Budapest Festivals - Programs for Everyone All the Year Round

Cultural Budapest Festivals

Budapest Spring Festival 3rd-5th April 2010

The largest cultural festival in Budapest offers a wide spectrum of programs including classical music concerts, theatre performances, dance shows and unique exhibitions. The two-week event is usually held end of March-beginning of April every year.

More about Budapest Spring Festival...

Budapest Fringe Festival

The Budapest Fringe Festival is held on the last two days of the Spring Festival and its aim is to introduce lesser known artists both from Hungary and foreign countries.

Titanic International Film Festival 26th March-5th April, 2009

The first Titanic Film Festival was held in 1994. In 2006 Titanic became a competition-based festival. Every year movies shown during the festival are divided into certain themes and categories. The 10-day festival's venues include 4 art cinemas in Budapest, including the Urania Cinema.

The aim of the the Titanic Film Festival is "to collect a wide variety of daringly new, original, and trend-breaking motion pictures from every possible corner of the world; be it dark comedies, emotionally charged drama, genre films, or documentaries."

The award of the film festival, called Breaking Waves and designe dby artist Luca Görömbeis is given to the most outstandin, daring and innovative film of the festival every year.

Museum Festival 15th-16th May, 2010 Hungarian National Museum More than 100 musuems from all over Hungary will be present on this weekend festival in mid-May. The event takes palce in the garden and building of the Hungarian National Museum. There'll be craft fair, musical programs, folk performances.

Night of Museums, 19th June, 2010

Museums in Budapest in other towns in Hungary welcome the whole family with colorful progrmas all night long.

More information: Night of Museums.

Floralia Festival at Aquincum Óbuda, 22nd - 23rd May, 2010

The Floralia revives a popular festival of the Roman era. The event takes place at Aquincum Museum in Óbuda (Old Buda, district III.) featuring gladiator fights, theatre performances, flower exhibition children progrmas and many more.

National Gallop (Nemzeti Vágta) 5th-6th June, 2010
Venue: Heroes' Square, Andrássy Avenue, 56-osok tere

Held for the 3rd time, the National Gallop is a celebration of Hungary's horse riding traditions. Apart from the horse riding race to which teams of Hungarian settlements can enter and compete against each other spectacular shows, crafts fair and a range of other interesting programs enetertain visitors.

BudaFest Summer Opera and Ballet Festival, 1st July-17th August, 2010

The perfomances take place at two outdoor venues and in the imposing Opera House (ballet and opera) on Andrássy Avenue.: the Dominican court in the Hilton Hotel in Buda Castle (klezmer and jazz concerts) and at Szt István tér (symphony concerts) in front of St Stephen's Cathedral.

Open Air Summer Festival 1st June-31st August, 2010

The 3-month festival offers cultural entertainment throughout summer. Programs of the Sumemr Open Air Festival are held in the following venues within Budapest:

• Margaret Island Open Air Stage (Margitszigeti Szabadtéri Színpad), Water Tower (Víztorony), St Margaret monastery ruins
• Városmajor Open Air Stage, and
• Városmajor Park

This year's highlights of the Summer Open Air Festival will be the premiere of the Evita musical and the Aida opera, both staged in the Open Air Theatre on Margaret Island. More information: Budapest Summer Festival.

Summer Music Festival in Vajdahunyad Castle, 12th July - 9th August 2010

The lovely mock castle of Vajdahunyad in City park hosts a series of classical music klezmer, swing and gypsy music concerts in the middle of summer. Tickets are 2500 - 5000 HUF.

Budapest Space Film Music Festival (Tér Film Zene Fesztivál) mid-June- August, 2010, every day 17.00-23.00

Venue: West End Shopping Center, roof terrace

The roof garden of the large plaza at Nyugati Railway Station gives home this summer festival offering quality and free enetertianment for film lovers of all ages.

The films are selected from the best Hungarian and iinternational films shown in the last couple of decades.

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Danube Carneval June, 2010

The multi-cultural festival takes place in several spots within the city centre including Vörösmarty Square. Professional and amateur folk artists, contemporary dancers, musicians from Hungary and all over the world will be present on this 10-day festival.

There'll be a procession on the Chain Bridge and Carnival Gala on Margaret Island Open Air Theatre. All events are free except for the Carnival Gala on Margaret Island Open Air Theatre.

International Book Festival Budapest 23rd-26th April, 2009

This large book festival provides platform for representatives of the Hungarian and Central European literary life to introduce their works and meet each other and book lovers.

Every year a famous, internationally recognized author is invited as special guest of the Budapest Book Festival.

The European First Novel Festival is aprt of the Book Festival. Apart from reading sessions, conversations with authors, book signings a series of cultural programs make the vent more colourful.

