Szeged Open-Air Festival gears up with stage and seating nearing completion
Final preparations are underway in Dóm Square as the Szeged Open-Air Festival gears up for its 2025 season, with a lineup of large-scale musical productions and revamped stage infrastructure.
Organizers announced Wednesday that the stage and most of the 4,000-seat grandstand are already in place, less than two weeks after construction began. The season will open June 27 with Johann Strauss’s The Gypsy Baron, directed by 93-year-old Kossuth Prize winner Miklós Szinetár, returning to the festival after a 34-year absence.
“Szinetár has been one of the defining directors in the modern history of the festival,” said László Barnák, general director of both the Szeged National Theatre and the Szeged Open-Air Festival. “Welcoming him back at this stage in his career is a true honor.”
The program continues with returning favorite One Thousand and One Nights, now entering its third season, and Rebecca, a musical directed this year by Attila Béres. Both are in-house productions.
The third major show of the season is the "3 Musketeers" musical, also a new in-house premiere, directed by Vajk Szente. Barnák noted that this is a rare year in which all three headline productions are original festival stagings.
“We’re proud to be presenting three large-scale, high-quality productions with nationally known creative teams and performers,” he said. “It reflects our commitment to both artistic excellence and audience engagement.”
In total, the festival will span nearly two months and include two free concerts: the Szeged Symphony Orchestra’s annual Gift Concert and a performance by the Hungarian Defense Forces Central Military Band on Aug. 20.
With a tight timeline, organizers say the nearly 2,000-square-meter venue will be ready for dress rehearsals ahead of the opening night. The front of the stage has been extended by two meters to accommodate increasingly elaborate performances.
Technical director Miklós Várkonyi stated that all seating rows will feature new floor panels this year, with lighting and sound installations as the next steps.
Dóm Square will be temporarily closed to cyclists until June 11 at 11 p.m., after which the bike path near the Dömötör Tower will reopen.
Barnák emphasized that safety remains a top priority. Multiple insurance policies, including event cancellation and liability coverage for staff, performers, and audience members, cover the festival.
The Szeged Open-Air Festival, founded in 1931 and revived in 1959, is one of Hungary’s premier summer arts events, drawing audiences from across the country and beyond.
Photos: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
