BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) 鈥� Two days before closely-watched elections, over 100,000 people filled a sprawling square and adjacent avenues in the capital for a concert featuring dozens of the country’s most popular performers 鈥� a call to action for citizens to cast their ballots on Sunday and vote out the government of .
Over 50 bands, all performers who have used their music to express dissent against Orb谩n’s nationalist-populist government, played one song each during the seven-hour, 鈥渟ystem-breaking鈥� concert on Friday.
The crowd, largely made up of young people, frequently broke into anti-government chants, including 鈥淩uszkik haza!鈥� or 鈥淩ussians go home!鈥� It was a refrain from Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet revolution that has taken on renewed significance as Orb谩n has forged .
One attendee, Hel茅na Sug谩r, 19, said she was drawn to the event by some of her favorite artists, but that the desire for change was the concert’s most crucial aim.
鈥淚 listen to these performers every day. But now the most important thing here is the political goal,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think it is important to show how many of us think this way, how many of us think that the time for this system is over and it is time for us to change.鈥�
The group organizing the event, the Civic Resistance Movement, wrote that each song to be performed was 鈥渃ritical of the corrupt regime,” and meant to 鈥渄emonstrate to the masses of voters and make them realize that the era of impunity is over.鈥�
The big turnout on Budapest’s Heroes’ Square, and the concert鈥檚 anti-government atmosphere, reflected the broad level of dissatisfaction with Orb谩n鈥檚 government, . In addition to the throngs of people in the streets, over 100,000 were following a livestream online.
A generational gap has been widening in Hungary with its young people pushing overwhelmingly for an end to , while the oldest citizens remain loyal to the prime minister.
Orb谩n and his Fidesz party’s declining popularity comes amid economic stagnation, political and corruption scandals and the rise of a new opposition challenger that is posing the biggest threat to the prime minister’s power in nearly two decades.
That challenger, the center-right Tisza party and its leader , have galvanized large numbers of voters across Hungary who see him as the most credible challenger yet to Orb谩n鈥檚 16-year grip on power.
A recent survey by pollster 21 Research Center found that 65% of voters under 30 support Tisza, while only 14% are backing Orb谩n.
One concertgoer, 22-year-old Noel Iv谩n, said he had immigrated from Hungary to Austria seeking a better life, but that he 鈥渨ould like to move back and plan the future at home, which is currently hopeless and deeply sad.鈥�
He added that although he doesn’t consider himself conservative, he wants to 鈥渃ontribute to regime change by voting for the Tisza party.鈥�
Friday’s performers included some of Hungary’s most popular acts: singer Azahriah, rappers Beton.Hofi and Kr煤bi, and alternative rock bands Quimby and Ivan and the Parasol.
Another performer, Benedek Szab贸, the frontman and lead songwriter for the popular band Galaxisok, told The Associated Press that for him, Hungary’s increasingly close connections with Moscow were tantamount to 鈥渟elling out the EU allies to Russia.鈥�
鈥淓veryone鈥檚 fed up, and everyone鈥檚 ready to finally change this system, to finally send a message,” he said. 鈥淣ot only today, but the day after tomorrow, that we鈥檝e had enough, and we want to belong to Europe.鈥�
Galaxisok performed a song that laments what the band sees as missed opportunities and wasted years under Orb谩n’s rule.
But in the song鈥檚 final stanza, it takes a defiant tone.
鈥淲hispered on trams, written on factory walls, on rain-drenched autumn streets, secretly everyone knows,” the lyrics go. “We鈥檝e had enough, once and for all. In the end, all regimes fall.”
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
