Szombathely’s AGORA fills the year with color: exhibitions, concerts, theater, dance, children’s and youth programs, family events, and plenty of leisure options—both guaranteed and optional. True to its Greek roots as a community space, the Agora promises quality, engaging programs for all ages in Hungary’s oldest city. Venue hub: 9700 Szombathely, Március 15. Square (Március 15. tér) 5, with satellite locations including the Water Tower and Savaria Cinema.
May 4: Borrow Your Wife – A French Farce
May 4, Monday, 19:00 – Szombathely Agora
A minister climbing toward the prime minister’s chair faces a blackmail bomb: his MP friend Bouladon wants to whisk the minister’s wife to Cape Verde for a week, or he’ll spill long-guarded secrets. The minister tries bribes, even offers a lusty stand-in—then chaos multiplies. Will Bouladon fly off with anyone? Will the appointment happen? Cast: Minister Bertrand Guéraud – Zoltán Szőke; Secretary Raoul Thiaut – András Várkonyi; Press Secretary Agathe Mareuil – Katinka Cseke; Wife Pauline – Zsuzsi Tóth; MP Antoine Bouladon – László Zsiga; Journalist Nathalie Klein – Kincső Pethő.
May 7: Egypt, Gift of the Nile – Travel Talk
May 7, 16:30 – Water Tower (Víztorony)
Tibor Pék charts an immersive route: Cairo, Giza, Saqqara, Memphis, Zafarana, Hurghada (Red Sea), Luxor, Thebes, Medinet Habu, Dendera, Abydos, Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Abu Simbel, Aswan, Karnak. From Ra’s solar barque to scarab immortality, gods of sky, earth, water, and sun—even crocodiles. Khufu’s (Kheops’s) Great Pyramid as a cosmic machine; 80 of Egypt’s roughly 120 pyramids still stand. Admission free with prior registration.
May 9: Natural Cosmetics Workshop
May 9, 09:00 – AGORA-MSH | Workshop lead: Bernadett Galambos
Make fragrant herbal soaps, nourishing creams, and custom cleaners while exploring the benefits of botanical scents and ingredients. For adults and ages 12+. Fee: $32 (11,500 HUF).
May 12: Youth Arts + Tanzania Safari
May 12, 10:00 – AGORA-MSH
Stage showcases for students, preschoolers, and amateur groups from Szombathely and Vas County.
May 12, 17:00 – AGORA Savaria Cinema
World Travelers: Tanzanian Safari with globetrotter Bernadett Dala. Zanzibar’s spice-scented shores meet the wilds of Mikumi National Park—elephants, lions, giraffes—and a vivid window into Tanzania’s nature and culture. Ticket: $2.80 (1,000 HUF).
May 14: Kodály 60 Gala
May 14, 17:00 – AGORA-MSH
A festive concert marking 60 years since Zoltán Kodály’s visit and the founding of the Kodály Choir, presented by Paragvári Street Primary School’s Music Department and AGORA Savaria Nonprofit Ltd. Current and former students and teachers perform. Free entry, no registration.
May 17: The Jungle Book (A dzsungel könyve) – Musical
May 17, Sunday, 17:00
Kipling’s jungle as a mirror of human society: honest, hard laws; Mowgli’s fight against calculating human forces; love calls him back to humanity. Music swings from moving to hilarious with razor-sharp lyrical irony and style pastiches. Cast includes: Mowgli – Ádám Németh / Ákos Guba; Child Mowgli – Ábel Kiss; Akela – László Keresztesi; Bagheera – Lívia Pap; Baloo – Ervin Molnár / Szabolcs Jónás; Kaa – Dávid Szelle; Shere Khan – Csaba Zayzon. Director: László Vándorfi; choreographers: György Krámer, László Bóbis.
May 20: Team Slam
May 20, 18:00 – AGORA-MSH
Slam poetry blends literature, pop culture, theater, and rap; 3 minutes per performer on a set theme, jury-scored. Tickets: $2.80 (1,000 HUF); St. Martin discount: $2.50 (900 HUF).
