A celebration of our historical heritage, the International Military Band Festival welcomes those interested with 350 musicians, exciting concerts, exciting military technology, and spectacular professional demonstrations for free, thanks to the three Hungarian military bands, as well as bands from Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Serbia.
On October 6, a ceremonial opening concert will take place in the Great Reformed Church of Debrecen, where the Szolnok Garrison Band, the Debrecen Garrison Band, and the Kodály Choir will jointly perform the overture of Ferenc Erkel: László Hunyadi, followed by Gabriel Faure’s dynamic, dramatic work Requiem for the events of October 6.
On October 7, visitors can watch a parade with national and international traditions. At 4:30 p.m., the Central Band of the Hungarian Armed Forces opens the parade line, followed by the Austrian, Czech, Szolnok, Debrecen, Serbian and Slovak bands, and they start from the direction of Piac utca-Simonffy utca towards Kossuth tér, where all seven bands will perform separate, short shows. In the spectacular parade, 350 band members in their fancy clothes and with their instruments give a taste of the program that the audience can experience the next day during the Arena Show. In addition to their traditional openers, the bands also play popular tunes for the audience.
On Saturday, October 8, programs await those coming to the Főnix Arena starting at 3:00 p.m. Next to the arena, the Hungarian Armed Forces are preparing a military technology demonstration, where old and new equipment, as well as the most modern combat models, will be presented. The most advanced armored vehicle of the Hungarian Armed Forces, named Gidrán, will also be present at the show, in which those interested will even be able to sit in it – the tank got its Hungarian name from the breed of horse from the Mezőhegyes stud, whose figure symbolized the armored vehicle on the Hungarian Armed Forces’ car for the 2022 Debrecen Flower Carnival. In addition to the equipment, representatives of the Honvéd Huszár Decoration Unit will also be present in uniform and accompanied by their horses.
The Arena Show starts at 5:00 p.m., where the choreography and contestants of each nation in their traditional uniforms will be presented in spectacular beard shows. The special decoration group’s armed display promises to be the highlight of the event. The traditional program elements are made even more exciting by many popular and light music. Towards the end of the evening, they dazzle the audience with a joint military band show, where they also selected music from Péter Máté, but also a well-known song from Cinema Paradiso and Grease. During the show, the bands will be joined by the singer Tamás Vastag and the dancers of the Budapest Dance Studio. In recent decades, military music has been given a new concept, and the traditional, spectacular and impressive elements associated with it have risen to a new level.
Program
October 6.
19:30: festive concert: Szolnok Garrison Band, Debrecen Garrison Band, Kodály Choir Debrecen Reformed Great Temple
October 7.
16:30: military band parade from Simonffy Street to the Great Church
October 8.
15:00: military technology demonstration next to Főnix Aréna
17:00: arena show in the Phoenix Arena. Participating bands: Banská Bystrica Military Band (Slovakia) Debrecen Garrison Band Air Force Band Szolnok Hungarian National Defense Central Band Niš Military Orchestra (Serbia) The Olomouc Military Band (Czech Republic) The Military Band of Lower Austria (Austria)
In order to enter the free arena show, it is recommended to obtain a wristband in advance at the information desk of the Kölcsey Center. Seats are allocated at the time the wristbands are issued, so it’s a good idea to pick them up as soon as possible to ensure the best seats in the auditorium
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