László Papp, the mayor of the city, and Réka Mészáros, the managing director of Főnix Rendezvényszervező Közhasznú Nonprofit Kft., reported on the events planned for the Advent period in 2021.

As László Papp said, among other things: last year’s Advent period was canceled, due to epidemiological reasons, but this year – although we are not in an easy situation now and we have to pay attention to measures to guarantee our health – Debrecen would like to bring back the Advent atmosphere of previous years, and also to provide novelties. The city is still dressing up. More than 200,000 light sources will adorn the city center and several parts of the city – for example, the residents of Kismacs, Nagymacs, Bánk, Ondód, Dombostanya can feel the festive atmosphere – and on the Christmas tree in Debrecen – as a gift of István Szabó up – there will be more than 16 thousand lights. Now the Dósa palatine square will also be part of the Advent period. The sight of the “light cone with gift boxes” and the “ball sofa” in the square will be new. From November 28, the “light tram” will also run on tram lines 1 and 2. Mayor László Papp said that an unloading fair awaits the public from 26 November. In the larger area than before – in Kossuth Square, Dósa Nádor Square, Csapó Street, and Rózsa Street – there will be decorated wooden houses. 20 catering units and almost 80 merchants to welcome visitors. Under the current rules, it will be possible to visit the outdoor fair without a security certificate. This year’s novelty will be the Advent Hut. The Advent Kuckó program series, located a few steps from the corner of Bajcsy-Zsilinszky utca and Piac utca (in the Golden Bull building), will include ONLY a Design Fair, a folk craft fair, and a Santa Claus waiting for children. The Advent Kuckó will host the Debrecen Charitable Body “Give it on!” fundraising campaign, where donations will be awaited until December 23rd.

The Advent skating rink on Kossuth Square will also await those interested with a total of 750 square meters of the continuous ice surface, providing a unique experience with the 120-meter-long ice corridor. There has not been a similar mobile ice rink in Eastern Hungary so far. The ice rink will be operational by the end of January 2022. During the Advent period, it is free for everyone on weekdays and weekends from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

During the Advent period, it will be possible to skate here by exchanging an 800 HUF ticket every day between 2 pm and 8 pm. After the Advent period, the skating rink will only be free on weekdays from 08:00 until 14:00. The skating rink on the northern event space of the Nagyerdei Stadium will continue to operate as usual in recent years.
Following the current rules of the event, on Advent Sundays, the fire will not be at the usual Kossuth Square venue, but in the Memorial Garden behind the Great Church, separated from the fair, where you can enter with a security card. The candle lighting will also be available on Facebook and will be broadcast live on Debrecen Television. The first lighting of the candles will take place on November 28, 2021, at 17.00, after which – around 17.30 – the Christmas decorative lights will be turned on.

And one more interesting thing: the Lighthouse light art group in Debrecen delights visitors with a special visual experience. During the Advent period, the specially programmed light play of the LED tubes mounted in a pyramid put above the foundations of the former Tower next to the Great Church creates a unique atmosphere in Kossuth Square.

Organized by the Debrecen Cultural Center and the Youth House, there will be visits of 13 parts of the city accompanied by Santa Claus fairy-tale heroes. There will also be Advent programs, craft classes, and exhibitions in several units.
According to Réka Mészáros, the Debrecen Local Orchestra’s Adventissimo concert will take place this year on November 28, and the Valcer Dance Studio’s program entitled Christmas Waltz Ceremony will take place on December 18. On December 3, the kindergartens in Debrecen will decorate a total of 24 small Christmas trees in Dósa Nádor Square, which were adopted by 1-1 kindergartens and the decorations will be made for them. On December 5, children can meet Santa Claus from Lapland at the Kölcsey Center.

One of the highlights of the Advent program series will be the talk show, The Twelve. The host of the afternoon and the author of the volume is Tünde Zsuffa, a writer and spokesperson for the International Eucharistic Congress. With the support of Cardinal Péter Erdő, the series of events will start, which will be taken to different cities in the country. Invited heralds: János Laczkfi, Csaba Pindroch, András Csókay, Anna Kubik, Róbert Szikora.

ABOUT THE PROGRAMS

Memorial exhibition of the Kossuth Prize-winning painter István Szentandrássy – November 19, 2021
Time: 17.00
Venue: Greek Catholic Tourist Visitor Center (Debrecen, Attila tér 5.)
Greetings: István Puskás, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen and Anna Tardy-Molnár, Managing Director of MANK Hungarian Creative Public Nonprofit Ltd.
The exhibition will be opened by István Kapin, parish priest of the Greek Catholic Parish in Debrecen
Featuring: the Lautitia Choir Family

Opening of the exhibition entitled In the Guest at the Lord – November 25, 2021
Time: 6.30 pm
Location: St. László Dominican Parish
In the Guest at the Lord, an exhibition of fine arts compiled from the tender material for the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress will open this year as the closing event of the 800th anniversary of the Dominican Order.

Fair – November 26, 2021 – December 23, 2021 – Downtown
The unloading fair awaits the public with a renewed layout from November 26: not only Kossuth Square, but also Dósa Nádor Square, Csapó Street and Rózsa Street will be decorated with wooden houses. As before, the offer will be extensive this year, with 20 catering units and almost 80 retailers.

Advent Skating Rink – November 26, 2021 – January 31, 2022 – Kossuth Square
Simultaneously with the fair, the skating rink in Kossuth Square will open its doors, which will be a total of 750 square meters of continuous ice, providing a unique experience with the 120-meter-long ice corridor. There has not been a similar mobile ice rink in Eastern Hungary so far. During the Advent period, it is free for everyone on weekdays and weekends from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. During the Advent period, it will be possible to skate here by exchanging an 800 HUF ticket every day between 2 pm and 8 pm. After the Advent period, the skating rink will only be free on weekdays from 08:00 until 14:00.
It is also possible to rent skates on site.
The skating rink on the northern event space of the Nagyerdei Stadium will continue to operate as usual in recent years.

