Experience Nagykőrös’s Irén Day Fair: folk dance, puppetry, Hungarian songs, operetta, and bustling livestock market. Centuries-old traditions, early gates, family-friendly fun, hundreds of vendors, March 29, 2026.
when:
2026.03.29, 2750 Nagykőrös, Alsójárás dűlő 1. (Hrsz.: 0247). The Irén Day Fair lands on Sunday, March 29, bringing a full-throttle blend of tradition: folk dance, puppetry, Hungarian songs, operetta, and a sprawling marketplace. Nagykőrös has hosted fairs since the 16th century, and the biggest crowds can top 20,000 at the St. George and St. Michael fairs. Typical attendance ranges from 8,000 to 10,000 visitors, weather permitting.
A royal charter granted these market rights, later confirmed by the apostolic royal majesty Maria Theresa in December 1759, granting the loyal council and judge of Nagykőrös formal market privileges. In the grand bustle, the heirs of csikós horsemen, herdsmen, swineherds, and shepherds drive in every kind of livestock, including oxen and other cattle, true to ancient custom. Also expected: today’s heirs to old guild crafts, traveling traders, grill masters, minstrels, lutenists, comedians, fire-eaters, jesters, and criers—anyone who can show stamped proof of trade and pays the market toll in good faith. Signed: Dr. Szabolcs Czira, Mayor of the market town of Nagykőrös.
The Irén Day Fair runs Sunday, March 29, 2026. Traditional stage programs pack the schedule: folk dance troupes, puppeteers, Hungarian nóta, operetta, and classic market shows. The fair typically operates until 1–2 p.m., running longer with good weather. Across the year, Nagykőrös hosts 10 national animal and flea markets, with roughly 400 licensed vendors. The goods are wildly varied, and the animal sections are clearly separated: horses, cattle, pigs (plus goats and sheep), poultry, and small animals.
Gates open early: flea market gate 4:30 a.m.; pig gate 5:00 a.m.; cattle gate 5:30 a.m.; horse market gate 6:00 a.m. Attendance fluctuates between 5,000 and 25,000 depending on timing and weather.
– 03.29 Irén Day Fair
– 04.26 St. George’s Fair
– 05.31 St. Urban’s Fair
– 06.28 St. Ladislaus’s Fair
– 07.26 St. Magdalene’s Fair
– 08.30 Farewell-to-Summer Fair
– 09.27 St. Michael’s Fair
– 10.25 St. Demetrius’s Fair
– 12.06 St. Andrew’s Fair
Organizer contact: Anikó Pál. The organizers reserve the right to change dates and programs.
