A year of festivals, concerts, boat rides, safaris, and family fun circles the lakes and vineyards around Sopron and the picture-postcard shores of Lake Neusiedl (Fertő). From dawn birding in Sarród to moonlit operettas in Fertőrákos, the 2026 calendar stitches together culture, nature, and big-stage entertainment across Balf, Fertőd, Hegykő, Fertőrákos, Sarród, Nagycenk, and Fertőhomok. Dates and lineups can change, so double-check before you go.
On the Water: Canoes and E-Boats
Kenutúra a Fertő nádasában (Canoe Tour in the Reeds of Lake Neusiedl/Fertő), the wildly popular canoe tour threading Lake Neusiedl’s (Fertő) reeds, anchors summer and early autumn with departures from 9494 Balf on 07.14, 07.16, 07.21, 07.28, 07.30, 08.04, 08.06, 08.11, 08.13, 08.17, 08.19, 08.25, 08.27, 09.01, 09.03, 09.08, and 09.10. For a breezier ride, E-Hajóval a Fertőn (E-Boat on Lake Neusiedl/Fertő) glides from Fertőrákos on 07.23, 07.30, 08.06, 08.13, 08.27, 09.03, and 09.10.
Classical Pulse: Haydneum and Eszterháza
Fertőd (9431) sets the bar high. On 07.17, Haydneum: Haydn and Mozart at Eszterháza I presents symphonies and a piano concerto, followed by II on 07.18. The series widens on 07.24 with Past and Present—Albrechtsberger, Bach, Haydn—featuring Róza Bene and Márton Borsányi; 07.25’s Centuries—Anniversaries spans Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and Schumann with Rita Papp and László Gerhát; and 07.31’s Horn Concerto and Symphony stars Capella Savaria. The 4th Haydneum Eszterháza Festival ignites late summer: 08.28 Haydn’s Orlando paladino; 08.29 Schubert’s Winterreise and the great B-flat Sonata; 08.30 On Apollo’s Chariot; 09.04 Gringolts Quartet; 09.05 Haydn and contemporaries.
Stage Lights in Stone Quarries
Fertőrákos (9421) turns its famed quarry into a summer stage. On 07.17 and 07.18, Legends! The Great Musical Show by Sopron Petőfi Theater (Soproni Petőfi Színház) fills the night. Comedy lands 07.25 with Ray Cooney’s Run for Your Wife (Páratlan páros), then ballet sweeps in 07.31 with Fichtenbaum–Cador: Queen–Mercury the Legend by Europaballett St. Pölten. Jazz elegance arrives 08.01 with All or Nothing… (Vagy mindent, vagy semmit…) featuring Károly Nyári and the Budapest Jazz Orchestra. The EDDA musical The Circle (A KÖR) storms in on 08.08; pop nostalgia beams 08.09 with Mariann Falusi and Viktor Weisz backed by the Studio11 Ensemble. Operetta sparkles 08.14 with Jenő Huszka–Ferenc Martos: Baroness Lili (Lili bárónő), then 08.19 stages We Never Die (Sose halunk meg) by Dés–Nemes–Koltai–Nógrádi. National Day, 08.20, brings a Symphonic Picnic, followed by the Omega musical The Pearl-Haired Girl: The Legend (Gyöngyhajú lány legendája) on 08.21 and 08.22. Crime fans get Agatha Christie–Gerald Verner: At Midnight (Éjféltájt) on 08.28; folk flavors 08.30 with Spring Is Beautiful, Summer Is Beautiful (Szép a tavasz, szép a nyár) by János Csík and Mezzo; then 09.05’s gala Master and Marica (Mester és Marica) with the Győr Philharmonic and 09.06’s Feydeau farce The Irrational Man (A hülyéje).
Outdoors: Birds, Safaris, Kids’ Camps
Dawn birding, Birdwatching at Daybreak (Madarászat pirkadatkor), takes wing in Sarród (9435) on 07.18 and 07.25. The Hany Safari (Hanyi szafari) rolls through wetlands on a long run: 07.22, 07.24, 07.29, 07.31; 08.05, 08.07, 08.12, 08.14, 08.28; 09.04, 09.11, 09.18, 09.25; 10.02, 10.09, 10.16, 10.30; 11.06, 11.13, 11.20, 11.27. Hegykő (9437) hosts Nature Day Camps 07.20–07.24 and 08.03–08.07. Nagycenk (9485) saddles up with Pony Club for schoolchildren on 08.07 and preschoolers on 08.08, plus a palace party on 07.25: Széchenyi Palace X Shake It X Central Palace (Széchenyi-kastély X Shake It X Central Palace).
Tastes and Tours
Fertőhomok (9492) throws the Homok Barn Festival (Homoki Pajtafesztivál) 07.20–07.26. Hegykő plates up Cast-Iron Pot Revelry (Vasfazék mulatság) on 08.01 and pours Street of Wines (Borok Utcája) 08.14–08.16. In Fertőd on 08.01, pedal into “On the Trail of Esterházy Treasures by Bike” (Esterházy kincsek nyomában kétkeréken), an investigative cycling loop. Saint Stephen’s Day in Fertőd packs a Macramé Workshop and the Saint Stephen’s Day Eszterháza Fair (Szent István-napi Eszterházi Forgatag) on 08.20.
Don’t Miss
Neoton’s stadium-sized singalong hits Fertőrákos on 07.24. Fertőd’s quirky castle tours, Diseases and Remedies in the Modern Age—quacks, barber-surgeons, and doctors (Betegségek és gyógymódok az újkorban), run 07.18 and 07.25. And if your summer has more room, canoe slots and e-boat runs extend into September, keeping Lake Neusiedl’s (Fertő) reed mazes and cliffy coves wide open for late light. Organizers reserve the right to change dates and programs.
