Tricikli, the local literary festival begins on Thursday

Important: the festival's primary language is Hungarian, but some programs are suitable for non-Hungarian speakers.

Tricikli (Tricycle) Festival has connected Szeged's family-friendly cultural and community spaces with innovative literary, visual arts, and music programs since 2021. The festival, combining cycling with literature, attracts people of all ages. Tricikli brings nearly twenty artists to the city of sunshine this year between June 27 and 30, the organizers explained during a press event last week.

Since 2022, the Tricycle Festival - Literature on Three Wheels has been organized in three cities of three neighboring countries – Sepsiszentgyörgy (Sfântu Gheorghe) in Romania, Szeged in Hungary, and Magyarkanizsa (Kanjiža) in Serbia.

In Szeged, this year's programs will take place in more than ten locations between June 27-30, infusing the city's iconic public spaces and hospitality venues with an artist colony atmosphere.

Szeged venues include the Somogyi Library, Kék Elefánt, Agárúr, Kövér Béla Puppet Theater, Grand Café, No Milk Today, Megálló Community House, and Jazz Kocsma, among others.

A silent reading flashmob is held each year at Dugonics Square as a lead-up to the event. Participants wear blue t-shirts, representing the color of the festival, and read in silence for a minimum of 10 minutes. This year's flashmob was held on June 20, 21, and 22.

Programs for non-Hungarian speakers

Although the language of the festival is Hungarian, some of the programs are suitable for non-Hungarian speakers too. One of these programs is the bongor concert that will take place on June 28 at Grand Café. This time, the rapper born in Subotica will be accompanied by a trombonist, a guitarist, and a DJ.

Another program that non-Hungarian speakers can join is the puppet-making workshop at Kövér Béla Puppet Theater. On June 29, one of the puppet theater's giant puppets – a huge carp – will lead families from Mars Square to the building of the puppet theater. The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. Here, children can participate in a puppet-making activity with illustrator Boglárka Paulovkin. The theme of the activity is "little brother-big brother" and starts at 10:00 and 11:00, with a maximum of 20 people per session.

Please note that the other part of the program at the puppet theater – poem-making with poet Ottó Kiss – is only suitable for Hungarian speakers.

Featured image: Ferenc Ocskó / Tricikli Festival