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| Szilvia Bognár |
Since the festival?s inception in 1989, it has hosted 17,000 events involving 30,000 artists, said chief organiser István Márta at a press conference in Budapest on Tuesday. The event has drawn some 2 million visitors since its beginning, he added.
Because of financial difficulties, the festival has operated under a different name and with a stripped-down programme. Last year, the seven villages of Kapolcs, Vigántpetend, Taliándörögd, Monostorapáti, Öcs, Pula and Nagyvászony organised events independently in July and August.
For the first time this year, the title Woman of the Arts will be awarded by the festival organiers. The first prize will go to Hungarian folk and world music diva Bea Palya.
Palya said she would open this year?s Valley of Arts with a peformance with her friends ? Ági Szalóki, Szilvia Bognár, Nikolett Szőke, András Berecz and the Momentán Company ? in Kapolcs. The performance will not be Palya?s only at the festival. The poet János Lackfi will improvise on themes provided by the audience and visitors can also enjoy a dance house.
In Taliándörögd and Monostorapáti, master of ceremonies Zoltán Rácz will be joined by the percussion group Amadinda.
Öcs will again host a world music festival with the likes of Félix Lajkó, the Boban I Marko Markovics Orkestar, David Yengibarjan, Parno Graszt and Nikola Parov.
Kapolcs will be the ?jazz valley? this summer, ancient and sacred music will be performed in the churches in the villages, and alternative acts Kiscsillag, Bori Péterfy and Love Band, PASO and Irie Maffia will perform in Monostorapáti.
Budapest?s Museum of Ethnography will help organise exhibitions in three of the Valley of the Arts villages.
The Békés County Jókai Theatre will set up a 500 person-capacity tent on the edge of Pula where a performance of Hobo?s Circus Hungaricus as well as productions by the New Theatre will take place. Debrecen?s Csokonai Theatre, the Duma Theatre and the KoMa Company will also perform.
Though he was wary of speaking about the issue of financing, Márta conceded that the festival could not survive without the support of the new government. Talks on the amount of support are ongoing, but the subsidies will probably cover 30-35pc of the total costs, he added.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI) / Photo: MTI
