Tusványos 2025 Opens in Transylvania with Message of Strength and Dialogue

The crowd during Viktor Orbán's speech at Tusványos in 2023
Vivien Cher Benko/Press Office of the Prime Minister/MTI
The 34th Bálványos Summer University and Student Camp, better known as Tusványos, begins Tuesday in Băile Tușnad with the slogan ’You Can Count on Us’, offering political debates, cultural events, and high-level speeches through Sunday.

The 34th edition of the Bálványos Summer University and Student Camp—commonly known as Tusványos—kicks off this week in the Transylvanian town of Băile Tușnad. Organized by the Budapest-based Pro Minoritate Foundation and the Transylvanian Hungarian Youth Council (MIT), the week-long event runs under the slogan ‘You Can Count on Us’, signalling a message of reassurance in an era marked by war, economic strain, and political uncertainty.

Political programme director Krisztina Sándor said the theme reflects the desire to strengthen community ties and offer direction to those returning year after year, whether seeking answers, vision, or simply the camp’s distinct atmosphere. As in previous years, the programme blends political discussion with cultural celebration, featuring hundreds of events and a broad range of speakers and performers.

Key topics this year include in-depth panels on the war in Ukraine, the Israeli–Iranian conflict, and the aftermath of Romania’s recent elections. For regional audiences, the ecological disaster in Parajd and its long-term effects on tourism will be prominently featured. The agenda also touches on traditional themes such as national policy, with a Friday roundtable bringing together leaders of ethnic Hungarian parties from across the Carpathian Basin.

Tusványos continues to be a key meeting point for Hungary’s political and economic elite. In addition to political figures, representatives from the corporate and banking sectors will weigh in on pressing challenges like energy security and inflationary pressures linked to global conflicts. Sándor acknowledged that while Tusványos originally served as a Romanian–Hungarian dialogue forum in the 1990s, Romanian decision-makers have become increasingly absent, largely due to domestic political sensitivities. Still, she emphasized that the camp maintains its commitment to open discussion and welcomes diverging views, even though most attendees tend to share a similar political outlook.

A highlight of the event remains Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s keynote speech on Saturday. According to Sándor, these speeches have become defining moments in the political discourse not only in Hungary and Transylvania but as far as Brussels and beyond. In recent years, Orbán’s address has typically offered a broader geopolitical analysis rather than focusing solely on domestic policy.

Fulfilling Predictions, Political Compass — The Most Memorable Thoughts of Viktor Orbán’s Tusványos Speeches

Despite its heavy political focus, Tusványos is not only a forum for public debate, it is also a festival. Attendees can enjoy a full lineup of concerts, theatre performances, folk music, and dance programmes. Bands including Hooligans, Tankcsapda, Magna Cum Laude, Punnany Massif, and Rúzsa Magdi will perform on the main stage throughout the week. With growing attendance each year, organizers have fully utilized the available campground space between the Olt River and surrounding forest. Visitors are advised to leave their cars in the town and reach the camp on foot.

The 2025 edition operates in partnership with 71 organizations across 40 venues and features over 1,000 speakers. More than 500 programmes will be available through the event’s website and mobile app, offering something for every attendee, whether politically engaged or simply looking to celebrate community through music and culture.

Our colleagues from Hungarian Conservative are also at the scene and will be providing reports and interviews from the event in the coming days.


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The 34th Bálványos Summer University and Student Camp, better known as Tusványos, begins Tuesday in Băile Tușnad with the slogan ’You Can Count on Us’, offering political debates, cultural events, and high-level speeches through Sunday.

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