44th Lidl Balaton Crossing Attracts Over 11,000 Swimmers

Balaton crossing Lidl 44th edition Nagy Nándor 11,000 participants

The 44th edition of the Lidl Balaton‑átúszás took place on August 1, 2026 after two postponements. Around 11,000 participants from 60 countries, representing 1,190 Hungarian towns, entered the race.

Competitors could choose among three distances – the classic 5.2 km swim between Révfülöp and Balatonboglár, a 5.2 km SUP crossing, and a 2.6 km half‑distance. The start was at 7 a.m.; weather was hot with temperatures up to 36 °C and water around 25 °C.

Safety was provided by a fleet of 150 sailboats spaced roughly every 50 m, three hospital ships, motor‑boat rescue units, 60 kayakers and more than a thousand volunteers. The men's winner was Nagy Nándor, who finished in 59 min 20 s, marking the 250,000th finisher in the event’s history.

The race prompted temporary changes to regular boat schedules on the Balatonboglár–Révfülöp line, with several passenger and sunset cruises cancelled for the day.

Entities: 44th Balaton-átúszás · Balaton · Balaton regional organizers · Balatonboglár · Balatonboglár–Révfülöp ferry service · Balatonkenese · Balatonkenese Art Festival · Balaton‑átúszás participants · Hungarian Water Police (Balatoni Vízirendészeti Rendőrkapitányság) · Hungarian Water Regulation Authority · Hungarian local artists · HungaroMet Observatory

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Regular boat services on the Balatonboglár–Révfülöp route will run with altered timetables on July 31 and August 1 due to the 44th Balaton-átúszás. (Article 5d009aac-dad0-42fe-a8eb-247a0c512943)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The V. Kenese ArtFeszt will be held in Balatonkenese from July 29 to August 2, 2026. (Article 1d60eb4e-6c08-462e-995b-22ddc80e2df7)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Szamárfül Family Festival will take place in Pécs from August 28‑30, 2026. (Article af4d6cf8-1a26-4f83-adf8-aeb040efef75)
[○ 1 SOURCE] A series of concerts, festivals and family programmes are scheduled around Lake Balaton from August 3‑9, 2026. (Article a3b46e93-b109-48cc-9fae-2e0313d2b4c9)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The 44th Balaton-átúszás will take place on August 1, 2026. (Article e0314702-0cd2-4306-9683-93eaa4d148bb)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Registration for the Balaton-átúszás is open until noon on the day before the event. (Article e0314702-0cd2-4306-9683-93eaa4d148bb)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Balaton-átúszás offers a 5.2 km classic distance, a 2.6 km half‑distance and a SUP crossing. (Article e0314702-0cd2-4306-9683-93eaa4d148bb)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Registration closes at noon on the day before the event.
[● 4 SOURCES] The oldest participant is 90 years old.
[● 4 SOURCES] Safety support includes 150 sailboats, three hospital boats, motor rescue boats, 60 kayaks and over 1 000 organizers.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Ferry services on the Balatonboglár–Révfülöp route were altered on 31 July and 1 August because of the crossing.
[● 4 SOURCES] Registrants come from 1 190 Hungarian towns and 60 countries.