Learning from a Decade of Community Spirit: KÉK Joins the Makád Pancake Festival

Pancake Festival | Makád, Hungary | 5 September 2026

On 5 September, the KÉK team travelled to the Szigetzug pilot site in Hungary to take part in the 11th Makád Pancake Festival (Palacsintafesztivál), as part of the ongoing PlaceCRAFT capacity-building activities with the local community. The team spent the day among residents and visitors, taking in the festival and talking with organisers, volunteers and locals about how the event has grown and changed over more than a decade.

Alongside pancakes fresh off the griddle, the day's programme included live music, a performance by the local majorette group, appearances by local musicians, activities for children, and entertainment for the whole family. Throughout the day, visitors could also explore the local village museum and take part in a guided tour. The atmosphere carried the feel of a celebration the whole village looks forward to, with people of all ages taking part.

Through conversations with the locals, the team got a close-up look at how the festival is put together year after year: who takes on which tasks, how new volunteers are welcomed in, and how the event manages to stay both a genuine community occasion and a draw for visitors from outside the village. What came through most clearly was the sense of ownership: this is a festival the community has built for itself, and one it keeps returning to refine and pass on.

The Pancake Festival is far from Makád's only recurring gathering. In the summer, the village hosted the long-running and much-loved Rock Vígkend (Rock Weekend), while in mid-summer, the Lecsófőző Fesztivál (Lecsó Cooking Festival) brought together cooks and visitors around the village's shared pots. Alongside these larger festivals, Makád keeps a steady rhythm of producers' and craft markets throughout the year.

Taken together, these initiatives highlight the strong community spirit and local capacity already present in Makád. Rather than starting from scratch, PlaceCRAFT can build on these existing strengths, working together with local people to explore new ideas, strengthen connections, and identify opportunities that can further support community life in the village. Spending time at the Pancake Festival gave the team valuable insight into the everyday practices, relationships, and traditions that bring people together — insight that will help shape the collaboration with Makád and inform the next steps of the PlaceCRAFT project.