Siófok keeps the curtain up all year with a lively mix of classics, comedies, musicals, and contemporary productions. Big-name actors and acclaimed troupes bring intimate, high-energy nights to the Balaton shore, serving up a cultural recharge for every generation. Here’s the can’t-miss 2026 slate.
Károly Rékasi Opens With Márai’s Exile Years
January 22, Thursday, 18:00 — The Day of Hungarian Culture. Lélekablak – A szabadság ára (Soul Window – The Price of Freedom) is a one-part, 60-minute Sándor Márai evening crafted from the author’s writings. Károly Rékasi performs a fierce portrait of Márai’s post-1948 life in exile, after the triumphant interwar decade collapsed into separation from Hungarian readers, history, culture, and language. Who to write for, and why, amid the breakdown of the bourgeois worldview? This stage piece maps a decades-long moral and artistic struggle: an uncompromising spirit wrestling with permanent homesickness, hymning love of country and a stubborn hope for Hungarians’ future. Editor: Gábor Koltay. Music editor: Zoltán Tóth.
Bachelorette: A Sparkling New Musical Chaos
January 24, Saturday, 19:00 — Liliom Produkció premieres Lánybúcsú (Bachelorette), a fresh musical romp with four childhood friends in their forties — Alíz, Bella, Petra, Laura — holing up in a Balaton Uplands villa for a bachelorette party. Plans unravel as the actress-mom owner and Erzsike, the practically-family housekeeper, know nothing about it. Uninvited guests cascade in, champagne pops, secrets tumble out of closets, and Laura’s “special” cake only raises the stakes. The women, plus Erzsike, scramble to unknot the mess — until András arrives to smooth things out. It’s a fizzy, female-led crowd-pleaser powered by hits by László “Cipő” Bódi and Republic, including Repül a bálna, Szállj el kismadár, and Neked könnyű lehet.
Cast: Andrea Sztárek (Nóra), Marika Oszvald (Erzsike), Petra Haumann (Petra), Andrea Bozó (Alíz), Piroska Kokas (Bella), Bernadett Tunyogi (Laura), Kornél Pusztaszeri (András). Creators: Music by László “Cipő” Bódi and Republic; concept by Liliom Produkció, written by Andrea Sztárek; dramaturg Paula Barbinek; choreography Gábor Bakó; costumes Anikó Ungár; set Péter Szvatek; arrangements Viktor Maráth; sound György Csomor; lights András “Szőke” Váradi; répétiteur Adrienn Fehér; director Rita Tallós.
Loveshake: A Candid, High-Voltage Couple’s Story
January 26, Monday, 19:00 — Imre Kálmán Cultural Center, theater hall. Delta Produkció brings Loveshake with Judit Rezes and Győző Szabó, who trace the arc of their relationship through music and dance, dusted with kids, marriage, and a “matchstick Olympics.” It’s personal, funny, and sometimes raw — a bittersweet blend of reality and fiction that feels familiar to everyone. With exclusive musical inserts, the evening swings from irony to ache. Mark Twain sets the tone: “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
Performers: Judit Rezes (Jászai Mari Award-winning actress, ballet dancer; member of the Katona József Theatre), Győző Szabó (Jászai Mari Award-winning actor). Team: Dramaturg Éva Enyedi; lyrics Zsolt Máthé; music director Péter Wagner-Puskás; choreography Sándor Kurucz, György Lehoczky; table music László Sáry; band: Péter Wagner-Puskás, Norbert Kovács, Márk Miskolczi. Producers: Delta Produkció, Judit Rezes, Győző Szabó. Co-producer: NUBU. “Sometimes I court and dazzle,” says Győző. “He felt very distant to me. I danced with others… with others,” says Judit.
Why Don’t You Stay for Breakfast? Classic Cooney Chaos
January 28, 19:00 — Karinthy Theatre performs Miért nem marad reggelire? (Why Don’t You Stay for Breakfast?), a romantic comedy about empathy, tolerance, loyalty, responsibility, and acceptance. Two cultures — or two kinds of lack of culture — collide when a middle-aged man meets a young woman in an extraordinary bind. Ray Cooney’s sharp humor lands with self-irony, wisdom, and warmth. Cast: Ádám Lux (George), Mara Dobra (Louise), Norbert Mohácsi (Davey), Vivien Koltai (Girl). Director: József Kiss; set and costumes: Ildikó Balla; translator: Tamás Ungvári. Duration: 125 minutes, two acts.
Rumini on Ferrit Island: A Swashbuckling Family Adventure
January 31, Saturday, 10:30 — Ages four and up. Pesti Művész Theatre stages Rumini Ferrit-szigeten (Rumini on Ferrit Island), a two-part musical fairy tale. Rumini and crew fall into the deadly trap of Ferrit Island’s wicked mistress, and only trickery, wit, and selfless bravery can free them.
Cast includes: Mátyás Kovács/Kristóf Uwe Berecz (Rumini), Kristóf Vajda/Gergő Fogarassy (Balikó), Viki Pászthy/Zsófi Gergelyfy (Csincsili), Roland Öller/Marci Budai (Captain), Lilla Kecskeméti/Ádám Lévai (Dundi Bandi), Andi Dóka/Erika Gyenis (Molyra), Zsófi Gergelyfy/Nóra Nemcsók (Peonza), László Egri/András Fogarassy (Ferrit King), plus ensemble. Creators: Set Péter G. Halász; music Imre Harmath; lyrics László Lénárt; costumes Mária Reidinger; director Csilla Bereczki; written by Judit Berg.
The Devil Never Sleeps: A Two-Act Farce
January 31, Saturday, 19:00 — Pesti Művész Theatre presents Az ördög nem alszik (The Devil Never Sleeps). Cast: Dezső Straub (Lord Archibald Cavendish), Bernadett Fogarassy (Jane), Géza Egyházi (Ronald), Gyula Benedek (Horace), Éva Fritz (Ruth), Dóra Köves (Grace), Nóra Lengyel (Patsy), Roland Czető (Tom), Péter Straub (Nick), Ádám Boros (Alan), András Fogarassy/Sándor Várfi (Willibald), Attila Bodrogi (Timothy, the butler). Choreography: Kriszta Ullman. Director: Dezső Straub.
Time: KAP’s Solo Night at Hotel Azúr
February 7, Saturday, 19:00 — Siófok, Hotel Azúr. Dumaszínház: Idővel (With Time) — András Péter Kovács digs into life’s restarts: how many lives we live, how many marriages make forty years, why we don’t dare to be happy even though life is short. What remains of us? Maybe just this show — so catch it while it exists. Dynamic pricing in effect. Opening act: Viktor Fülöp.
Impact: Dinner, a Nation on Edge, and a Choice
February 12, 19:00 — Imre Kálmán Cultural Center. Becsapódás (Impact) by Loupe Theatre Company. Two couples — the women are sisters — keep their every-other-week lunch tradition going, even as it turns from natural to burdensome. Today is different. A presidential address flashes on phones: a rocket has hit a border town, four dead. Conscription is immediate, borders close in 12 hours. The four must decide — stay, go, resist — choices that could define their lives. Can they live with what they choose? Is life possible without a homeland, or is death meaningful for one that will never be ours again? Maybe they won’t escape the room, let alone the country. Starring Eszter Földes and Tamás Lengyel.
