Stronger Professional Participation and Growing Visitor Numbers at SIRHA Budapest 2026
The SIRHA Budapest exhibition, Central Europe’s largest trade fair for the food industry and the HORECA sector, has come to a close. For the seventh time, professionals from the hospitality, confectionery, bakery and gastronomy sectors across the region gathered at the HUNGEXPO Budapest Congress and Exhibition Center. Alongside stronger professional attendance, visitor numbers also increased, and exhibitors left this year’s event satisfied with the results.
More than 27,000 visitors attended this year’s SIRHA Budapest to discover the products and services of 420 exhibitors from 26 countries. This represents a 5% increase in visitor numbers compared to the previous event held in 2024. According to exhibitor feedback, they were particularly pleased with the high number of trade visitors. Many reported successful meetings, valuable business discussions, and even concrete business deals concluded during the exhibition.
At the opening ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture emphasized that the food industry will remain an important pillar of the national economy in the years ahead, and that the government therefore continues to regard it as a strategic sector. Dr. István Nagy noted that nearly 4,000 businesses in Hungary are active in the food industry, while the number of employees in the sector reached 146,000 last year, marking an increase of 20,000 since 2010. He added that consumers are actively seeking Hungarian products because they are of high quality and safe to consume.
Gábor Ganczer, CEO of HUNGEXPO, stated that SIRHA Budapest is not only a defining professional event because of its scale, but also because the food industry and hospitality sector consistently indicate the directions of renewal and innovation. He also pointed out that Italy, the guest of honour of this year’s event, offers an excellent example of how local products can be successfully brought to market and how an entire country can be built into a strong gastronomic brand.
Representing this year’s guest of honour, Giuseppe Scognamiglio, Ambassador of Italy to Budapest, highlighted that the food industry also plays a key role in the Italian economy, while the peninsula’s gastronomic heritage forms part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. He noted that regional traditions remain strong, while Italian producers are also investing significant amounts in technological development, digital modernisation, sustainability and food safety. The Ambassador added that he sees substantial opportunities for food industry cooperation between the two countries, particularly as Hungary has gained maritime access through the port of Trieste in Italy.
Once again, SIRHA Budapest welcomed visitors with a rich professional programme offering this year.
A large number of visitors registered for Trade Magazin’s “Future Store” programme, which was once again among the exhibition’s most popular attractions. This year, 20 partner companies presented the market’s latest product developments, innovative equipment solutions and services ahead of their launch. At the START-UP ISLAND, promising businesses selected by a professional jury introduced themselves to the audience. The awards of the SIRHA Innovation Product Competition were presented during the opening ceremony. Following a joint call by Trade Magazin and HUNGEXPO, exhibitors were invited to submit entries in six categories. The jury recognised the outstanding applications received and awarded first, second and third prizes across four different fields. The list of winners is available here.
The international event organised by HEPA Hungarian Export Promotion Agency and the Enterprise Europe Network in Hungary was once again highly successful, where potential business partners could take part in the Enterprise Europe Network’s B2B meetings. These provided an excellent opportunity for companies seeking international business prospects in the food industry and HORECA sectors, as well as for those looking to bring their products and services to foreign markets. For exhibitors and business-minded visitors alike, the pre-arranged partner meetings once again proved to be a valuable form of support, facilitated by the system operated by HUNGEXPO.
A new feature of this year’s exhibition was the Hosted Buyer Program, which created a premium opportunity for businesses to meet international decision-makers looking for new suppliers, innovative products and reliable partners. The Hungarian Wine Island and the Aux Vignobles! French wine exhibition were also major successes, with the exclusive 200 sqm stand providing many French wineries with the opportunity to present themselves in Hungary for the first time.
As Italy was the guest of honour at this year’s SIRHA Budapest, the Italian Trade Agency, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, brought a record number of 29 Italian food manufacturers to Budapest.
Professional Competitions and Results
In 2026, the finals of several professional competitions were once again held during the SIRHA Budapest exhibition.
At the 10th Mass Catering Championship, organised by the National Association of Public Catering and Food Service Managers, the Hungarian National Gastronomy Association, and the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih), the gold award in the Children’s and Student Catering category was won by Prizma Junior and Organix Team Szupermenza. In the Workplace Catering category, Melódin Restaurants and Organix Team Hungast were named the top performers. In the Institutional Adult Catering category, three teams received gold awards: KDK (Kanizsai Hospital), Organix Team Catey, and Vácziak (Vác Prison and Penitentiary).
