Szada Fényei Festival 2027

Szada Fényei is a free community festival in Szada, a small village near Budapest, Hungary. We created the festival to bring people together through culture, creativity and shared experiences, and to show that art can appear not only in galleries and theatres, but also in streets, public spaces and historic places. Light is at the heart of our festival. It can transform familiar places, reveal stories and memories, and create experiences that people can share. Our programme combines light installations, visual and digital arts, music, performances, workshops, interactive activities and local cultural heritage.

One of the most special parts of the festival is connected to Bertalan Székely, the famous Hungarian painter who lived and worked in Szada. His former studio is an important part of our local heritage. Each year, local schools and children take part in a creative project inspired by the building. The children receive the unfolded architectural drawing of Székely Bertalan’s studio. Instead of simply reproducing the building, they fill it with their own imagination, colours, stories and ideas. Every child sees the same place differently. Their drawings become part of one collective artwork, which is brought to life during the festival through light projection onto the walls of the former studio on a spectacular scale of around 15 metres. This project brings together local heritage, children’s creativity, education, technology, contemporary art and community participation. A historic building becomes a contemporary canvas, connecting the memory of an artist from the past with the imagination of children living in Szada today.

We now want to take this idea beyond Szada. What if children from different European countries received the same architectural drawing of Székely Bertalan’s studio and were invited to imagine it in their own way? The building would remain the same, but the stories, colours and visions would be different. This is the idea behind our planned international project, “One Studio, Many Visions”.Children from different countries would create their own artistic interpretations of the same studio. Their works could be presented at partner festivals and brought together in a shared digital light artwork. We want to show that we can start from the same place and still see the world differently. Young people are an important part of Szada Fényei. We want them not only to experience culture, but also to create it. Through workshops and interactive programmes, they can experiment with light, digital technology, visual arts and creative storytelling. 

We also want to give emerging artists opportunities to meet audiences and work directly with local communities. Community participation is central to the festival. Local residents, schools, artists, volunteers and organisations all contribute. Families and different generations can take part together, and many programmes encourage people to create rather than simply watch. We are also developing Szada Fényei as a Green Festival, using reusable and recycled materials where possible and including environmental awareness in our artistic and educational programmes.

The festival is free because we want everyone to have the opportunity to participate in cultural life. We also pay attention to accessibility and inclusion. Public space is an important part of our identity. Visitors can walk through Szada and unexpectedly encounter a light installation, performance or community artwork. This creates a direct connection between art, people and place. Although Szada Fényei grew from a local community initiative, we now want to develop a stronger European dimension. We are looking for festivals and cultural organisations interested in light art, emerging artists, cultural heritage, young people and community participation. We want to share Szada’s story with Europe and invite children and artists from other countries to create their own visions. One studio, many visions, one shared light.