The Amateur Theatre Carnival in Eger was first organised in the summer of 1968 by the County Cultural Centre with the support and help of the Institute for People’s Cultural Education. The carnival was so successful that it was held every second (third) year thereafter, with the most important amateur groups and ensembles of the country participating. Soon afterwards, it was incorporated into the programme of the Agria Games, which ran throughout the summer, and by the second half of the 1970s they were known as the Agria Carnival. The surprising thing about the Carnival, according to those who attended, was that there were theatre performances almost everywhere in the town, from the town’s swimming pool to the streets of Dobó Square, the Culture Centre, the Gárdonyi Géza Theatre and the Castle. So everyone who was in town that weekend could be part of the action