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More information: Mangalica Festival in Budapest.
Gluttonous Thursday (Torkos Csütörtök) in Budapest Restaurants 23rd February 2012 - Pay 50% less -
Spring Events
Budapest Spring Festival, 12th - 26th March, 2012 Budapest's largest festival features many classical music, opera, and ballet and chamber music programs at several venues throughout Budapest. Read more...
Budapest Spring Wine & Jazz Festival, 8th-10th April, 2012
The Titanic Film Festival is the largest international film festival in Hungary. The award of the film festival, called Breaking Waves and designed by artist Luca Görömbe is is given to the most outstanding, daring and innovative film of the festival every year. More information: Titanic Fim Festival
Budapest 100, Celebration of 100-Year Old Buildings, 14th-15th April 2012
May Day, 1st May 2012 - National Holiday
Daily tickets: 1 900 HUF includes a tasting glass and a PayPass card charged with 500 HUF, Discount daily ticket (purchased until 17.00): 1 500 HUF. More information: Budapest Pálinka Fesztivál
This year the Jazz Spring will bring real festival atmosphere to the Palace of Arts (Művészetek Palotája) on the Pest bank of the Danube.
Tickets: 3 000 - 4 000 HUF (except the performance of the Rozsnyói Péter-trio which is free). See the Palace of Arts' website
The 1st Hungarian Craft-Beer Festival's aim is to make artisan beers produced by micro breweries throughout the country known by more beer lovers. The festival takes place on the lovely Mikszáth Kálmán Square near the Hungarian National Museum between Múzeum körút and József körút.
Etyek Cellar Festival May 2012 Etyek is a small village south of Budapest in the Etyek-Budai wine region that hosts a very popular wine festival each year. A free direct bus service departs to the festival from Kelenföld Train Station.
More information: Múzeumok Majálisa Browse our list of Budapest Museums.
Palota Piknik (Palace Quarter Picnic) - 26th-29th May
Restaurants located in the area (Fiktív Pub, Leonardo Pizzeria, Darshan Udvar, Zappa Cafe, Don Leone) welcome guests with special picnic menu. The event is free and is open from 12.00 till 23.00.
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The first day of the festival (3rd June) is for the gastronomy industry, 4th June will be an open day when everyone is welcomed to have a taste of culinry delicacies, wines, pálinka and enjoy the live concerts. Entrance fee: daily ticket: 2 900 HUF/day, the ticket price includes a tasting glass |
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Coupons of 100 HUF and 1000 HUF are available at the coupon-selling points.
More information: Budai Gourmet
Festive Book Week - Ünnepi Könyvhét, first week of June 2012
Venue: Vörösmarty Square
The 82nd Festive Book Week takes place at the beginning of June at Vörösmarty Square (M1 underground, yellow metro line) in Budapest city centre.
Budapest Summer Festival June - 1st July-18th August 2012
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Pannon WineFest (Bországgyűlés) 10th-12th June, 2012
Venue: Vajdahunyad Castle, City Park (Városliget)
The wine festival starts at 11.00 on Friday 12th June and lasts till 24.00 on Friday and Saturday and till 23.00 on Sunday. Besides wine tasting there'll be gypsy music, folk music and dance, and fair.
Professional and amateur folk ensembles and musicians will perform both from Hungary and foreign countries.
Most events take place at popular tourist areas in Budapest:
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The Night of Museums, 19th June 2012
Venues: Museums of Budapest
Museums in Budapest and in other Hungarian cities are open till late on Midsummer Night. Buses will circulate the city to help visitors to get from one museum to another.
Spectacular exhibitions and programs make this event a very nice summer night entertainment. See our overview of Budapest Museums.
More information on programs: Night of Museums.
Budapest Fair - Connection Day Concert, 25th-26th June 2012
A two-day celebration that commemorates the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Hungary in 1991.
