Busojaras Festival in Hungary

Carnival season in Hungary is a time of celebration and mayhem with numerous festivals for months on end. The biggest of those, Busojaras, is perhaps one of the most interesting in all of Europe. It’s during this week-long event that the town of Mohacs comes alive with raucous revelers celebrating the historical turning away of the Turks. It’s also like a European Burning Man.

Busojaras brings locals together to dress in oversize shearling coats with terrifying masks, sometimes covered in blood, and parade through the streets. There’s plenty of folk music, food and, of course, alcohol involved in the shenanigans. Locals adhere to a “no rules” policy where anything (within reason) goes, so it might not be a great place to take the kids.

Tourists can expect to be doused in flour, showered with hugs and forced to hang along with costume-clad locals throughout the week. At the culmination of the event the town gathers around to burn a giant man made of straw and socialize around the ensuing bonfire. The Busojaras has become such an integral event in Hungary, it’s been designated a spot on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Busojaras is one giant week-long party that celebrates a unique and exciting culture, which makes it a can’t-miss when in Hungary.