Hortobágy: herders' festival and crane migration draw thousands to Hungary's puszta

Endless grassland, shallow lakes and fishponds, and flocks of cranes crossing the evening sky: the Hortobágy puszta in eastern Hungary is one of Europe's most striking natural spectacles in autumn. On Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, the area held its traditional St. Demetrius Day drive-in festival, when herders bring their livestock to winter quarters. According to the regional news site Haon, about 10,000 visitors gathered at the Nine-Arched Bridge (Kilenclyukú híd), across which Racka sheep were driven. Haon said the program also featured Hungarian grey cattle, Nonius horses and water buffalo, a craft market, a crane festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a national herders' dance competition.

The real star of the season, however, is the crane, the national park's emblem. According to the park directorate, 95% of the cranes passing through Hungary travel via Hortobágy. Rangers count the birds weekly and simultaneously at their roosts in shallow water and fishponds. At the count on Oct. 8, they recorded 166,745 birds, the Dehir.hu portal reported; in mid-October 2025 the figure was 153,165. In recent years more than 150,000 cranes have regularly been counted at peak migration, the park says, describing the area as the most important stopover site for the common crane worldwide. The 11th International Crane Conference took place in Hortobágy from Oct. 20 to 23.

Seeing the birds takes luck and planning: the park's guided evening tours end on Nov. 1, according to its website, last updated on Oct. 25, 2026; the dates from Oct. 25 to 27 and on Oct. 31 are fully booked. Adults pay 3,500 forints, and tours start at the visitor center in Hortobágy. The park warns that this year's drought could reduce the food supply and prompt the cranes to move on earlier. Hortobágy became Hungary's first national park in 1973 and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural landscape since 1999; according to UNESCO, the property covers 74,820 hectares.