From June to August, Mézesvölgyi Nyár transforms Veresegyház’s Búcsú tér into the biggest open-air cross-arts festival in Pest County, with hit plays, star performers, concerts, and family shows for every age. The address is 2112 Veresegyház, Búcsú tér, and the season lines up a run of crowd-pleasers that mix theatre, music, and nostalgia with large-scale stagecraft.
Opening Vibes and Iconic Voices
June 21 brings the unmistakable titan of Hungarian pop-rock, Charlie (Horváth Charlie), to fill the Mézesvölgyi stage with smoky blues, swaggering jazz, and homegrown rock. Expect a singalong through timeless anthems from Jég dupla jéggel to Nézz az ég felé, wrapped in the magic of a Veresegyház summer night.
Comedy, Farce and a Chaotic Night In
June 24 dives straight into after-dark complications with István Mohácsi’s Francia rúdugrás (18+). Three women, three men: a proper sextet, even as the roles swap mid-tempest. Chemistry interferes, a pedantic sex psychologist stirs the pot, and misunderstandings pile up—until, just maybe, dawn brings a fix.
On July 3, Neil Simon’s Rumors lands as a two-act farce, inviting audiences to sit back and track the wildfire spread of gossip while members of the upper crust tie themselves into gleeful knots.
Rock Opera Spectacle and Literary Legends
July 4 stages a concert version of Stephen, the King (István, a király), Hungary’s most successful rock opera, in a monumental anniversary tour. The lineup features top singer-actors from the original tradition, backed by the Crescendo Music Orchestra, with state-of-the-art lighting, visuals and animation, huge moving set pieces, and standout pyrotechnics.
On July 7, László Dés, Péter Geszti, and Krisztián Grecsó reimagine The Paul Street Boys (A Pál utcai fiúk), not as children’s squabbles but as clashes among young adults. The stakes rise with contemporary music and lyrics, actors’ rhythmic invention, and acoustic object-work amplifying the original’s cathartic punch. The two-act musical staging returns July 8.
Family Classics, Big Laughs
July 12 brings The Jungle Book (A dzsungel könyve): Mowgli’s fight for belonging and happiness among the leaves, a heart-squeezing, heartwarming journey of friendship and love for kids and the young at heart.
Menopause The Musical by Jeanie Linders arrives July 15. The change of life, often whispered about or played for nervous laughs, gets a loud, honest, and riotously funny treatment.
Pop Energy and a TV Favorite on Stage
On July 19, Péter Geszti flips the switch with a summer concert spanning stadium-shaking Rapülők dance bangers, Jazz+Az funk, Gringó Sztár grooves, and singable pop treats from Létvágy—live, with playful production and frank, funny lyrics.
Then it’s a world premiere: You Rang, M’Lord? (Csengetett, Mylord?) bows July 21 and again July 22, breathing theatrical life into the beloved TV characters for a summer night that banks on nostalgia and fresh laughs.
West End Wit and Door-Slamming Mayhem
On July 26, Steven Moffat’s The Unfriend (Rém rendes vendég) arrives as a two-act comedy. Polite English couple Peter and Debbie befriend American widow Elsa on a cruise; promises to visit usually fade—except this time Elsa rings their bell. After what they read online, panic sets in, especially with two teens at home. They don’t want to offend her, but they don’t want to let her in either. An overhelpful neighbor and a sergeant add to the chaos. Fresh from London’s West End and into Budapest’s Játékszín—now it stops in Veresegyház.
July 28 doubles down with Not Now, Darling! (Ne most, Drágám!), a madcap farce of love triangles, mink coats, scantily clad ladies, garments flung out of windows, and wall-to-wall insanity, all inside London’s poshest fur salon.
Swing, Standards and Poirot
July 31 swings into American Comedy (Amerikai komédia), a jazz-swing musical based on Károly Aszlányi’s 1930s comedy, with libretto and lyrics by Attila Lőrinczy and music by award-winning Bálint Bársony. Directed by Károly Peller, it promises humor, momentum, and a toe-tapping groove start to finish.
August 1 spotlights It Was Just a Dance (Csak egy tánc volt) – The Best Songs of Pál Szécsi. Under the stars, the brilliant legacy of Pál Szécsi comes alive, performed by Zoltán Miller, Dénes Pál, Attila Serbán, and Sándor Nagy.
