CULTURAL HERITAGE TOURISM AND LOCAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT NEAR THE UNDER REACHES OF THE DANUBE IN HUNGARY: DANUBE-BRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL

The Danube-Bridge Folk Festival goes back high in the past, the antecedents are forty years old. This Festival introduces authentic folklore and is composed of mainly open-air events and street performances; acting on stage is not primary. The venues of the Festival are small towns and villages. We consider cosy atmosphere and making friends more important than attracting big crowds of people. There are no long evening performances for a performing ensemble but shorter tasks more times a day take place in a couple of places, so shorter journeys are necessary.

– DEFILES – OPEN-AIR FOLK DANCE PERFORMANCES – FOLK DANCE PARTIES – FOLK ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIRS – STREETS OF DELICACIES – FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMES – „STRONG MAN” STRENGTH-RIVALRY – MIDSUMMER NIGHT FIRE JUMPING – MEETING OF HUNGARIAN FOLK DANCE GROUPS – MEETING OF HUNGARIAN FOLK-SONG GROUPS – PERFORMANCES OF ETHNIC MINORITIES OF HUNGARY – EXHIBITIONS – PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE – EXCURSIONS – YOUTH SOCIAL GATHERINGS

DEFILE

OPEN-AIR FOLK DANCE PERFORMANCE

FOLK DANCE PARTY

FOLK ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR

STREET OF DELICACIES

„STRONG MAN” STRENGTH-RIVALRY

MIDSUMMER NIGHT FIRE JUMPING

YOUTH SOCIAL GATHERING

YOUTH SOCIAL GATHERING: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO FOLKLORIST JÁNOS FÖLDESI (born 1911)

MEMORIAL CONFERENCE TO FOLKLORIST JÁNOS FÖLDESI (born 1911)

PAYING HOMAGE TO THE „KING” ON ST. LADISLAUS DAY

FAREWELL TO THE DANUBE WREATH-LAYING

PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE

THANKSGIVING IN THE CHURCH

FESTIVALS IN HUNGARY

STARTING POINT BREAKOUT POINT: TOURISM ► direct tourism infrastructure, improvement of the standards and the ability of receiving ►development coordinated, parallel with the appeal

STARTING POINT ►the demands of the tourists are highly influanced by the cultural appeal ►carrying out the increase of the cultural appeal is a development of human resources in one go

METHODS OF THE REALIZATION NUMEROUS SETTLEMENTS: BIG EVENTS, FESTIVALS THESE PROGRAMMES DO NOT NECESSARILY REALIZE A COMPLEX DEVELOPMENT MEASURING QUANTITY (WELL-ATTENDED EVENTS) TURNED TO BE TRENDY DANUBE-BRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL: DISCOVERING THE VALUES WITH THE VISITORS VOLUNTEERING BASED ON THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES, INSTEAD OF THE PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZING FUNCTIONS

OUR FESTIVAL

The goal of the festival-project: developing the international relations of the villages through introducing the authentic village folklore stabilizing the coordinating role of the towns located in the area of the villages raising the importance of preserving the traditions in the villages in the framework of cultural tourism showing cultural diversity (values of the ethnics and minorities), emphasizing to hand it down to the next generation

Target groups of the festival: directly the folklore participants and the contributors (approximately 120 foreign people and 600 people from Tolna county) indirectly as organizers and interactive audience foreign ensemble attendants and experts civil communities of the organizer villages and towns (additional people in each venue) first, young people and families second, independently of age or interests

Venues of the programmes Including the community locations with special appeal: mainly the centres of the villages and towns (public areas) the castle yard with its historic atmosphere in Dunaföldvár the vine-cellar village in Bölcske (in Györköny and Sióagárd in the previous years) the river bank of the Danube, or the river bank of the backwater of the Danube in various villages

Foreign countries involved in the project (and in its antecedents) between applying the broad definition of Danube basin and the catchment area including its neighbour regions, 3-4 countries a year: Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania. occasionally a country out of the above region as a spectacular (Turkey, Martinique, Land of Basque)

Local contributors who are regularly involved in the project folk dance ensembles preserving the customs and traditions including their folk musicians folk song choirs folk artists and craftsmen who take part in fairs providing a show puppet groups, children groups to make the programme more colourful civil organizations and volunteers of the co-organizer settlements colleagues of the institute for general education of the co- organizer settlements

In summary the development areas preparing the voluntary contributors in advance ➙ lifelong learning improving the appeals and the ability of receiving ➙ cultural tourism collaboration of the settlements in the area ➙ joining voluntarily + networking involving foreigners ➙ international relations introducing foreign cultures ➙ interculturalism + cultural, religious tolerance

providing interactive participation ➙ community development + improving the local identity authentic folklore as a core point ➙ preservation of customs and tradition + joint protection of spiritual values emphasizing the role of the Danube and of the connected areas ➙ environmental awareness + nature conservation appearance and structure of the festival ➙ appearance of the settlement

The Danube as a river ➙ connection lengthways with its bridges ➙ connection crossways The Danube-Bridge Folk Festival is a bond of people, cultures and religions in the European area and piece

Thank you for your attention! Lídia Istlstekker festival manager foreign affairs officer Judit Czink festival manager leader of the institute

CULTURAL INSTITUTE OF TOLNA COUNTY, HUNGARY H-7100 Szekszárd, Szent István Square DANUBE-BRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL WEB: