The Wine and Gastro Festival takes over Hajdúszoboszló from Friday to Sunday, September 18–20, 2026, filling Szent István Park with tastings, concerts, dance shows, and late-night DJ sets. It’s billed as the biggest autumn food festival in the city, showcasing standout wines from Hungary’s top regions alongside a broad lineup of street food, regional specialties, and pop-up culinary experiences. Entry is free, and the program is built to keep every age group entertained well into the evening. Venue: 4200 Hajdúszoboszló, Szent István Park. Organizers reserve the right to change the schedule.
What to expect
Across three days, the park turns into a tasting promenade with wine stands pouring by the glass, food stalls grilling and simmering, and a main stage booked with live bands, dance troupes, and cultural showcases. As the sun sets, DJs take over for open-air parties, keeping the vibe lively for night owls. Families can stroll, sip, and sample without tickets or entry fees, while music lovers lock onto the evening sets. Locals and visitors alike get an easy way to dive into Hungary’s wine map in one place, backed by a crowd-pleasing program and plenty of bites between pours.
Where it’s happening
You’ll find the entire festival inside Szent István Park in the heart of Hajdúszoboszló. The compact layout makes it simple to explore food vendors, wine stands, and the stage without long walks, and the park’s green backdrop means you can settle in for an afternoon and stay through the evening without leaving the grounds. Expect loud, fun, and festive—then a smooth switch to DJ-led nights for those who want to dance.
Stay near the action
Hajdúszoboszló’s spa district is stacked with places to sleep within minutes of the park. Hotel Barátság sits on the hotel promenade, the tallest building in town with sweeping views and its own wellness floor. Think thermal and contrast-temperature pools, whirlpools, saunas, an infrared sauna, and a steam room to recharge between tastings. It’s set up for both leisure and business, with accommodations, wellness, and event spaces under one roof.
If you’re after a homey base, several apartment houses are a short, easy walk from the beach baths (strand): upstairs units with separate entrances include two doubles, one for four, and another that hosts five—open year-round. For serious quiet, look to guesthouses in the garden district: they’re tucked away yet just minutes on foot from the famed Thermal Spa (Gyógyfürdő) and Béke Bath (Béke Fürdő). One pension near the airport is 330 feet from the beach baths and 1,300 feet from both the Aqua Park and the newer Extreme Slide Park; Árpád Pool (Árpád Uszoda) and the Hungarospa therapy building are neighbors for anyone seeking treatments. The family-run Alice Apartment (Alice Apartman) opened in 2010 close to the beach baths, thermal baths, and Aqua-Palace, while other apartment houses in the resort quarter sit five minutes from the world-famous spa. Newly built units on Kölcsey and Major streets place you just 330 to 660 feet from the strand gates, with restaurants, a market, and grocery shops nearby. There’s also a calm option 650 feet from the bus station and about 660 feet from the beach baths, opened in June 2009, for those arriving by coach. Prefer a tucked-away vibe? Look for a guesthouse on a dead-end street with free courtyard parking, a shared breakfast kitchen, and year-round opening. Another central stay sits right in Hajdúszoboszló’s core, just a few minutes’ walk from the spa. Families will find a 107-room, kid-friendly hotel in the resort area with its own medical and wellness wing, ranging from doubles and triples to 2+2 family apartments, bunk-bed family rooms, and suites; many rooms come with balconies and air-conditioning, plus TV, minibar, phone, safe, and en-suite bathrooms.
Eat, sip, repeat
Beyond the festival bites, the city has a strong food scene. U-Pub Bar is a one-stop funhouse—escape room, bowling, billiards, darts, air hockey, and foosball under one roof—paired with a broad and wallet-friendly drink list. A nearby hotel and restaurant sit 980 feet from the Thermal Spa (Gyógyfürdő) gates and about 1,640 feet from the city center, convenient for pre- or post-dip meals. Kemencés Csárda channels the spirit of old roadside inns from the Great Hungarian Plain—tradition refreshed for modern tastes—with a menu and interior built to honor that heritage. A polished dining complex by the spa sets the mood with a 150-seat covered terrace and an 80-seat panorama terrace upstairs, made for long summer evenings.
Major Pension and Restaurant (Major Panzió és Étterem) and its apartments are in a quiet corner of the spa zone, about an eight-minute walk from the winter entrance and just two minutes from the summer gate. Mirage Restaurant has been fully refreshed, with an upscale interior, a dedicated pálinka wall, a seasonal menu, and service centered on guests. A boutique spot blending restaurant and patisserie adds an extensive drinks list and 13 distinct room types, with both tub and shower options depending on category. Craving grills? Nr. 8 serves classics and playful riffs in the spa quarter, with summer and winter terraces open from April to the end of November; the nearly 80-seat pergola is one of the city’s largest, and the bar shakes cocktails for terrace wanderers. For a sweet-and-savory pit stop, a pancake joint one minute from the Hungarospa Thermal Spa (Hungarospa Gyógyfürdő) entrance turns out stuffed crêpes alongside lemonades, cocktails, coffee specials, and artisanal ice creams.
Make a weekend of it
With free entry, three days of wine and food, and a stage that rolls from cultural shows to concerts and DJs, there’s no wrong way to do Hajdúszoboszló’s Wine and Gastro Festival. Book a place close to Szent István Park or the spa quarter, build in time for a thermal soak, and leave room for dessert. Check event updates before you go—schedules can shift—and bring your festival stamina. This one’s designed to keep you going from lunchtime tastings straight into the night.
