Beyond the Advent fairs: 4 wonderful places where the magic of the holidays catches up with you

Nagykarácsony is a village in Fejér County, not far from Dunaújváros. The municipality, true to its name, is awaiting everyone to a large-scale Christmas programme in the Advent period. This is the home of the Hungarian Santa Claus, with a variety of activities for children and adults. And next to the Santa Claus House is the Christmas Post Office, where we have an ingenious way to help you surprise your loved ones: if you ask, the Hungarian Postal Service will deliver your letter to the recipient over Christmas. Locals put a festive themed, decorative stamp on the envelope. By the way, the postal code of Nagykarácsony is also true to the name of the settlement: it is 2425. In addition to the imaginative postal gift, it is also worth visiting the village in person and soaking up the “Great Christmas” atmosphere.

There are special festive programmes in Debrecen during Advent. Once you have wandered through the fairgrounds, be sure to stop by the Reformed Great Church, which hosts festive concerts in December. It will be a real heart-warming musical experience that all the family will enjoy. On 5 December, Éva Csepregi will give a musical family Santa Claus concert, followed by a song recital by Attila Kökény and Viktor Rakonczai entitled ‘Ébredés’ (Awakening). One week later, on the 12th, we can attend Attila Dolhai’s festive performance titled Hallelujah. On 19 December, Vera Tóth and the Budapest Jazz Orchestra will provide the festive atmosphere, with Erika Miklósa as the star guest. Not only in the Great Church, but also on the city’s stages, there will be special concerts of a wide variety of genres: the St. Ephrem Male Choir, Bálint Gájer, the Honeybeast, the Kodály Philharmonic, Bogi Csemer, and children’s concerts all over the city. And before and after the musical tuning, you can enjoy the light installations, the huge live pine tree and the smell of mulled wine.

If there’s one thing that gets many of us in the holiday rush, it’s making gingerbread. The wonderful blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar paste in the air as you listen to Christmas music. This is an essential part of every Advent. In Gyula, you can enjoy all this for three days during the Honey and Gingerbread Festival, which takes place between 9 and 11 December. During the weekend, you can discover honey varieties, gingerbread and various confectionery specialities. There will also be a beekeeping exhibition, a fair and tasting of special honey dishes. Of course, there will also be craft activities, and the organisers are looking forward to a lot of entertaining shows and Luca Day surprises. And for those looking for a bit of cultural relaxation, there is a museum tour combined with a honey tasting. It’s hard to imagine a sweeter Advent.

We all want to know what it’s like to spend Christmas in a castle. Well, we no longer have to rely on our imagination when we visit the Grassalkovich Castle in Gödöllő, where the Advent Castle Days are being held for the twenty-first time this year. From 10 to 18 December, the castle will be dressed up for the holidays, and the organisers will be bringing the castle to life with cultural events. There will also be family activities: a matinée concert, a musical sleigh ride, a storybook theatre and a fairytale play. But there will also be book presentations, craft activities and museum programmes. You will even have the chance to “meet” Queen Elizabeth. And classical concerts will dress our hearts in festive attire. It is reported that the royal family used to spend Christmas here in the 1870’s. Not surprisingly, such programmes were also prepared for them at that time.