Record deployment of Panasonic PT-RQ45K projectors transforms Budapest for St Stephen’s Day

Celebrated annually on 20 August, St Stephen’s Day commemorates King Stephen I and the foundation of the Hungarian state. The celebrations in Budapest traditionally centre on the Parliament Building and the River Danube, attracting large audiences to the heart of the city.

For the 2026 event, the area between Margaret Bridge and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge was transformed through a combination of projection mapping, lighting, lasers, drones, music and fireworks.

The scale of the installation placed exceptional demands on the projection technology. Images needed to remain bright, consistent and visually compelling across different architectural surfaces while operating as part of a precisely coordinated system containing more than 80 high-brightness projectors.

Designed specifically for large live events, projection mapping and immersive experiences, the PT-RQ45K combined the required brightness and 4K image quality with a compact and installation-friendly design. 

The project was delivered through close cooperation between several specialist organisations. Centrum Production oversaw the overall production, with Dániel Besnyő serving as director and overall project lead. Gergő Geltz led the team responsible for the artistic lighting content, The light show was programed by Balazs Varga. 

Completed within only six weeks, the multidisciplinary production brought together more than 300 companies and over 1,000 professionals, including engineers, technicians, manufacturers, production specialists, filmmakers and creative teams. The artistic programme was itself a major collaborative effort involving leading members of Hungary’s light-art community. Six light-art studios and eight independent light artists contributed animations and visual content to the final production.