Hungary’s 20 August national celebrations will be held under a simplified and more cost-efficient framework, with the total cost amounting to less than one-third of the originally planned budget, Interior Minister Gábor Pósfai announced on Facebook on Tuesday.
According to the minister, the National Event Organizing Agency (NRÜ) signed a gross HUF 12.5 billion contract in February 2026 for the organization of this year’s St Stephen’s Day celebrations. Earlier, in December 2025, a separate contract worth around 5 billion forints had been concluded for the annual fireworks display.
The two agreements, both awarded to Lounge Event Ltd, had a combined gross value of HUF 17.5 billion. The state had already paid a 50 per cent advance, amounting to 8.7 billion forints, and the fireworks had also been commissioned.
Pósfai said the NRÜ terminated the contracts at the end of June due to criminal proceedings involving the Lounge Group, frozen bank accounts, enforcement measures, and concerns over the company’s ability to fulfil its contractual obligations.
Despite the limited time remaining before the national holiday, the NRÜ and government officials immediately began preparing a new public procurement procedure and revising the technical scope of the celebrations. As part of the process, they assessed market opportunities and contacted event management companies considered capable of delivering the programme safely and professionally.
The minister said the revised celebrations would be organized in a simpler, more rational and cost-effective manner while requiring less than one-third of the previously planned funding.
He stressed that the budget reduction would not affect the dignity of the national holiday, public safety, or the quality of the main family, cultural, musical and evening visual programmes, which will remain central elements of the 20 August celebrations.
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