1st festival · 2017
The first meeting
Young accordionists, teachers, two concerts and professional consultations: the foundations of a forum where a community could grow around the instrument.
2017
Budapest · A meeting becomes a community
The story of the festival
The festival grew from a simple idea: young accordionists need not only a stage, but also a place to meet.
The beginning
Why was it created?
The first National Accordion Festival took place on 29 October 2017 in the Ferencsik Hall of the Bartók Conservatory, as part of the 13th Autumn Music Camp. From the beginning, the aim went beyond presenting another concert: to give young accordionists performance opportunities, support talent development, create professional connections, strengthen the visibility of accordion education and make space for teachers to exchange experience.
The one-day programme consisted of two concerts and professional consultations. Meeting, learning together and discovering one another's playing have remained central to the festival ever since.
Meeting
Learning
Shared sound
Discovery
We do not build rankings. We build connections.
2017 → 2026
How did the circle grow?
The following years
A shared sound
Playing together, shared musical work and the idea of a festival orchestra gradually became a distinctive part of the festival's identity.
The circle expands
More days, more perspectives
Masterclasses, instrument presentations, artist concerts, higher-education links and international connections became part of the festival. It grew from a performance opportunity into a professional and artistic environment.
10th · 2026
The next chapter
The jubilee is not an ending but a new starting point: a stronger professional network across Hungary, deeper international connections, greater openness to audiences and a more conscious path for the next generation.
The images of the jubilee year do not appear as a separate decorative layer: they are part of the story. The full selection continues to grow in the jubilee gallery.
What holds it together?
Instrument · path of study · contemporary artistic language · community
Instrument
The accordion is not decoration at this festival; it is the starting point. Different instruments, colours, construction ideas and instrument presentations come close to students and audiences.
Path of study
From music-school studies to conservatory and higher education, the festival makes visible how a young accordionist can continue on a longer professional path.
Contemporary artistic language
New works, unusual colours, composer–performer collaborations and the full expressive world of the modern concert accordion are part of the festival's identity.
Community
Students, teachers, artists and instrument specialists do not simply appear alongside one another — they meet and work with one another. That is what makes the festival more than a concert series.
Ten editions in pictures
Faces, encounters, shared moments
The jubilee image story grows from the festival’s most memorable moments: rehearsals, masterclasses, concerts, guests and the encounters from which a community gradually formed.
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