Ever feel like you’ve searched everywhere for the perfect sport, but nothing’s quite clicked yet? Or maybe you’re curious about exciting activities that most people have never even heard of? If the idea of meeting Olympic, World, and European champion athletes for a selfie or autograph is tempting—or maybe you’d love to get hands-on with musical instruments from grand concerts and booming festivals—then Budapest’s Big Sport and Instrument Selection (Nagy Sportágválasztó és Nagy Hangszerválasztó) is the place for you this September.
What Happens at the Event?
This two-day festival, running from 9 AM to 5 PM on September 12 and 13, 2025, at the Merkapt Sports Center (Maglódi út 12/A, Budapest), isn’t just any fair—it’s celebrating its 18th year! Launched in September 2007 with just 10–15 sports and 300 visitors, today it’s the largest interactive sports and music sampler in Hungary, featuring over 100 sports, 25 instruments, and more than 20,000 attendees over two days. The Big Sport and Instrument Selection aims to share a love of sport not through theory, but through direct, joyful experience, encouraging everyone to find what moves (and excites) them—not just to become the next Olympic star, but for the sheer love of it.
The results speak for themselves: many young visitors who tried a sport here for the first time have gone on to achieve amazing competitive success.
Who Can Attend? How Do You Join?
Admission is free for everyone—but you need to register. Groups of preschool and school children (mainly on Friday), as well as families and individuals (Friday afternoon from 1–2 PM and all day Saturday), are warmly welcome. You can sign up online in advance or register onsite during the event.
What can you expect? More than 100 sports, over 25 instruments, thousands of visitors, top athletes, and famous musicians all in one place. Each activity is hosted by expert coaches and music teachers who help you safely discover your own talents.
Exciting demonstrations, open practice sessions, and high-energy live concerts run both days on various stages, showcasing everything from sports highlights to musical mastery. The coaches and instructors ensure you not only get to try but actually learn the basics—sometimes even taking a step beyond.
Try Sports You Know—and Some You Don’t
You’ll find Hungary’s favorite sports on offer: soccer (football), swimming, water polo, handball, fencing, kayaking/canoeing, and more. But look out for less mainstream options too: ballet, weightlifting, breakdancing, triathlon, and OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) all have their own spaces. And if you’re lucky, you might bump into legends like Dr. Gregory Kiss (Kiss Gergely), Aaron Szilágyi (Szilágyi Áron), Greta Gurisatti (Gurisatti Gréta), Adam Varga (Varga Ádám), and many more—perfect for a photo or an autograph that could inspire you for a lifetime.
Meet the Instruments—Up Close
At the Big Instrument Selection (Nagy Hangszerválasztó), both kids and adults have the chance to explore the world of music. Qualified teachers present everything from classic to modern instruments, explaining origins, mechanics, and their quirkiest features. The instrument park includes:
– Strings: violin, viola, cello, double bass
– Woodwinds: flute, recorder, clarinet, saxophone
– Brass: trumpet, French horn, trombone
– Percussion: drum set, hand drums, shakers, triangle, xylophone, handpan
– Plucked: acoustic guitar, bass guitar
– Chordal: piano, cimbalom (Hungarian hammered dulcimer)
And there’s more in Music Grove (Zeneliget)—where visitors can also try both modern and folk dance.
New Sports, Fresh Ways to Have Fun
Think you’ve seen it all? Think again—sports are constantly reinventing themselves. Here are just a few of the modern or lesser-known activities you can check out:
– **Spikeball:** A fast-paced, round-net game like circular ping-pong, increasingly popular on beaches and playgrounds.
– **Teqball:** A Hungarian invention combining table tennis and soccer, played on a curved table with a soccer ball, testing skill, balance, and concentration.
– **Parkour:** Navigate benches, rails, and walls using agility and creativity—a playful, liberating sport now structured for even the youngest children.
– **NatureFitness:** More than hiking—think squats by logs, climbing on branches, or running up hills for a form of exercise that’s fun and adventurous.
Family Time is the Real Goal
The magic ingredient isn’t athletic performance—it’s shared joy. Organized by the global Kinder Joy of Moving initiative, this event encourages families to move together, making exercise about togetherness, not perfection.
Think creatively: dance in the living room, take a walk after dinner, have a standing-on-one-leg contest, take the stairs instead of the elevator—there’s a way for everyone to join in.
The most important thing? Make movement a natural part of your routine. No need to set a stopwatch. Even a few minutes each day can build lasting habits and create special memories.
So grab your kids, bring your curiosity, and let Budapest’s biggest sport and instrument festival introduce you—and your family—to a new favorite passion you never knew you’d love!