Various musical and cultural programs provide for entertainment. The event ends with the Connection Day Concert (26th June) on Ötvenhatosok tere (Dózsa György út) near Heroes' Square. A famous pop star or band gives concert every year. Admission is free.
Summer in the Buda Castle, July 2012
The Kapisztrán tér and the Courtyard of the Military History Museum in Budapest Castle District will attract visitors with traditional folk music and dance shows, crafts market.
Military bands will also perform and you can admire the famous hussars on their horses.
Vajdahunyadvár Summer Music Festival, 12th July - 9th August 2012
Venue: City Park (Városliget-Vajdahunyadvár), M1 underground, Hősök tere stop
The 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 cost 2500-5000 HUF.
The Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix takes place 20 km from Budapest, at Mogyorod village. You can get there on the M3 motorway. |
| Sziget (Island) Festival (or Pepsi Sziget), (6th-7th) 8th-13th August, 2012 Hajógyári Sziget |
A multicultural youth and pop festival, the largest in Central Europe. It’s on Óbudai-sziget, in northern Budapest. Come and experience the "Sziget Feeling"! |
Summer on the Chain Bridge, 25th June-15th July, 2012
Between 25th June and 15th July, every weekend Budapest's oldest bridge is a place for a colorful cultural festival. |
If you want to get a glimpse of Hungarian culture, handcraft and folklore, this event is for you! You can walk across the Chain Bridge and enjoy more than 100 programs for free.
National Dance Theatre performances in the Carmelite Courtyard (Castle District), 27th July - 14th August 2012
Spectacular dance shows within a beautiful setting in the Castle District. You can take a few steps with the dancers on the stage at the end of the performance.
Music Evenings in Budapest Zoo, 7thJuly-18th August 2012 Listen to jazz, klezmer and other light music concerts in the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Good music, exceptional setting, light summer breeze... what else do you need to have a memorable summer evening? |
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Opera and ballet productions, featuring internationally reputed Hungarian and foreign artists await culture lovers in Budapest throughout July and August. |
Classical music fans will definitely find something interesting from the 25 concerts of the BudaFest. The Budapest Festival has grown into one of Europe's most popular summer festival.
Venues:
For more information visit the organizer's website.
Festival of Folk Arts (Mesterségek Ünnepe), 19th-21st August, 2012
Organized annually in the Castle District in Buda. Craftsmen introduce traditional Hungarian folk art and crafts. You can buy their works, they make great souvenirs. |
St. Stephen’s Day, 20th August, 2012 public holiday
We commemorate St. Stephen, first king and patron of Hungary and the foundation of the Hungarian state. There are celebrations all over Budapest and the country. |
TIP: Spectacular fireworks close the holiday festivities at 21.00 from the Gellert Hill. You can enjoy the fireworks show from the best possible spot: from a ship on the Danube. Prior to the show a sightseeing cruise with dinner and live music starting at 19.00 makes the evening even more pleasant. Read details about the Fireworks Show and Danube Cruise on 20th August 2012 here. |
Beer Festival in Buda Castle 25th - 28th August, 2012
Venue: Buda Castle, Oroszlános Udvar, Hunyadi Udvar
The 1st Beer Festival in Buda Castle is a great opportunity to sample a wide asortment of beers both by large and small-scale breweries. Besides beer there'll be food and concerts and other programs to entertain.
Opening Hours:
25th - 26th Aug: 12.00-03.00
27th Aug: 10.00-03.00
28th Aug: 10.00-24.00
Admission: day ticket: 1690 HUF (includes a mug of beer), 4-day pass: 4 990 HUF (includes a mug of beer), free for children under 12
Jewish Summer Festival, 27th August – 5th September, 2012
A festival with wide-range programs (exhibitions, films, concerts, gastronomic events), introducing Jewish culture at Budapest. Organizer's website: Jewish Summer Festival |
Septemberfest, 2nd - 4th September 2012
Venue: Népliget, M3 metro Népliget station
International Wine and Champagne Festival, 12th-16th September, 2012

You can taste award winner Hungarian wines and meet the cellars and wine distributors in Castle District. Several other programs accompany this event .
