Now it's time to take a look behind the scenes of this popular festival: what goes on behind the scenes, how two artists come together, the quality of the music is top-notch and the organiser is determined to make it a success.
The line-up of festivals and events is starting up again, and for the most part we know what to expect. Usually, alongside the concerts, there's a line-up of fairground stalls, lacikitehouses, horn bake stalls and all categories of wine. Sometimes we're disappointed, sometimes we're satisfied, but we can't know that in advance. But Gábor Horváth is the organiser who dares to go against the grain, the “tried and tested”, despite his own love of cinnamon horn cake. He has created a gastronomic festival in the county where you can't meet mediocre food, wine or disappointed visitors - this is the Art Picnic.
Who is who? For decades, Gábor Horváth has been the organiser and main organiser of many events. 4 years ago he founded the Stylistic Art Picnic Festival. The event used to be in Győr, but now it is in Pannonhalma, where guests can enjoy both top gastronomy and visual culture for 2 days. The event has become both popular and trend-setting at the speed of light.
Why top gastronomy and why did you pair it with fine arts?
Gábor Horváth: First of all, I wanted to create a quality gastronomic festival. I saw that there is no such thing here in the county, but there is a need for it. The combination with art seemed to be an exciting combination and always topical. Bernadett Grászli, former director of the Rómer Flóris Museum of Art and History, was a great help in this, so we were able to present really good exhibitions and works of art at the first festival. It was surprising how receptive the audience was to this, while tasting the food, which was also a work of art.
Fine dining, Michelin-star restaurants, renowned chefs, famous Hungarian cuisine. Can the Hungarian public afford this?
That was my aim, to make this kind of food poetry, this kind of top gastronomy, available to everyone this weekend. There are tasting portions available at a reasonable price, so you can decide for yourself how many halves you want to taste that day. The great thing is that each tasting plate is prepared with incredible care by the chefs, right in front of you. The colours, the ingredients, the textures and the shapes are present in every single portion in such a way that the guest doesn't easily forget it when they taste it. I myself am a big fan of gastronomy and I think it's worth the investment, even if only once a year, even if it's just for a taste, it's a great experience.
ART Picnic will reopen its doors in Pannonhalma on 11-12 June this year. With the participation of the best Hungarian restaurants, it will offer exciting food and flavours to gastronomy lovers.
Pannonhalma is basically a magical place, why here?
The event was able to move to this fabulous venue with the help of the Pannonhalma municipality. The municipality now has confidence in quality, beauty and value. In addition to the municipality, our partners in this are the Pannonhalmi wine region with its excellent winemakers and wines, the Pannonhalmi Abbey and of course the Viator restaurant, which is also a pillar of the tasting restaurants. Last year, visitors from all over the country also came to the Pannonhalmen, saying they had a great visual experience, both in the art section, the gastronomic creations and now also the sight of the place. I think it's a kind of trip that gives you so much energy, recharge and momentum at the same time that it's worth the longer journey.
How did Art Picnic become one of the best gastronomic events in the country?
The exhibitors are invited, so I work with people who do this for a living, for a living. They're cheerful, they love their work and they're professional, all of which you can feel, and it just all works because everyone strives to make it work. I fought a big battle, I went against a lot of stereotypes, because I wanted not only the audience, but also the exhibitors and the organisers to enjoy it, to create value, not just “a” festival. We all look forward to it every year because, hard work aside, it's certainly a good time.
Who are the ones who will definitely be here this year?
The nicknamed “the snake in the grass” is sure to catch everyone's eye. They are the boys from Encs, who come from Encs and always have a queue, for example for their football boots. The SVÉT, who have been the cornerstone of the event since the beginning, the Stylish Rural Restaurants. La Maréda, Viator Abbey Restaurant and Wine Bar, PalKonyha. We have hosted the Wine Cellar with Ákos Sárközi and many others. The organisation is already well underway, otherwise, if I could, I would do it all year round. I can safely say that for us it is a celebration, a celebration of gastronomy.#
The main sponsor of the festival is : MATUSZ-VAD Zrt.
