Bikal Experience Estate (Bikali Élménybirtok) is throwing open the gates to the Middle Ages in 2026 with a packed calendar of interactive programs, knightly spectacles, craft workshops, and musical shows. Inside the walled Old Town, families can dive into hands-on history: historic trades, legends, reenactments, and dazzling demonstrations turn a day out into an unforgettable quest. Kids and adults don’t just watch—they join the story.
Spring Splash: March 7, 10:30–17:00
Kick off spring with three free games, including two treasure hunts with surprises at the finish. In the Tailor’s Workshop you can dress up as a prince, princess, court jester, or even an executioner. The House of Crafts stocks special souvenirs and hand-bound books, while the Squire Training Hall spotlights award-winning leather jewelry and real leather goods. Try your hand at jewelry making with the silversmith, learn glass-painting basics with the glass-image artist, and get a caricature to take home.
Bad weather? Don’t fret—the programs run in all conditions. In the Squire Training Hall’s South Room, Ilona and Anikó’s craft studio lets you create home décor from premium materials, decorate ornate boxes, or customize textiles like T-shirts, bags, and pouches. The Smart Space hosts two interactive games. The Woodcarver’s Workshop brims with tricky puzzles, turned wooden bowls, carved spoons, and unique “Soul Birds.” In the Gagyizda, browse dozens of gift items, artisan chocolates, and fragrant bath salts and oils. Arrive for opening to fit in everything.
March 7 Program Highlights
10:30 Opening
10:30–17:00 Interactive houses in the Village: the Enchanted Painter’s House, Smithy, and Witch’s House
10:30–17:00 Animal Yard storytelling: hear the Hungarian folk tale The Little Rooster’s Diamond Half-Farthing (A kiskakas gyémánt félkrajcárja), plus La Fontaine’s The Fox and the Crow
10:30–17:00 Tour every craft workshop, watch masters at work, and shop their wares. In the Fairy-Tale Village, the Blacksmith invites you to try a bit of forging. The Green Walnut Inn (Zöld Diófa Csárda) – Craft House and the Watermill – Craft House host multiple artisan activities. In the Old Town, meet the caricaturist, leatherworker, silversmith, enamel and glass-image maker, bookbinder, honey seller, Renaissance dressmaker in the tailor’s shop, and the woodcarver around a winding corner.
10:30–14:00 Labyrinth game across the 18.5-acre estate—seek cards depicting iconic medieval images
10:30–14:00 Secret Signs, Mysterious Places—crack a hidden code with a treasure map; register at the Gingerbread Workshop
12:00–15:00 Tasty Hours at the White Swan Inn
Daytime: Ilona and Anikó’s DIY crafts (box and textile painting) and Seasons of Magic premium home décor workshop (door wreath or table centerpiece) in the Squire Training Hall South Room
15:00–15:30 Knights and Ladies—real combat and a spectacular horse show, $8.20 per person for ages 5+ (free for ages 0–4)
17:00 Closing
Program subject to change; workshop hours may vary—ask on site. Detailed daytime schedules are in the booklet you receive at entry. Tickets are available online and at the Puchner Castle Hotel (Puchner Kastélyszálló) reception.
March 7: From Stone Axe to Helicopter
Dark Middle Ages? Think again. Travel through time with the From Stone Axe to Helicopter popular-science talk and meet free thinkers whose ideas outpaced their era and laid the groundwork for the future. Surprise: elevators, automobiles, and diving suits were imagined long before the 20th century, in the workshops of geniuses hidden in history’s labyrinth. How did they dream of deep-sea dives and conquering the skies when even making a wheel was a feat? This is an adventure where science and imagination walk hand in hand—perfect for kids, adults, curious minds, and wonder-seekers. Discover how light was born in the “dark” Middle Ages.
March 9: The Lightmaker – Musical Light Magic
The Lightmaker – musical light magic delivers a one-of-a-kind show where technicians weave a breathtaking visual world. Light and shadow, the eternal clash of good and evil—one can’t exist without the other. When one light fades, another flares: the essence of an endless cycle. For the first time in Hungary, lighting artists use intelligent lamps and special sound effects to lead you into a realm where time stops and imagination has no walls.
March 11: Witchery and Sorcery with Zina
Witchery and Sorcery with Zina dives into the lives of medieval witches and healers—and hunts for their traces today. If you think waving the threat of hell kept people from sin, think again. Even gossip or mouthing off to your husband brought sanctions. Step into the how of witchcraft and sorcery for a brief spell. Who were the witches? How did persecution start? Which charms still work? Does incantation matter? The show wraps with a lifelong charm from the performer—and plenty of humor. A production of Ágens Company (Ágens Társulat) and Bikal Live Theater (Bikali ÉlménySzínház).
March 14: March 15 Holiday Program
On March 14, 10:30–17:00, the estate marks the spirit of the 1848 Revolution with a full day: craft sessions, interactive games, animal encounters, and learning adventures. Ilona and Anikó’s studio offers holiday-themed porcelain painting, home décor, and textile ornaments to take home. Zina’s lighthearted talk, Historical Falsification – Revolution, A Bit Differently, offers a fresh angle on the theme. The day’s centerpiece: “Freedom, let us look into your eyes!” – In memoriam 1848, a special performance with live singing and horses, featuring István Orlik “Luke,” Tina Zsolnai-Faragó, and Lídia Boudny. Arrive early to catch it all.
March 14: Adventures with the Shepherd with Starry Eyes
Adventures with the Shepherd with Starry Eyes reimagines the beloved tale as an experiential, playful show. Kids don’t just watch—they become the characters. Expect humor, movement, and shared play as the classic unfolds from a child’s perspective.
March 16: The Lightmaker Returns
The Lightmaker – musical light magic shines again, blending intelligent lighting with immersive sound to conjure a world beyond time and space, where imagination rules.
March 18: The Lord Course – Relationships with Zina
The Lord Course, the counterpart to Courtesan Training (Kurtizánképző), invites men—ideally with their partners—into the still-mysterious world of women. Audience members rave: I’d put it on prescription! It kick-starts understanding and acceptance between the sexes. Do you truly get what your partner says and wants? This relationship stand-up deciphers what women say and why—yes, the other way around too. Learn the script of arguments, the “override” technique in relationships, and the overthought practice of I only love you. Bring your partner and embrace humor and irony. A production of Ágens Company (Ágens Társulat) and Bikal Live Theater (Bikali ÉlménySzínház).
March 21: Courtesan Training – Relationship Show with Zina
Courtesan Training (Kurtizánképző) is a singular, incomparable stand-up companion piece to The Lord Course, promising sharp insight, laughter, and those aha moments couples keep talking about long after the curtain falls.
