90,000 Spectators Expected for Renowned Szeged Open-Air Festival

The Szeged Open-Air Festival in southern Hungary will feature twenty different programs on thirty-seven evenings this year, with around 90,000 spectators expected at the two venues, said László Barnák, director of the Szeged National Theater.

In recent years, the event’s smaller venue in Újszeged has been continuously improved. Three years ago, the sound and lighting equipment was upgraded, and this year the stage floor was replaced, he noted.

The program of the Újszeged stage has been put together in the spirit of genre diversity, so that all age groups can find performances that appeal to them,

highlighted László Barnák.

The first is the folk dance gala of the Tiszavirág Folk Dance Ensemble Hungary on June 16, with storyteller András Berecz and the Juhász Orchestra, entitled “A mi mesénk” (“Our tale”).

Nouvelle Vague will give a concert on June 19. This will be followed by a Dixieland Gala Concert on June 26, featuring the Benkó Dixieland Band, Tamás Bényei and the Hot Jazz Band, the Molnár Dixieland Band from Szeged, Mariann Falusi, and Bálint Gájer.

On June 28 and 29, audiences will be able to see the Kultúrbrigád’s musical La Cage aux Folles, which has been performed more than 400 times. On July 3, Margaret Island will arrive, and a week later, operetta fans will be treated to Imre Kálmán – 120 Minutes around the World, with the composer’s best-known hits and rarely performed gems. On July 12 and 13, Orlai Productions will continue the series with a guest performance of Válaszfalak.

On July 17, Zsuzsa Koncz will come to the Újszeged Open-Air Stage. A week later, nostalgia-seekers are welcome back to the festival: Csókkirály, directed by Vajk Szente and choreographed by Péter Lajos Túri, will be on show.

On July 27, Róbert Szikora, Sándor Lezsák, and Tünde Zsuffa’s musical, Az Ég tartja a Földet – Erzsébet, a szerelem szentje (The Sky holds the Earth – Elizabeth, the saint of love) will be performed at the Szeged Open-Air Festival.

On July 31, Vera Tóth’s concert Találkozások (Encounters) will take the audience into a world of jazz, blues, swing, and exciting crossovers. On August 3, Játékszín will host a guest performance of Vajk Szente’s comedy Aranylakodalom (Golden Wedding).

In August, Tamás Cseh will be remembered with a unique evening: the most memorable songs of the musician and composer, which he wrote together with Géza Bereményi, will be performed by Róbert Hrutka, Róbert Szegezdi and their fellow artists on August 7.

A light-hearted piece from a genre with a long history, Gaetano Donizetti’s opera L’elisir d’amore, will also be performed on August 10 in Újszeged, directed by Veronika Bonecz.

The musical program will close on August 14 with a concert by Judit Halász, featuring some of the most popular songs of her career. On August 16 and 17, the Újszeged performance series will bid farewell to the audience with the Neoton musical Szép nyári nap (A Beautiful Summer Day).

Via MTI; Featured image via Facebook/Szegedi Szabadtéri