Summerfest Folklore Festival Starts Sunday

The festival will feature some 700 folk dancers from 21 countries.

Dancers will arrive from Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nepal, India, Taiwan, Thailand, Dagestan, Georgia, Buryatia, Russia, Sardinia, the Canary Islands, Italy, Slovakia, Poland, Macedonia and the Czech Republic, said press chief Ágnes Dobos.

The official opening and closing ceremonies will be held in Százhalombatta. Country groups will present themselves as part of the Dance Panorama programme, and there will be international dance teaching, world music and international children?s playgrounds in the city.

In addition to the dance events, Százhalombatta will host a performance by tale-teller András Berecz, concerts by the Csík Group, Szalonna István Pál and Family, and the Benkó Dixieland Band. Additionally, there will be an exhibition of folk crafts artists from Pest County and Budapest.

A folk pub, world music stage, festival club, ?tale factory? and folk fair and market will operate during the festival.

?As a new feature this year, visitors will be invited for gastronomic adventures at three participating restaurants of the town that will offer specialties from Mezőföld, Transylvania and southern Slovakia.

An important recurring element of the festival is giving people with disabilities a chance to present their skills. The Golden Heart Gala evening will feature the Gördülő Dance Troupe, the Vakrepülés theatre troupe and the Felhőjárók drama group.

The programmes in Ráckeve will start already on Saturday already. The town will host performances by the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, the Vujicsics band, the Talamba percussion ensemble and András Berecz. There will also be a water carnival on the Danube with ships and boats decorated with lanterns.

Tököl will be the venue for a concert by Ágnes Hercku and the Nikola Parov Quartet. There will be a folk playground, fairy tale musical and various ethnic groups will present themselves. The town will close Summerfest on the August 20th national holiday with fireworks and a street party.

Guest dancers will stay with host families during the festival.

Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)