Festive Book Week - 3rd-6th June, 2010, Vörösmarty Square

Summer on the Chain Bridge 27th June-19th July, 2010

The Summer on the Chain Bridge is a great festival that is free of charge. It takes place on weekends from end of June till mid-August every year on the most famous of Budapest Bridges. More about Summer on the Chain Bridge...

 

Festival of Folk Arts (Mesterségek Ünnepe) 20th-22nd August, 2010

The Festival of Folk Arts is held in mid-August every year in Budapest Castle District and the Royal Palace. More on the Festival of Folk Arts in Budapest...

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Jewish Summer Festival 30th August-6th September, 2010

The Jewish Summer Festival is held at the end of August-beginning of September every year and its aim is to introduce Jewish culture and heritage. The festival offers diverse programs in several venues including the beautiful Central Synagogue in Dohány Street.

Read more about the Jewish Summer Festival in Budapest.

Budapest Baroque Music Festival 17th September-11th October, 2009

Concerts in the Church of St Michael (Belvárosi Szent Mihály Templom) at 47/b Váci Street, V.district.

Budapest Autumn Festival 8th-17th October, 2010

To counterbalance the Spring Festival that concentrates more on classical music and art the Budapest Autumn Festival focuses on contemorary art.

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Pop-Rock Festivals in Budapest

Sziget Festival 11th-16th August, 2010

The largest open-air pop-rock festival in Central Europe takes palce on an island on the Danube (Hajógyári Sziget) usually in the middle of August.

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Jazz Festivals in Budapest

MOL Budapest Jazz Festival, 8th-12th September, 2010

The most significant Jazz concert in Budapest will feature concerts in several venues in the city including the Palace of Arts and the vibrant Ráday Street in IX. district. The greatest Hungarian Jazz musicians as well as international stars will perform during the vent.

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Gastro Festivals in Budapest

Hungarian gastronomy has gained world-wide reputation by some authenetic dishes like goulash and chicken paprikash and use of the country's mascot spice the paprika powder.

Hungarians love cooking and eating and numerous gastro festivals in Budapest and in other parts of Hungary provide opportunity to introduce Hungarain cuisine.

Mangalica Festival 5th-7th February, 2010, Vajdahunyad Castle and its environs in City Park

The Mangalica Festival is a tribute to the mangalica pig breed which is indigenuous to Hungary. You can get a taste of mangalica products like sausage, salami, black pudding, smoked ham etc.

Once mangalica was on the verge of extinction but devoted farmers revived the rare breed and now its meat is sought after (and overpriced) due to its more healthier fat constitution.

Besides mangalica products, an overwhelming selection of folk craft products, wine, pálinka, dried fruits, sweets, snacks are offered in the stalls.

Budapest Pálinka Festival 6th-9th May, 2010 The City hall park hosts the spring Pálinka Festival the aim of which is to introduce high-quality Hungaraian fruit brandies, pálinka in Hungarian to both locals and tourists. Musical programs, concerts enhance the athmosphere during the 4-day event.

Pálinka & Sausage Festival 8th-10th October, 2010 Savoya Terrace Royal Palace Buda Castle This is a sister event of the spring Pálinka Festival but it's held in Castle District and besides pálinka, Hungarian sausage is the other highlight of the festival. Admission: 1900 HUF daily ticket which includes tasting tickets in 500 HUF and a brandy glass.

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Wine Festivals in Budapest

There's wine festival in Budapest in almost every season. No wonder the finest Hungarian wines deserve to be cherrished as often as possible. A wine festival is a great opportunity to taste wines of the most famous Hungarian wine producers but you can also find excellent wines from lesser known wineries.

Apart from wine tasting a range of programs like music concerts, craft fair, programs for kids make wine festivals enetertaining for the whole family.

Budapest Spring & Jazz Festival, 3rd-5th April, 2010 City Hall Park

The Spring Wine Festival is the first in the series of Budapest wine festivals held in April in downtown Budapest in the City Hall Park. Admisison is free.

Pannon WineFest -Wine Assembly & Wine Festival June, 2010, Vajdahunyad Castle, City Park

Wine Village Budapest (Borfalu) around the 3rd weekend in August 2010 Ötvenhatosok tere, behind the Museum of Fine Arts, M1 (yellow) metro Heroes's Square station

The Wine Village takes place in the middle of August around Hungary's National Holiday on 20th August. Read more about Wine Village in Budapest.

Budapest Wine & Champagne Festival - Castle District, 8th-12th September, 2010

The most prestigious of all wine festivals organized in Hungary is held in the first half of every September. More details about he Budapest International Wine & Champagne Festival...

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