On August 5, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd becomes The Ackroyd Murder (Az Ackroyd gyilkosság). Hercule Poirot retires to King’s Abbott for peace and quiet, only to face two unfathomable deaths. Artúr Kálid plays Poirot, with P. Szilveszter Szabó as Dr. James Sheppard in this taut Agatha Christie mystery.
Italian Sun, Hungarian Hits
On August 7, Lovers of Ancona (Anconai szerelmesek) returns as the most-performed Hungarian stage comedy of the last two decades, blending the spirit of commedia all’italiana, classic Hungarian humor, and the biggest Italian hits of the 1970s.
Quimby lights up August 8 with one of the festival’s standout concerts—iconic songs, a singular sound, and that irreplaceable open-air charge.
On August 11, the gang from Lovers of Ancona hits the road again in Lovers of Ancona at Lake Balaton (Anconai szerelmesek a Balatonon). It’s 1989, bellies are softer, hair is silvering, teens have grown—and the whole Italian company treks to Hungary for roots, love, and peace, aided (and foiled) by Békés, the boss of a Lake Balaton SZOT resort. Cue Azzurro, Bella Ciao, Sono l’italiano, and more bel canto sunshine.
Life Stories, Messy Mountains and Evergreen Musicals
On August 15, One Life (Egy életem) is a biographical stand-up night with Imre Csuja, who talks modestly, warmly, and hilariously about childhood, early career days, doing four shows in one day, lessons from grand old masters, meeting his wife four decades ago, and behind-the-scenes tidbits from Glass Tiger (Üvegtigris) and A Kind of America (Valami Amerika).
On August 18, Beyond Smudge Mountain (Túl a Maszat-hegyen) flips the script: in a world where grime equals order and cleaning means chaos, Andris Muhi sets off to save his friends from blotches, dusters, and terrifying neat freaks. A musical adventure for all ages where even vacuum cleaners don’t always pick the right side.
August 22 welcomes The Sound of Music (A muzsika hangja). In the 1930s, Maria leaves the convent to become governess to a naval captain’s seven children. Joy, music, and song flood the house—until history intrudes and the family must flee the Nazi occupation. This heartfelt classic blends infectious melodies with emotional depth and is a surefire family favorite.
August 26 taps into Beautiful Summer Day – The Neoton Musical (Szép nyári nap – Neoton musical). Set in the 1970s in a youth work camp near the Yugoslav border, it bursts with irony, humor, and the Neoton hits that still anchor any decent house party—songs as beloved in Hungary as ABBA’s, and now ripe for laughing at a past safely in the rearview.
August 28 closes with The Attic (A Padlás), a two-act “half-fairytale, half-musical” for ages 9 to 99. In a mysterious attic where spirits meet humans, friendship, faith, and the power of dreams weave a touching, funny, musical spell.
Stay, Eat, Unwind
Make a weekend of it. Veresegyház offers spa-style fasting retreats with sauna, massage, fitness, and body treatments in a leafy suburban setting. Libra Hotel sits near the lakes with a cozy wellness area, a square-facing restaurant, comfy rooms, and a conference hall—just 20 minutes from downtown Budapest via the M3. For homestyle indulgence, lakeside spots and classic venues line up: think family-friendly restaurants by Lake Ivacsa (Ivacsi-tó) with checked tablecloths and abundant fish dishes; the calm Moonlight Restaurant (Holdfény Étterem) hosting weddings and reunions; La Bella Restaurant and Pizzeria (La Bella Étterem és Pizzéria) for easygoing plates; the much-loved Marika’s Kitchen (Marika Konyhája), serving daily menus and à la carte for over 20 years with full-service catering; and the award-winning Sulyán Confectioners (Sulyán Cukrászda), famed for ornate custom cakes and the 2010 “cake of the country” winner, the Plum Dumpling Torte (Szilvagombóc torta). The revamped Thermal Restaurant (Termál Étterem) adds spacious, air-conditioned dining, a non-smoking room, bowling lanes, and event capacity up to 80 at friendly prices.
Finale With a Flourish
August 29 bows Not a Ragged Life – Restitched (Nem rongyos élet – újravarrva), an operetta gala that turns last year’s promise into this year’s overdelivery. New faces join old favorites as giants of spoken theatre and operetta stars reunite to prove a national treasure—Hungarian operetta—really does belong to everyone.
