The Budapest Wine Festival has undergone significant changes in the past year, following the renewal efforts we decided to undertake in previous years. The weather has been wonderful, so nothing has prevented us from evaluating the impact of the innovations. We also received a surprising number of letters and other visitor comments, reporting fantastic experiences, expressing their gratitude for our work, but of course we also had our critics, whose messages of encouragement were always clear. In the year that has passed since then, both me and my colleagues have been incredibly inspired, motivated and enthusiastic about the task of how to improve the 33rd Budapest Wine Festival and make it more adapted to the needs of our visitors.
Without being exhaustive, I would like to summarise this year's new features and the changes we are announcing.
In keeping with our long tradition, we welcome a Guest of Honour among our exhibitors. Georgia, the cradle of ancient winemaking, will be at our festival with its unique wines, food and culture. The presentation will take place in the Halászó gyerekek courtyard and on the podium stage set up there. The good atmosphere of a friendly get-together and wine tasting is always accompanied by pleasant and entertaining music. Our new strategy is to offer different styles of music in the festival courtyards. Live music from small groups and carefully arranged machine music will be played, using advanced technology. We hope that everyone will find the music that matches their favourite wine, whether it's world music, lounge vibes or even a little party.
We have a growing number of special guests requiring extra service, and this year we are creating two VIP zones for them. Exrtavagant party mood is available at Mitiszol? Party VIP, while the atmosphere for chatting and relaxing will be created in the Hankook VIP Lounge. We also aim to raise the level of quality in the festival's gastronomic offer, with an increasing number of special, locally prepared dishes, Hungarian and international gourmet dishes. Following the success of last year's VinAgora Interactive Space in the Csikós courtyard, this year we will further expand and enrich its professional programme, which will also be available in English for our foreign guests.
I hope we will succeed in raising the standard of the Budapest Wine Festival, rewarding the loyal trust and love of our guests with further developments!
Zoltán Zilai, Director of the 33rd Budapest Wine Festival
