Paper short abstract:

The paper will focus on the special relation between festivals, tourism and cultural heritage in the western Hungarian borderland which is nowadays a popular destination for tourists.

Paper long abstract:

The western borderland of Hungary was one of the most forgotten and remoted areas during the socialist time. The authorities has strictly controlled the local communities which tried to adapt to the new circumstances in different ways. After the fall of the Iron Curtain and the permeability of state borders, the situation has changed radically. The forgotten and remoted borderland was discovered by urban families who bought houses of the locals and converted them to summer cottages. As a result the area became a popular destination for tourists who are trying to explore the rich cultural history and high level of biodiversity. The paper is based on ethnographic fieldwork which was done in the villages of the western borderland. The main focus of the presentation is to reveal the special relations between tourism, festivals and heritagization. My analysis is mainly based on the local pumpkin festival which attracts thousands of visitors annualy.