St Martin’s New Wine Festival and Goose Feast 2026 Near Budapest
New wine, roast goose and a lantern-lit procession: St Martin’s New Wine Festival and Goose Feast brings a weekend of Hungarian autumn traditions to the Hungarian Open Air Museum, better known as the Skanzen, in Szentendre on 14–15 November 2026. For visitors staying in Budapest, it’s a chance to head beyond the city and spend a day enjoying seasonal food, Hungarian wines, folk music and hands-on activities among historic village houses.
A Taste of Hungarian Autumn Traditions
St Martin’s Day traditionally marked the end of the agricultural year, when rural communities could pause after the harvest, taste the new wine and celebrate together. The festival brings that atmosphere to life through food, music, crafts and customs spread across the museum’s regional village settings.
Rather than staying in one festival square, you can wander between old farmhouses, workshops and courtyards, finding something different around each corner. Watch traditional autumn tasks such as corn husking and feather stripping, stop for a blacksmithing demonstration, or follow the smell of roasted chestnuts to your next snack. The weekend also closes the Skanzen’s Autumn Festival of Museums programme.
Meet Hungarian Winemakers and Taste the New Vintage
The Skanzen Vigadó is the festival’s wine hub, with 13 Hungarian wineries taking part. The selection brings together producers from Tokaj, Eger, Szekszárd and the Villány area, alongside wineries from Szentendre itself. Look out for names such as Breitenbach, Dúzsi, Tiffán’s and Vylyan as you explore the wines on offer.
For a more focused experience, themed tastings led by Gergő Fejérvári take place at the House from Hajdúbagos. Saturday’s sessions explore the connections between village football and vineyard culture, followed by a tasting about climate adaptation and resistant grape varieties. Sunday turns to Muscat, poetry and the symbolism of the grape harvest.
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These guided tastings are held in Hungarian, cost HUF 2,000 per session and are limited to 15 participants, with registration at the Skanzen Vigadó. International visitors should keep the language in mind when deciding whether to join.
Goose Dishes, Chestnuts and Autumn Comfort Food
Come hungry: the St Martin’s Day menu is a major part of the experience. The Skanzen Restaurant serves dishes including goose soup, roast goose leg with red cabbage, stuffed cabbage with goose meat and ludaskása, a traditional goose-and-rice dish. Goose gizzard stew with sheep’s cheese potato dumplings offers another hearty option for an autumn lunch.
There are plenty of smaller bites, too. Try pulled goose at the Skanzen Vigadó, bread spread with goose fat, or a bowl of goose ragout soup at the Rose Pergola food venue. Roasted chestnuts, chimney cake and apple-and-walnut or pumpkin-and-poppy-seed strudel make tempting stops between activities.
Not everything revolves around goose. Pumpkin soup, an autumn pearl barley salad and several desserts provide alternatives, while hot tea and mulled wine add to the seasonal mood.
Live Music, Storytelling and Traditional Crafts
The stage programme runs throughout both days, mixing storytelling with concerts and folk performances. Saturday’s line-up includes Makám at 1pm, followed by Kató Mákó and fellow musicians at 2:30pm and the Békás Band at 4pm. On Sunday, the Krúlik Trio performs at 1pm, JUCIHUNOR DUO at 2:30pm, and Lóri Heit and His Band at 4pm.
Some performances and storytelling sessions will be easier to follow if you speak Hungarian, but the music, dancing and craft demonstrations offer plenty to enjoy without understanding every word.
Across the museum, you can try writing with a goose quill, dip a candle, paint glass or make a small seasonal decoration. The craft fair adds another reason to browse, with handmade ceramics, jewellery, toys and textiles alongside honey, jams, cheeses and other food products.
Family Activities and a Lantern Procession
Families can turn their visit into an adventure with the five-stop St Martin’s Day mission. The activity sheet leads participants through goose-themed challenges, puzzles and traditions, with a small gift to collect after completing all five stations.
There are also baking workshops at the Watchman’s House from Kisújszállás, with savoury Hungarian scones at 10am and Linzer biscuits at 1pm. Participation in these workshops is free, with registration on site. Elsewhere, children can make textile geese, autumn leaf figures and lanterns, or join games inspired by the season.
The lantern procession sets off at 4:15pm on both days, meeting at the Large Map. Make a lantern during the day and bring it along for one of the weekend’s most atmospheric shared experiences.
Explore Historic Village Life Along the Way
The festival is also an opportunity to discover the Skanzen itself. Programme locations include the Great Plain Market Town, Little Hungarian Plain, Southern and Western Transdanubia, Bakony and Balaton Uplands, and Transylvania sections.
In the Transylvania area, you can taste polenta, explore living-history settings such as a printing house, fashion store and pharmacy, or join a collage workshop upstairs in the Korzó Coffee House. The workshop runs from 9am to 4pm and requires no previous artistic experience.
The museum’s Northern Hungarian Village, Upland Market Town and Upper Tisza Region are also open for walking and sightseeing, giving you scope to take a quieter detour between festival stops.
Getting to the Skanzen from Budapest
From Budapest, take the H5 suburban railway from Batthyány Square to Szentendre, a journey of approximately 40 minutes, then continue by bus from the station area to the museum. The Skanzen is outside Szentendre’s town centre, so allow time for this onward connection. By car, the journey from Budapest takes around 40 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic.
Warm layers and comfortable walking shoes will make the day more enjoyable, as much of the festival involves moving between outdoor locations. The guided walks, food tours and themed wine tastings are advertised in Hungarian, so English-speaking visitors may prefer to focus on the food, concerts, demonstrations and hands-on activities.
Essential Event Details
- Event: St Martin’s New Wine Festival and Goose Feast.
- Dates: Saturday–Sunday, 14–15 November 2026.
- Venue: Hungarian Open Air Museum, also known as the Skanzen, Szentendre.
- Address: 75 Sztaravodai Road, Szentendre.
- Opening hours: Historic houses open from 9am to 4pm; Skanzen Vigadó and restaurant open from 9am to 6pm.
- Museum train: Runs from 9am to 5pm according to its normal schedule.
- Lantern procession: Starts at 4:15pm on both days, meeting at the Large Map.
- Themed wine tastings: HUF 2,000 per session, held in Hungarian, with a maximum of 15 participants. Register at the Skanzen Vigadó.
- Admission: The festival admission price is not specified in the supplied programme; check current ticket information before visiting.
- Programme changes: The organisers reserve the right to alter the programme.
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