A record number of more than 60 entries were submitted for the Hungary’s Cake Competition, organised for the 20th time by the Hungarian Confectioners’ Association, with its first semi-final held at SIRHA Budapest. This year’s mandatory ingredients were curd cheese and sour cream. The next round will take place on 10 March, while the winning cake will traditionally be announced on 20 August. Further details about the competition and the cakes advancing to the next round are available here.
Following the great success of the previous SIRHA Budapest, the Ice Cream Adventure 2026 creative gelato competition was also held again this year, where young confectionery students and master gelato makers could compete against each other in a unique format. The gold medal was won by the confectionery team of Krúdy Gyula Technical School and Grammar School of the Siófok Vocational Training Centre, led by Dávid Wilheim.
A new highlight of SIRHA Budapest was the final of the Free-From Chef of the Year competition, where only gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free and vegan dishes could be presented. The Free-From Chef of the Year 2026 title was awarded to István Matus. The Sustainability Special Award went to Norbert Tanács, while the Creative Special Award was presented to Martin Balog.
At the Pataki János Memorial Competition, named after the legendary confectioner, both adults and confectionery students competed. In the Cake Decoration (Student) category, Melinda Bíborka Bányai received the gold medal, while the special award went to Henriett Viktória Bárdi. In the Artistic Work (Student) category, Helga Horváth and Orsolya Csizmadia finished in first place. Among the adult competitors, Alíz Simonné Varga won gold in the Cake Decoration category, while in Artistic Work, Szilvia Bodor, Dr. Éva Varsányi, Péter Fonódi, and Róbert Perity were the top winners. In the Sugar Flower Composition category, the gold medal and special awards were presented to Mária Mónika Balázsné Oroszi, Orsolya Smukné Komádi, Mrs. Károly Nagy, and Julianna Viktória Ujvári. The winner of the Savoury Pastries category was Barbara Juhászné Levelényi.
There was also considerable interest in the first-ever Hungarian Pizza Championship. The competition, organised by the FUPI Hungarian Pizza Association, brought together pizzaioli from across the country to showcase their skills. The authentic Italian atmosphere was ensured by FUPI’s two founders, Gianni Annoni and Szabolcs Szabadfi (known as Szabi a Pék).
The results of the first Hungarian Pizza Championship were as follows: in the Pizza Classica category, Tamás Gombai took first place. In the Pizza Napoletana category, Csaba Babati achieved the highest score, while László Bata won the Pizza Romana category. The special Pizza a Due category was won by Tamás Hácz and Rosario Simeoli.
Another distinctive highlight of SIRHA Budapest was the programme made possible by T. Nagy Tamás Kft., which paid tribute to the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie in Lyon by bringing the meeting point of confectionery and fine arts to the main stage. Artists from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) and renowned pastry professionals jointly presented the spectacular worlds of ice sculpture, chocolate artistry and modern dessert creation. Visitors also had the opportunity to gain insight into the latest confectionery and kitchen innovations, while meeting leading representatives of the profession in person and asking them questions directly.
Coffee was once again an important focus of this year’s exhibition. Guests of the SIRHA Business Café could take part in professional programmes and tastings, while SIRHA Budapest and the KávéBár Projekt, with partner support from Alpro, organised the SIRHA Latte Art Championship – Plant-based Universe by Alpro during the exhibition. In this barista competition, contestants were required to prepare coffee latte and matcha latte beverages featuring milk-pouring patterns. The aim of the programme was to draw the attention of industry professionals to matcha as an increasingly popular ingredient, which is now used in a significant share of latte-based drinks.
Preparation for the next edition of SIRHA Budapest is already underway, as the organisers begin planning for the event to return to Budapest on 7–9 March 2028, once again providing industry professionals with a meeting point rich in new developments and high-quality professional programmes.
Guest of Honour: Italy (Italian Trade Agency)
Key Professional Partner: METRO Kft.
Key Media Partner: Trade magazin
Cooperating Partners:
Agroinform.hu
Bocuse d’Or Hungary
Csakamentes
FUPI Hungarian Pizza Association
Heroes of Responsible Dining
Hungarian Hotel & Restaurant Association
Hungarian Pastry Association
Hungarian Association of Bakers
Hungarian Hospitality Industry Association
Mass Catering Championship