May 30: László Hadházi – The Brain of the World
May 30, Saturday, 17:30 and 20:00 – Dumaszínház night
Host: László Lovász. Hadházi, as a “scientific senior fellow,” decodes baffling messages from past and present, ponders how to stop our minds, and insists: you’re not born a fool—it takes work, even if only briefly. Dynamic pricing in effect.
May 31: Memorial Day of Hungarian Heroes
May 31, 10:00 – Március 15. Square (Március 15. tér)
Commemoration for patriots who fought for Hungary’s freedom, independence, and survival. Flag-raising with honors, ceremonial program, speech, and wreath-laying.
June 4: Ray Cooney’s Run for Your Wife
June 4, Thursday, 19:00
Mary in Wimbledon and Barbara in Richmond both await their late husband—the same man: taxi driver John Smith. A hospital slip-up after an accident blows his double life wide open as police investigate and John ricochets between wives. Cast: John – Dénes Száraz; Mary – Ramóna Kiss / Anna Bugár; Barbara – Léda Mezei; Stanley – Endre Beleznay; Inspector Porterhouse – Imre Harmath; Inspector Troughton – Dániel Suhajda / Gyula Mesterházy; Bobby – Zoltán Kiss; Photographer – Gábor Pintér. Director: Csaba Horváth.
Oct 3: The Attic (A PADLÁS) – Half Fairy Tale, Half Musical
Oct 3, Saturday, 19:00 | Ages 9–99
Time travel, spirits, and tender mischief frame a wise, witty story about young people confronting jealousy, pettiness, crime, and authority while seeking happiness. Songs by Gábor Presser and Dusán Sztevanovity. Director: László Vándorfi.
Oct 11: Beauty and the Beast + Pál Szécsi Tribute
Oct 11, Sunday, 11:00 – Musical tale for ages 5–12 (55 minutes, one act). Motto: Don’t forget, inner beauty outshines every exterior and is worth more than any treasure. Narrator Péter Kertész; directed/choreographed by Sándor Gergely Vass.
Oct 11, 19:00 – Pál Szécsi Anniversary Concert
EMERTON-winning singer-actor Róbert Gergely and team honor Szécsi’s legacy 80 years after his birth with fresh arrangements and immortal hits: Csak egy tánc volt, Violák, Két összeillő ember, Karolina. Expect personal stories, archives, film clips, and backstage tidbits.
Oct 26: Zorán Live
Oct 26, Monday, 19:00
Zorán’s concerts are mini-holidays: indispensable hits, rarities, musical delicacies, and special band features. Emotional depth guaranteed—quality is a given.
Nov 15: Aladdin and the Magic Lamp + Farce Night
Nov 15, Sunday, 11:00 – One-act fairy play. Aladdin, Jasmine, the Lamp Genie, and the Ring Spirit outwit the Grand Vizier with a camel’s counsel and double-Genie power. Cast features Kristóf Uwe Berecz / Gergő Fogarassy as Aladdin; Melinda Boda as Jasmine/Ring Spirit.
Nov 15, 19:00 – Barefaced Truth, or You Must Know How to Lie! (Szemenszedett igazság, avagy hazudni tudni kell!)
A two-act Pesti Művész Színház comedy. Alice and Michel, both married, sneak into hotel trysts—complication: Alice’s husband is Michel’s best friend. Michel lies for everyone’s “own good” until the lies flood their lives. Cast: Michel – Géza Egyházi; Alice – Bernadett Fogarassy; Paul – Sándor Várfi; Laurence – Zsuzsa Nyertes. Director: András Márton.
Nov 21: The Jungle Book (A dzsungel könyve) – Roxszínház
Nov 21, Saturday, 17:00
Mowgli’s path through birth, loss, belonging, exile, pack and solitude—the magical passage from childhood to adolescence. Tickets refundable or exchangeable only for schedule changes or cancellations. Unused tickets transferable. Program and cast subject to change.
December Highlights
Dec 5, Saturday, 19:00 – Attila Kökény & Viktor Rakonczai: I See You Again… (Újra látlak…)
Dec 30, Wednesday, 19:00 – Ray Cooney: Out of Order (Kölcsönlakás), by Bánfalvy Stúdió.
All events across Szombathely’s AGORA network promise lively stages, big feelings, and the kind of community vibe that keeps the city’s cultural heart beating.
