Festival of Folk Arts
Date of event: 16-20. August, 2008
Location: Buda Royal Castle
In focus: RENAISSANCE
Organisers: Association Of Hungarian Folk Artists
1011 Budapest, Szilágyi Dezso tér 6
Details on: www.nesz.hu, email: neszfolk@nesz.hu
In 2008, the FESTIVAL OF FOLK ARTS, the traditional meeting of folk artists, will be held for the twenty second time around the Buda Royal Palace, in the Castle. For five days the best representatives of folk crafts will display the secrets of their crafts while working in their workshops with the participation of the audience, both children and adults.
The Association of Hungarian Folk Artists is continuously monitoring the products exhibited and the crafts presented through specialits who are called upon to assure their genuine quality and value.
During the festival, handicrafts are combined perfectly with music and dance. On the 4 specially mounted stands, dancers and musicians gather from all over the world to show-off their abilities in the name of their art and folk customs.
The Festival of Folk Arts is the single most important forum to display the variety and diversity of the living culture. The Association of Fold Artists is made up of some 50 agencies, with over 6,000 members and yearly 800 new members. Of these some 2,000 are considered to be of Master craftmen status, amongst these being people from within Hungary's older border territories such as Transylvania and Vajdaság (to the south of modern day Hungary).
This year the main subject is leather craft. The craftsmen that can be seen working will include woodcarvers, mat makers, calico makers, felt makers, embroiderers, wheelwrights, rope makers, blacksmiths, potters, musical instrument makers, harness makers, weavers, lace makers, egg painters and honey cake makers.
There will also be an opportunity for the children to try the fundamentals of folk craft traditions. Beside the workshop presentations the craftsmen will sell their goods at a traditional fair. Shows, puppet theatre, children programmes and evening dance house will entertain the public.
On August 20th, for the celebration of Saint Stephen's Day, there will be a march of craftsmen and in front of the Matthias Church the Blessing of New Bread will take place.
The event attracts 80-100 thousand visitors, the majority being foreign tourists, as a result the festival is becoming an important attraction not only from a cultural perspective, but from touristic point-of-view as well.
