Escape the rat race: Hungary hosts Europe’s largest ecovillage gathering this summer
More and more people feel that urban life is no longer sustainable for them and that they need something radically different. Some buy a small farm and try to live a self-sufficient, nature-based lifestyle. However, they soon realise that doing this alone is nearly impossible. The real solution lies in community—people coming together to think, work, and build a viable alternative lifestyle collectively. This summer, two unique events in Hungary offer guidance for those who want to make such a change.
For the first time, Europe’s largest ecovillage gathering, organised by the GEN (Global Ecovillage Network), will be held in Hungary. The international network is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
GEN – European Ecovillage Gathering
From 12 to 17 August, Manas Garden in Lengyeltóti will host this international exchange of knowledge and experience. “Hundreds of participants are expected from Western Europe, Asia, the Americas, and South America, representing established ecovillages and bringing with them insights into sustainable community living and decades of practical experience,” said lead organiser Mária Forrai.
The gathering will function as a kind of open university, where attendees can learn how to create and maintain long-term ecovillages.
“The program includes workshops on ecological lifestyle changes, training on how to start and sustain communities, techniques for nature-friendly farming, thematic talks on social, economic, and ecological topics by international experts, and personal encounters with residents of ecovillages that have existed for decades,” Forrai added.
“Many people have the initial enthusiasm and energy to start a community, but maintaining it is far from easy. It requires deep self-awareness and knowledge, which can be acquired at this ecovillage gathering. It’s a great honour that the long-standing organisation chose Hungary as the venue for its 30th-anniversary event,” said Forrai. “In Hungary, there are hardly any real ecovillages—Krisna Valley is a rare exception. What seems more viable is a model in which nearly abandoned villages are given new life by incoming residents,” she added.
Gyüttment Festival
Just three days after the Gathering, from 21 to 24 August, Hungary’s largest lifestyle-change meetup will begin at the same location. Gyüttment is not a festival in the traditional sense but rather a community experience—a place for sharing knowledge, connecting, and finding like-minded people. Dozens of programs will run simultaneously, hosted in themed areas such as the Community Courtyard, Builders’ Area, Farmers’ Area, Healing Space, Inner Paths Zone, Singing Grove, and the International Courtyard.
“The programs focus on knowledge essential for a rural, nature-based, and ecological lifestyle. The different events are grouped by topic into courtyards. Meanwhile, the Craft Courtyard will offer not only a product fair but also numerous workshops, where attendees can try out traditional crafts. Evenings will feature live music and dance around campfires, using minimal electronic amplification and mostly acoustic formats,” explained Mária Forrai.
Hungary’s first zero-waste festival
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Gyüttment Gathering will be held with a zero-waste philosophy.
“There will be no trash bins—we will compost. We ask all participants not to bring packaging or anything that could become waste. If they do, they must take it home after the festival. We ask everyone to bring their own plate, cutlery, cup, and water bottle and to use only natural, biodegradable products for washing and cleaning. Meals will be cooked on-site using local ingredients, and our priority in sourcing is to choose products with as little packaging as possible.”
The organiser added that, according to feedback from previous participants, Gyüttment creates an atmosphere that eases daily anxieties, climate fears, and uncertainty about the future. Both events offer opportunities for learning, sharing experiences, and meeting new people. The goal is to showcase—and briefly live through—a societal model in which people live in harmony with nature and their chosen community.
Reflections on the 10th anniversary of the Gyüttment Gathering
The main theme of this year’s meeting is “Awakening the Will to Act,” and many programs across the courtyards will focus on this topic. On 24 August 2024, during one of last year’s most inspiring discussions, the motto for this year’s gathering was born.
Balázs Stumpf-Biró, András Takács-Sánta, and Gusztáv “Pabló” Vágvölgyi—coming from three very different perspectives—explored the question: What’s next? They agreed that it is no longer enough to just think about the future—we must act for it. Not in isolation, but in connection. Not by excluding one another, but by learning from each other.
A video recording of the discussion is available here:
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