Gyula fills the year with color: exhibitions, concerts, theater, gastronomy, museum workshops, sports, and a host of guaranteed and optional leisure programs. The castle, the open-air Castle Theater, the famed thermal spa, and the home of pálinka and sausage promise standout events almost every month, drawing visitors to this historic spa town. From spring to autumn, the Castle Theater hosts festivals, while the fortress keeps high-caliber programs rolling nearly all year. The Gyula Castle Spa (Gyulai Várfürdő) ranks among Hungary’s most beloved medicinal spas.
Season Finale and New Year’s Spark
December 30 brings beer lovers to Sörházi beugró for an Elixbeer Brewery tour and tasting, while Ladics House runs The Empress’s Cup (Császárné csészéje) and a Codebreaking Game. The Almásy Palace Museum dives into fashion and upheaval with Corset and Revolution (Fűző és forradalom). GyulaKultKlub warms up with an early New Year’s Eve jam session. At the castle: Fencing Courtyard and a Creator’s House jewelry workshop. From December 27–30, the palace hosts the Stefánia Circle.
New Year’s Eve (December 31) lights up the city: a street party at Bols Café, a bash at GolfGallery, another Elixbeer tour, New Year’s at the Vigadó, a Woodland Center Ball, and a feast in Gyulavári at Kastélykert Bistro. Corset and Revolution (Fűző és forradalom) and The Empress’s Cup (Császárné csészéje) continue, plus a party at Teo Várkert Bistro.
Fresh Year, Castle Shots, and Night Wellness
January 1 keeps exhibitions open at Ladics House and the palace, and the fortress fires New Year’s shots outdoors. January 2 extends both key palace and Ladics House shows, then January 2–4 delivers Guaranteed Programs at the castle. January 3 adds Gingerbread in the Middle Ages (Mézi a középkorban), a fairy-tale kids’ program, Candlelit Castle Tours, Night Wellness at the spa, and The Palace by Candlelight (A kastély gyertyafényben). January 4 offers more time at the palace, a Dachshund Dönci castle tour, and sessions at Ladics House.
Running December 27–January 4: Play and Draw for Your Luck (Játssz és húzz a szerencsédért) at the palace. December 22–January 4: time travel with VR glasses at Ladics House.
Hands-On Tech and Weekend Rituals
January 8 brings IT? Child’s Play (Informatika? Gyerekjáték) — a 3D printing club session on body scanner use at Ladics House. Guaranteed Programs return to the castle January 9–11, 16–18, 23–25, and January 30–February 1, with the rhythm of Candlelit Castle Tours, The Palace by Candlelight (A kastély gyertyafényben), and Night Wellness most Saturdays (January 10, 17, 24, 31; February 7).
Comedy, Theater, and Big Names
January 15: stand-up by Sándor Badár. January 26: GyulaKult’s Gangster Pop, or Bonnie, Clyde and Ganxsta (GENGSZTER POP avagy a Bonnie, a Clyde és a Ganxsta). January 28: Museum Free University explores magical tools and techniques in the Roman world. January 23: La Sposa Caffè serves The Chef’s Dinner, a six-course gastronomic experience.
February 8: Somewhere in America / Bon Bon 30 musical (Valahol Amerika / Bon Bon 30). February 9: Dumaszínház with András Somogyi, Borrowed Faces (Kölcsön Arcok). February 12: psychologist Dr. Kitti Almási’s Unfinished Threads (Elvarratlan szálak). February 17: Mór Jókai’s The Count of Fools (A bolondok grófja) by the Déryné Company (Déryné Társulat). February 25: Magda Szabó’s Abigail (Abigél), tickets about $24.30 to $27.10, plus a lecture on Herod, Jesus, and the Holy City. February 27: The Masters of Illusion (Az Illúzió Mesterei) hit Gyula.
Spring to Late Summer Highlights
March 5: Claudia Liptai’s Clauságok. March 21: Dachshund Meeting 2026 at the Almásy Palace Visitor Center. March 25: Museum Free University revisits March 15, 1848. April 24–26: Medivid Agility and ParAgility Festival. April 29: Generals or Martyrs? at the museum forum. May 7: Danny Blue — The Secret (A titok). May 22–24: Gyula Pálinka Festival (Gyulai Pálinkafesztivál). May 27: From the Corset to the Bob Haircut. August 21–23: 4th Zumba Festival, Gyula (IV. Zumba Festival Gyula).
Total listings: 45.