Candle lights
First Advent Sunday, November 28, 2021
First Advent candle lighting
Time: 17:00
Location: Memorial Garden behind the Great Church
Speakers: László Papp, Mayor of Debrecen; Fülöp Kocsis, Archbishop’s Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Hajdúdorog; Ferenc Palánki, bishop of the Diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza and Lajos Püski, pastor of the Trans-Tisza Reformed Diocese.
You will be able to enter the Memorial Garden with a security card.
Second Advent Sunday, December 5, 2021
Second Advent candle lighting
Time: 17.00
Location: Memorial Garden behind the Great Church
Speaker: István Puskás, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen; Richárd Asztalos, pastor of the Lutheran Parish of Debrecen and Barnabás Sipos, parish priest of the Hungarian Orthodox Parish of the Holy Trinity in Debrecen.
You will be able to enter the Memorial Garden with a security card.
Celebration of Hanukkah – December 5, 2021
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: the estuary of Biaccsy-Zsilinszky street, Piac street
Third Advent Sunday, December 12, 2021
Third Advent candle lighting
Time: 17.00
Location: Memorial Garden behind the Great Church
Speaker: Ákos Balázs, Deputy Mayor of the City of Debrecen; András Beszterczey, pastor of the Reformed Parish of Debrecen-Nagytemplom; János Kiss, pastor of the Debrecen Baptist Church.
The third candle lighting will take place with the participation of the heralds of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress (János Laczkfi, Csaba Pindroch, András Csókay, Anna Kubik, Róbert Szikora).
You will be able to enter the Memorial Garden with a security card.
Fourth Advent Sunday, December 19, 2021
Fourth Advent candle lighting
Time: 17.00
Location: Memorial Garden behind the Great Church

Speaker: Lajos Barcsa, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen; László Tóth, parish priest of the Parish of the Incarnation of Debrecen; István Kapin, wig of the Greek Catholic Parish in Debrecen.
The flame of Bethlehem is transmitted with the participation of the 43rd Phoenix Scout Team and the Ort-Iki Puppet and Street Theater.
You will be able to enter the Memorial Garden with a security card.

Advent Kuckó – November 27 – December 23, 2021
A novelty will be the program series of the Advent Kuckó furnished a few steps from the corner of Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Street and Piac Street: ONLY Design Fair, Folk Craft Fair, Santa’s Wait.
The programs are free to attend.

The Debrecen Charitable Body “Pass on!” fundraising campaign at Advent Kuckó – December 7 – December 23, 2021
On December 7, Advent Kuckó will open the Charity Board “Pass on!” fundraiser and await donations until December 23rd.
Without entry, donations will be placed in a collection box in front of the building.

Lighthouse Pyramid – November 28, 2021 – January 6, 2022
The Debrecen-based Lighthouse Group delights visitors with a special visual experience. During the Advent period, the specially programmed light play of the LED tubes mounted in a pyramid erected above the foundations of the former Tower next to the Great Church creates a unique atmosphere in Kossuth Square.

Adventissimo – November 28, 2021
Concert of the Debrecen Local Guard Orchestra
Time: 19:00
Location: Kölcsey Center (Hunyadi utca 1-3.)
The program is free to attend.

Fine Art Exhibition “And the World Is Rising” – December 3, 2021
Time: 11:00
Venue: the exhibition hall of the Debrecen-Széchenyikert Reformed Parish (István király tér 2.)
Exhibitors: Sára Richter, János Aknay, Tibor Bráda, Gábor Benog Pogány
Opened by: Lajos Kósa Member of Parliament, retired Reformed Bishop Gusztáv Bölcskei

Presentation of small Christmas trees in kindergartens – December 3, 2021
Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location: Dósa Nádor SquareThe kindergartens in Debrecen decorate a total of 24 small Christmas trees, which were adopted by 1-1 kindergartens and the decorations are made for them.

Meeting with Santa Claus from Lapland – December 5, 2021
Time: 16:30
Location: Kölcsey Center (Hunyadi utca 1-3.)
The program is free to attend.

Charity Run – December 11, 2021
VI. Christmas Ugly Sweaters Run
Time: 10:30
Location: Baltazár Dezső tér
For the sixth time, people can collect gifts for those in need in a Christmas “ugly” sweater in Budapest and Debrecen.
After pre-registration, anyone can participate in the run free of charge with a protection certificate. Registration: hello@bakancslistamagyarorszag.hu

They Are the Twelve – December 12, 2021
From 15:00 to 17:00
Venue: Kölcsey Center (Hunyadi utca 1-3.) András Görömbei Hall
The host of the book presentation entitled They Are the Twelve, and the author of the volume is the writer Tünde Zsuffa and the spokesperson of the International Eucharistic Congress. With the support of Cardinal Péter Erdő, the series of events will start, which will be taken to different cities in the country. Invited heralds: János Laczkfi, Csaba Pindroch, András Csókay, Anna Kubik, Róbert Szikora.
The event can be visited free of charge, but pre-registration is required: info@demki.hu

Christmas Waltz Ceremony – December 18, 2021
Christmas show at Valcer Dance Studio
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Kölcsey Center (Hunyadi utca 1-3.)
The Christmas gala show of Valcer Dance Studio will traditionally take place again this year in the spirit of celebration.

There will be Advent programs, handicrafts, and exhibitions in several units of the Debrecen Cultural Center and the Youth House (Demki).

You can read more about the programs at the following link: https://debreceniadvent.hu/

Debrecen City Hall