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National Gallop - Nemzeti Vágta, 14th-18th September, 2012
Venue: Heroes' Square, Budapest
The highly successful event first organized in 2008 will be in mid-September in 2012. The National Gallop is a celebration of Hungarian traditions including traditional Hungarian horseback riding and hussar traditions.
The main attraction of the event is the horse race to which any Hungarian citizen aged 18 and older can enter, male or female without weight limitations. The spectacular race takes place on the vast historic plaza, Hősök tere (Heroes' Square).
Apart from the horse riding race, the National Gallop is a large-scale cultural festival that enriches the colourful event palette of Budapest. The "Kitchen of Hungary" and the "Wine and Pálinka House" offer a taste of local gastronomy and drinks.
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More information: National Gallop Hungary
Sweet Days Chocolate Festival, 16th-18th September, 2012
Venue: Buda Castle,
Opening hours: 16th Sept: 10.00-24.00, 17th Sept: 10.00-24.00, 18th Sept: 10.00-10.00
Admission: 1900 HUF/adult, 900 HUF/ children between 6-12, free for children under 6
A great family program not just for lovers of chocolate. Chocolate and ice-cream making, how to amke praline course, chocolate tasting tours with guides are some of the many programs of the Sweet Days Chocolate Festival in Buda Castle. |
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Budapest Baroque Music Festival, 22nd September - 9th October, 2012 Inner City St Michael Church in Váci Street Budapest, (Belvárosi Szt. Mihály templom).
Website: Szent Mihály Templom
Cultural Heritage Days September, 18th-19th September, 2012
Certain institutions and buildings otherwise closed for the public welcome visitors this weekend. Guides will introduce the history and characteristics of the buildings as well as the activities taking place inside. See more information: Cultural Heritage Days Budapest.
Belgian Beer Festival, September 2012
Venue: Museum of Hungarian Agriculture (Vajdahunyad Castle, City Park)
Pálinka & Sausage Festival in Buda Castle, 6th-9th October, 2012
The Pálinka és Kolbász Festivál is held at Budapest Castle District where you can taste famous Hungarian fruit brandies, sausages and other typical Hungarian food specialties. This year Russia and its famous drink vodka will be the highlight of the festival. |
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Tickets:
Daily ticket: 2000 HUF, includes tasting ticket in 500 HUF and a tasting glass.
Passes: 4-day pass: 4 000 HUF (includes a wristband and a tasting glass)
Passes are valid for multiple entries. Visitors will receive the wristband, the glass and the PayPass card upon first entrance.
Getting there: take bus 16A or 116 from Széll Kálmán tér (trams 4, 6, M2 metro) or the funicular (Budavári Sikló) from Clark Ádám tér (Buda end of the Chain Bridge) or the take the steps leading up to the hill from Clark Ádám Square.
More information: Pálinka és Kolbász Fesztivál
Café Budapest (formerly Budapest Autumn Festival), 8th-17th October, 2012
If you love contemporary art and music, this festival is for you! |
Spar Budapest International Marathon 26th September, 2012
23rd October, 1956 Revolution, National Holiday
Venues:
Budapest Christmas and New Year Fair, 18th November -30th December, 2012

There are several Christmas fairs in Budapest, but the best is at Vörösmarty Square.
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Christmas in Budapest, 24th-26th December 2012
On our Christmas in Budapest page you'll find useful information about opening hours, public transport at Christmas in Budapest and some Hungarian Christmas traditions. |
New Years in Budapest, 31st December 2012-2013 Programs to celebrate the last day of the year in Budapest. |
Have you been to an event in Budapest that you want to rant about?
For up-to-date programs in Budapest browse our Budapest Blog.
Budapest Concerts - an overview of concerts and concert venues in Budapest
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