Hungary - Robe fixtures were prominent on a number of lighting installations designed by Centrum Production and delivered by VEG (Visual Europe Group) for the 2024 Hungarian National Day Celebrations in capital city Budapest.
iBolts, iFortes and iForte LTXs together with MegaPointes and Tarrantulas were utilised across five key sites on the main day of celebrations which included performances, attractions and events taking place along a 5km-long stretch on both sides of the River Danube that dissects the Hungarian capital city.
The project was managed for VEG by Kristof Nagy and the five areas utilising Robe products were the 118m-wide Hungarian Parliament Building, the Hungarian National Gallery, the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Elisabeth Bridge and the Mandoki Soulmates stage.
The imposing and majestic Parliament Building on the Pest side of the city was designed by Hungarian architect Imre Steindl in neo-Gothic style and opened in 1902, and as always for National Day celebrations, was at the centre of the evening’s main show.
It featured projection mapping onto the front central section from across the river – a throw distance of approximately 400m.
A row of lights on the nearside bank flanked the building projections shooting intense beams up into the air, and this was where the 12 x iBolts were positioned six a side at the outer edges of a long line of lights. They were a major part of the lighting scheme and were programmed to interact with the projection show.
The 10 x iFortes were used to wash up and along one of the sides of the building that was not being used for projection.
The Hungarian National Gallery is on the Buda bank of the river in the Buda Palace at its highest point, which is one of the loftiest points across the whole city.
In the past, the front has also been projection mapped, but this year it was decided to illuminate it with lighting, so eight iForte LTXs were deployed, cycling through different colour sets, with added gobo texturing.
“We again needed the sheer firepower of these fixtures at this site,” commented Nagy, who was pleased that just eight fixtures did the job, positioned on scaffolding towers built and spaced out along the Savoy Terrace in front of the Gallery building.
Budapest’s Széchenyi Chain Bridge was included in the main show for the first time this year. Its two grand towers were also projection mapped and the structure was lit and highlighted by eight iBolts blasting out from the towers which are either side of its 202m central span.
A bit further along the river is the Elisabeth Bridge, built at the narrowest part of the Danube spanning 290m and named after Elisabeth of Bavaria. This looked resplendent lit with 48 x iFortes, 32 x iForte LTXs and 4 x iBolts positioned on both sides.
“I was keen on showcasing the latest and brightest technology we had on this event, which is one of the most important and watched / attended in the country,” stated Nagy, who highlighted how the Robes stood out among the 2000+ fixtures they supplied for the show including 40 high-powered lasers.
Local rental company AVL Trade supplied an additional 12 x iBolts to the event, which had come straight off the Main Stage of the 2024 Sziget Festival staged the previous weekend.
Over 1.5m people flocked to central Budapest to enjoy the festivities which included numerous shows and events, culminating in the Main Show and its spectacular firework display.
In addition to these areas, the Mandoki Soulmates stage was lit with the help of 28 x Robe MegaPointes and 30 x Tarrantulas. It was located in front of Budapest’s largest church, Saint Stephen's Basilica, and the musical line-up was curated by German / Hungarian singer and drummer Leslie Mandoki. The stage was named after his band.
