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Busójárás 2026: Mohács’ winter carnival returns with masks and bonfires!
From February 12 to 17, the small Hungarian town of Mohács is once again filled with busó’s. For six days, the city centre fills with masked figures, drums, folk music, market stalls, dancing — and the kind of controlled chaos that makes Busójárás feel less like a festival and more like a living tradition.
If you walk through the old streets, you’ll inevitably run into a busó group, a tambura band, a spontaneous performance, or a sudden burst of noise from bells and rattles.
Still, if you want to catch the true highlights, the organisers have put together a detailed programme across multiple locations.
So what is Busójárás, really?
Busójárás is a traditional carnival event in Mohács, held every year in February. It is best known for the busós: masked figures wearing fur costumes, carrying bells, rattles and drums.
These elements come from an old custom linked to the end of winter. The noise-making was originally meant to drive winter away, and it remains one of the most recognisable parts of the event today.
A small detail many visitors notice: the masks are rarely identical. Many are hand-carved, and local mask makers still produce traditional pieces in Mohács.
The festival officially began on Thursday
The official opening day is Thursday, 12 February, known as Kisfarsang (“Little Carnival”).
In reality, Mohács starts warming up earlier in the week — but most visitors deliberately time their trip for the weekend. And for good reason: Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days, when the market is open all day, stage programmes run in parallel, and busó groups constantly appear throughout the city.
Did you know?
One of the festival’s invisible main character is the mask carver. In Mohács, this is a craft of its own — and many traditional busó masks are still hand-carved, one-of-a-kind pieces.
For visitors, this is also part of the magic that Busójárás is a town-wide tradition, kept alive by real people, families, workshops, and generations.
Saturday: four locations come alive at once
According to the programme, Saturday, 14 February, is one of the densest days of the festival. At this point, multiple locations are running their own shows and events, including: