Lake Balaton will not close after August 20th

The end of the season is often associated with the emptying of the beaches of Lake Balaton and the closure of buffets and ice cream parlors in public opinion – but the reality in the summer of 2025 shows the clear opposite. Many will remain open after August. According to Tamás Fekete, president of the Balaton Tourism Association, in the future the wallet, quality and bicycles will be the three key factors, while the autumn programs will attract more and more guests to Lake Balaton.

It is difficult to get beliefs out of your head, but the truth is that for years more and more service providers have been joining the four-season Balaton campaign and are open all year round. Hikers and cyclists have long since stopped having to be convinced that the lake area is worth visiting from early spring to late autumn. Spring-kicking gastronomic festivals, and in winter Advent fairs and cozy ice rinks await guests arriving here. “We had a good summer season in 2025 as well: the number of guests and guest nights continue to show an upward trend,” says Tamás Fekete, president of the Balaton Tourism Association, about this year’s summer. “There’s no need to worry that everything is over after August 20th, as long as the weather is good, the beaches will be full. If everything goes well, the number of annual guest nights in this region will exceed nine million this year as well.”

Tamás Fekete also highlighted that, drawing on the experiences of the summer, three factors will be decisive in the region’s competitiveness in the coming years: price sensitivity, the quality of services, and the development of opportunities for cycling and other active activities. “This will have a big impact on tourism, as visitors are now spending more consciously, choosing where they go and what kind of experience they get for their money. This encourages local businesses to provide better, more personalized and sustainable services.”