine glasses can be bought at information stall No. 190 or at any winemaker, using cashless payment methods (credit cards, Festipay card) only. Glasses with the Szeged Wine Festival’s logo cost 1.600 HUF and cannot be returned, but can serve as a souvenir. Glasses decorated with the coat of arms of Szeged cost 1.300 HUF and can be returned at stall No.191 for a refund of 1.000 HUF.
Venues of the 2023 Szeged Wine Festival and Day of Szeged Celebration Series
Széchenyi Square, the main venue of the 2023 Szeged Wine Festival
As in previous years, Széchenyi Square will host most of the wine producers’ stalls. In addition to the Hungarian repertoire covering all wine regions of the country, some stalls will offer international wines. The equally famous Hungarian brandy (pálinka) will also be present, thanks to some of the best pálinka producers in the country.
The Széchenyi Square location will host a good number of food stalls too, offering fish, chips, grilled food, pizza, handmade cheese, flatbreads, strudel (rétes), and chimney cake among others. No. 77 and 106 will be dedicated coffee stalls.
A wide variety of music performances — jazz, blues, pop, rock, folk, and everything in between — with some of Hungary’s favorite performers will set the ambiance on two stages located at different parts of the square.
Klauzál Square and Kárász Street
Apart from the main location in Széchenyi Square, other areas of downtown Szeged will also be bustling with accompanying programs.
Klauzál Square and the part of Kárász Street between Klauzál and Széchenyi Squares will host a Craft and Gastro Square, where among others craft beer, flatbread, chimney cake, and bubble tea stands await visitors.
At the same time, this area will be home to several local artisans selling their handcrafted goods, such as candles, handmade jewelry, leather accessories, handmade glass products, wooden toys, and more.
Dugonics Square
Dugonics Square will transform into the so-called Treasure Square (Kincs tér) with a variety of vendors selling a wide range of products and craft items. Some stalls will be here for all 10 days, others for only the first or the second part of the event.
Various music and dance performances will take place here, including the traditional gathering and joint performance of choirs (KóSza) on Saturday, May 13, as well as ballet, line dance, and fitness shows throughout the 10 days. The Bulgarian (May 12), German (May 18), Greek (May 19), and Serbian (May 20) folk dance programs will be open for anyone who wants to learn the traditional dances of some of Szeged’s ethnic groups.
This location will also have food and drink stalls, offering chimney cake, Asian street food, sweets, bubble tea, brandy, and beer among others.
More Szegedify photos from last year. Use the arrows to scroll through the gallery.
Day of Szeged Celebration Series accompanying programs and locations
Choirs in Downtown Szeged
On the afternoon of Saturday, May 13, 22 choirs will fill downtown Szeged with the power of human voice. Nearly 30 short concerts will take place at four courtyards/atriums: REÖK, Átrium Café, SZTE Rector’s Building, and Wagner Udvar.
The choirs start at 2 p.m. with a street flashmob in front of REÖK and end their program with another flashmob starting at approx. 5:30 p.m. at Dugonics Square.
Find more info about the event on the KóSza Facebook page.
Dóm Square
On the second weekend of the Day of Szeged celebration series — May 19-21 — spectacular concerts await visitors at the Dóm Square Cavalcade, with fireworks on Saturday, May 20, at 9:30 p.m.
Szeged Bridge Fair Spanning Belvárosi Bridge, Híd Street and Oskola Street
On May 20-21, one of the biggest handicraft markets in the country, the 22nd Szeged Bridge Fair will be held on Belvárosi Bridge (Belvárosi híd) and Híd Street, with 250 vendors. At the same time, visitors can get to know local NGOs and their work on Oskola Street.
The Szeged Bridge Fair will be opened by stilt walkers at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 20. Performances, street musicians, and other attractions will entertain visitors on both sides of the bridge.
2022 Szeged Bridge Fair. Szegedify / Szilvia Molnar
Changes in traffic and public transport during the 2023 Szeged Wine Festival and Day of Szeged Celebration Series
Parking and traffic restrictions
Széchenyi Square will remain partly closed to parking and car traffic until the end of the festival.
Belvárosi Bridge will be fully closed to traffic during the Szeged Bridge Fair, May 20-21.
In general, if you are coming to Szeged by car during the 10 days of the Day of Szeged Celebration Series, try to avoid the following parts of the downtown area:
Széchenyi Square
Belvárosi Bridge
Híd Street
Oskola Street
Dóm Square
Somogyi Street
PUBLIC TRANSPORT DISCOUNT TICKET
During the Szeged Wine Festival (May 12-21), any single ticket validated on board after 6 p.m. entitles unlimited travel in Szeged on any type of public transport until 6 a.m. the following morning.
Single tickets bought in advance (one-by-one or in a 10-pack), tickets bought on board (from the driver or the ticket machine), and single tickets purchased via the mobile app are all eligible. Please note that tickets purchased at the onboard machine don’t need validation, these are issued already validated.
Nostalgia tram
During the 2023 Szeged Wine Festival and Day of Szeged Celebration Series, the transport company in Szeged launches a nostalgia tram service.
Nostalgia tram No. 313-314 will operate on route No. 2 on both weekends — May 12-13-14 and May 19-20-21 — between Európa liget and Szegedi Vasútállomás stations.
Note that the nostalgia tram will note operate in rainy weather.
For a map with the stations and starting times, click here.
What is the Day of Szeged celebration about
Every year, the city of sunshine celebrates the Day of Szeged on May 21.
The area of Szeged has been inhabited since the Neolithic. The city was first mentioned in 1183 and became a royal free city in 1498. After the Turkish invasion, Szeged got its royal free city status back in 1715. It received a coat of arms on May 21, 1719, and this day is still celebrated today as the Day of Szeged.
Coat of arms given to Szeged on May 21, 1719. Source: Wikibooks.org
Disclaimer
The organizer Szeged Fair and Market Operator Ltd. reserves the right to make changes to the programs announced.
At Szegedify Magazine we try to provide the most accurate information possible and we double-check everything. However, we are not liable for inaccurate information (if any) provided by our sources.
Featured image only for illustration. Credit: Stefan Schauberger / Unsplash
Gallery images: Szegedify / Szilvia Molnar
