The 25th Wild Goose Festival, Hungary’s largest winter birdwatching event, will be held on November 29 on the shores of Old Lake (Öreg-tó) in Tata, northwestern Hungary. Visitors can look forward to witnessing the breathtaking sight of tens of thousands of wild geese taking flight and landing throughout the day, the organizers announced.
The festival begins at dawn with a birdwatching competition, followed by one of the day’s highlights at 7 a.m., when thousands of geese rise into the sky at once. An expert ornithologist will help identify the different species for visitors.
Later in the day, world-renowned Hungarian nature photographer Bence Máté will give a lecture on how to create wildlife-friendly gardens. The winners and top images of the 2025 Bird Photographer of the Year competition will also be presented.
Throughout the day, guests can enjoy a variety of programs along the lake shore, including animal and bird shows, woodpecker watching, local history walks, games, and craft activities for families.
This year’s festival will also attract international attention, as Tata hosts the 4th Roundtable of Mayors of Ramsar Cities — municipalities that have joined the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the protection of wetlands. Mayors and representatives from Iran (Varzaneh), Japan (Niigata), Switzerland (Geneva), Chile (Valdivia), and Belgium (Mechelen) are expected to attend.
In the late afternoon, around 4 p.m., the geese return to the lake, creating another stunning natural spectacle as they descend in V-shaped formations against the evening sky. Visitors can watch the scene through binoculars set up along the shore or on a large screen, accompanied by expert commentary.
A local fair will complement the event, where craftsmen, farmers, and folk artists will sell handmade products. Visitors can also purchase birdwatching gear, nature conservation tools, books, and artwork inspired by birds.
A unique feature of the Tata Wild Goose Festival is its location: Old Lake is the only bird sanctuary in Europe almost completely surrounded by a city, and it is protected under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance.
By late November, 40,000–50,000 birds typically roost on the lake — mostly greater white-fronted geese and greylag geese. Occasionally, observers even spot globally endangered species among them. The wild geese migrate to Hungary from as far as 6,000 kilometers away, traveling from northern Scandinavia and Siberia once the cold sets in.
However, organizers expressed concern on Tuesday evening about the declining water level of Old Lake. They had hoped the water level would stay above -50 cm, the minimum suitable depth for geese and other waterfowl. Recent reports, however, show it has already dropped below -80 cm, and due to fishing activities, the lake may be further drained to -90 cm.
“This depth already threatens the stay of the wild geese, and many species have been forced to leave,” the organizers said. “We hope new flocks will arrive to replace those that have gone, so visitors can still experience this extraordinary natural event.”
They added: “We would have liked nature conservation to take precedence over economic interests for just a few weeks in this special year. Now we can only hope that the geese will remain loyal to Old Lake.”
Despite the challenges, the organizers remain optimistic and continue preparations. They have recently installed a webcam system that streams live, 24-hour footage of the waterfowl, allowing bird enthusiasts to follow the migration remotely.
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