Szarvas is packing the 2026 calendar with culture, festivals, and family-friendly days out, all set against its trademark riverside and nature backdrops. From weekly listings to open-air theater, flea markets, comedy, and the beloved plum festival, the town keeps up the pace from spring to winter across multiple venues in the 5540 area. If you’re hunting for meaningful downtime, Szarvas is a year-round pick—with places to stay, eat, and dive into nature within arm’s reach.
Weekly picks and spring start
The city rolls out weekly program guides covering every day between April 20–26 and again April 27–May 3, bundling what’s on in town and around it. May kicks off with the Szarvas Flea Market (Szarvasi bolhapiac) on May 9, the same evening bringing Is This Funny to You? (Ez nektek vicces) at 18:00, a joint show by comedian Viktor Fülöp and writer Csaba Hartay.
Open-air theater summer
From mid-June, the Water Theatre (Szarvasi Vízi Színház) becomes the cultural engine. On June 14, Those Happy Beautiful Days – Freddy and Lina’s Dream (Azok a boldog szép napok – Frédi és Lina álma) lands, with tickets from $20 to $25. June 17 brings Cinderella (Hamupipőke) for families, $6 to $13, followed by On Golden Pond (Aranytó) on June 18, $13 to $20. June 19 serves up Naked Truth (Meztelen igazság), $23 to $30, and June 20 is farce night with Lend Me Your Wife! (Add kölcsön a feleséged!), $23 to $30. Kids get Tom Thumb (Babszem Jankó) on June 24, $6 to $13, while June 25 hits nostalgia with Best of Hungária concert, $23 to $30. On June 26, Sing with Me – An Evening with Éva Gatz and Richárd Hoffmann (Énekelj velem – Gatz Éva és Hoffmann Richárd estje), $11 fixed. June closes with The Chioggia Scuffle (Chioggiai csetepaté) on the 28th, $17 to $24.
July headliners
July 1 playfully warns, Beware, Angels Walk on the Roof! (Vigyázat, a tetőn angyalok járnak!), $6 to $13. The marquee arrives July 3–4 with The Count of Monte Cristo (Monte Cristo grófja), $39 to $46. On July 8, Wonderful Andersen (Csodálatos Andersen), $6 to $13, and July 9 experiments with Play Krúdy!, $8 to $15. The back half of the month powers up with Lovers from Ancona (Anconai szerelmesek) on July 24, $28 to $31; Cactus Flower (A kaktusz virága) July 25, $17 to $24; Love Me If You Dare! (Szeress, ha bírsz!) July 26, $23 to $30; Dream Elves (Álommanók) July 29, $6 to $13; and Borrowed Flat (Kölcsönlakás) July 31, $23 to $30. The Szarvas Flea Market returns July 16.
August mix: musical hits, comedies and classics
August 1 opens with Marital Duels (HázasPÁRbajok), $13 to $20. MIRAZs–Heritage (MIRAZs–Örökség) arrives August 4, $20 to $27; The Jungle Book (A dzsungel könyve) plays August 5, $6 to $13; and the operetta The Csárdás Princess (Csárdáskirálynő) crowns August 6, $23 to $30. On August 7, Honey, I’m Innocent! (Nyuszikám, ártatlan vagyok!), $25 to $33; August 8 brings Aunt Mici’s Two Lives (Mici néni két élete), $20 to $27, plus another Szarvas Flea Market. Young audiences get Clever Tale (Furfangos mese) August 12, $6 to $13. Period comedy You Rang, M’Lord? (Csengetett, Mylord?) plays August 13, $23 to $29; Eight Women (Nyolc nő) August 14, $20 to $27; and Spanish Perhaps (Heatstroke) [SpanyolHátha (Hőguta)] August 15, $23 to $29. Farce rules the final stretch: Funny Money – Bad Money Never Disappears (Rossz pénz nem vész el) on August 22, $25 to $33; The Secretary of State’s Wife Cheats (Az államtitkár asszony félrelép) August 23, $25 to $33; and Musical Show – Stars of the Operetta Theatre (Musical Show – az Operettszínház csillagai) August 24, $17 to $24.
Comedy, festival and autumn markets
The Körös Festival (Körös Fesztivál) on August 29 features I Don’t Love You Anymore (Deszeretlek) – István Dombóvári’s solo night, hosted by István Bellus. Come harvest time, September 11–13 marks the 28th Szarvas Plum Days (28. Szarvasi Szilvanapok), a city staple that returns with its usual bustle. Flea markets keep the rhythm September 16, October 10, November 14, and December 12.
Where to stay and unwind
Nature leads the way. The Körös Valley Visitor Center and Zoo (Körösvölgyi Látogatóközpont és Állatpark) is a standout for school groups, offering hands-on environmental programs with expert guidance. For rustic charm, Aranyménes Guesthouse sits by the world-famous Arboretum: a preserved 1846 thatched homestead with eight guest rooms, an ethnographic museum room, and period furnishings. Aranyszarvas Pension, Restaurant and Grill Terrace (Aranyszarvas Panzió, Étterem és Grillterasz) neighbors the country’s largest arboretum with backwater Körös (Holt-Körös) views, family-friendly vibes, and a dog-friendly policy.
Riverside retreats cluster along the Holt-Körös: a two-story, winterized waterfront holiday home on Csuka Street faces the Arboretum, ideal for fishing and lazy dockside mornings; a four-sunflower-rated guesthouse promises quiet in the heart of the Carpathian Basin, fully heated and air-conditioned; and another family-first cottage 4 km from town offers a fenced yard away from the waterline, a private dock, boat use, and outdoor cooking, with regularly fed fishing spots that often reward patience.
For hotel comfort, Liget Wellness and Conference Hotel**** (Liget Wellness és Konferencia Hotel****) lies 160 km from Budapest, overlooking a Körös bend and the old-growth Erzsébet Liget. Expect polished interiors, broad wellness services, and about 220–230 beds split between the main building and family villas, plus outdoor and indoor play areas for kids. In town, an elegant central pension offers two suites, two apartments, and seven double rooms with air conditioning, LED TVs, and fridges. The Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences Cervus “C” Dorm (Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem Cervus “C” Kollégium) on the Holt-Körös bank doubles as a budget-friendly stay, with easy access to fishing, summer swimming, boat trips, and rowing.
Food, coffee and late nights
Árpád Café and Ruin Bar (Árpád Kávézó és Romkocsma) sits at 32 Szabadság Street, tucked by the Árpád Hotel and the Music Pavilion. For quick bites, Korona Restaurant (Korona étterem) is Szarvas’s largest fast-food spot, right by the Evangelical Old Church. Mokka Delicates Bistro anchors the city center with comfort dishes, cakes, rich coffee, cheerful cocktails, and seasonal specials, and it also runs a cozy 16-bed pension with warm service.
Plan your Szarvas 2026
Mark the weekly guides, circle the Water Theatre’s summer roster, dip into the Körös, and book your stay early. Between stage lights, river bends, and plum-scented streets in September, Szarvas makes it easy to fill a week—or a whole season.
