EVENTS
SPECIAL DAYS OF THE SPRING AND SUMMER LONG NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS FRONTIER CASTLE FESTIVITIES EGER CASTLE DAYSpecial Days of the Spring and Summer
Easter, Pentecost, and St. Ivan’s Day are all marked by special programmes at the fortress.
Easter celebrations in Hungary have changed drastically lately. On sprinkling day, the date when the boys of the village would sprinkle the girls according to Hungarian traditions, most families today simply go on vacation. This means that many visitors come to the Castle.. To accomodate them, the museum created the "Where’s the Egg, the Red Egg?" – Easter Monday at the Castle event. Children are invited to participate in crafts, and to meet sheep and rabbits, the animals of Easter. The bravest may even pet them.
On the "Crimson Day of Pentecost" we also await children with hands-on activities, ranging from glass painting using Spring motifs to making their own Pentecost King and Princess crowns.
Long Night of the Museums
The museum is the first institution outside the capital to join the „Long Night of the Museums” festival which has met such success in Budapest. The programme is set for St. Ivan’s Day, so the night will include a lighting of the St. Ivan’s bonfire, a torch parade, a torchlight tour of the dungeon, a dance festival complete with fire dancers, and crafting activities. On this special evening, the museum’s exhibits remain open late at the night.
Top of the pageFrontier Castle Festivities
Since 1996, the last week of July has been set aside for the annual Frontier Castle Festivities in Eger. As part of the history festival, medieval craftsmen set up shop in the castle yard and practice their traditional crafts for audiences.
Every day during the four-day festival, participants dressed in authentic costumes parade through the historical town centre, singing and playing music as they make their way up to the castle. Here, the programme of historical events are already underway. Always a favorite of visitors is the medieval tournament; over the years, we have been able to invite more and more competitors proficient in the art of medieval warfare, including sword fighters, spear and knife throwers, fencers, and archers. These swashbuckling diversions take place in the courtyard in front of the Gothic Palace.
Adults and children alike are thrilled by the shows put on by stilt-walkers and giant puppeteers, while the youngest of our visitors always enjoy puppet shows.
Music and dance play a vital part in creating the proper historical atmosphere. However, visitors may hear much more besides Hungarian folk music, as the world’s other musical traditions are also well represented: past years have featured everything from Viennese court waltzes to middle-eastern belly dancing, Turkish pipes to Welsh harps. The rich and varied programme offers something for everyone.
Two national competitions are always in progress during the Frontier Castle Festivities in Eger. One of them is the historical archery competition, where historically-dressed archers, competing in various categories, battle it out on a special archery lawn. Offering an entirely different experience is the bastion climbing competition, where expert climbers compete to scale the walls of the Dobó Bastion as quickly as possible. Interested (and properly insured) amateurs who may also try their hand.
These, the most popular events, are guaranteed to be present annually. Other events change year to year. Since 1999, each year’s festival has focused on one particular historical period, with events chosen accordingly. In 1999, Eger was transported to the period of Turkish rule; as part of the festivities, a muezzin chanted Islamic prayer from the top of Eger's one surviving 17th-century minaret. To the strains of Turkish music and the sights of belly dancing, visitors could also experience something of the day-to-day life under Turkish rule – a mercenary parade, bear dancing, fire-eating, juggling, etc. – and sample Turkish delicacies.
The celebration has since been extended to nine days annually. Visitors are eased into the festivities during the first five, with events being held only at certain hours of the day. Tourists are thus given an opportunity to see all the perenniel attractions Eger has to offer, from its famed medicinal baths to its legendary wine cellars, without missing out on any of the proceedings. The last four days follow the traditional morning-to-evening schedule. Many visitors come to the festival once and find themselves returning year after year.
For those wishing to vacation or stay in Eger for a longer period of time, there are of course accommodations available to suit all tastes and allowances. The Frontier Castle Festivities in Eger are waiting eagerly for all those interested in enjoying and taking part in the wide variety of activities and exhibitions we have to offer. Throughout the duration of the festival, the museum exhibits of course remain open from 9:00 to 21:00, except on Mondays.
Eger Castle Day
To celebrate the 450th anniversary of the siege, in 2002 the fortress hosted a number of special programmes culminating on October 17, which was thus inaugurated the annual Eger Castle Day. Every year, the fortress awaits visitors with various special events and celebrations. The museum opens its doors to all visitors, free of charge. In addition, areas that are usually restricted or closed off are open to the public, including that Turkish garden and King Imre’s (St. Emmerich’s) grave. Children are invited to participate in hands-on crafts and games (such as glass painting, designing coats of arms, solving historical puzzles, and playing memory games), and all are invited to view the special shows (including arms displays, puppet shows, a concert, and traditional crafts).
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