Budapest Events
| Month | Event name | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARCH | The Spring Uprising | 15 Mar | A public holiday marks the day in 1848 when the youth of Buda, led by the poet Sándor Petőfi, rebelled against the Habsburg occupation of Hungary, Thousands of people take to the streets to lay wreaths and light eternal flames, wearing the national colours of red, white and green. There are speeches and street theatre, especially in front of the Hungarian National Museum. |
| MARCH | Spring Festival | the last two weeks of Mar-mid. Apr. | Top national and international musicans gather for several weeks of music and dance in churches and concert halls all over Budapest. The emphasis of the festival is on the classical tradition, but also in evidence are hungarian folk music and dance, as well as pop and jazz. |
| APRIL | World Dance Festival | end of April | The National Dance Theatre and the Association of Hungarian Dance Artists organize this festival every year, with participation from top Hungarian dance groups and foreign guest artists. Castle Theatre, Erkel Theatre, the Light Opera Theatre and the Hungarian State Opera House hold the events. |
| APRIL | Horse Racing | Sundays Apr-Oct. | April sees the beginning of the flat-racing season. Place your bets at the busy and charmingly down-at-heel Kincsem Park race course on Albertirsai út. |
| MAY | May Day | 1 May | No longer a compulsory display of patriotism, May Day celebrations take place in public parks all over the city and involve craft markets, street performers and sausage and beer tents. A dip in the local thermal bath or swimming pool is another popular May Day activity. |
| MAY | Concerts in St Stephen's Basilica | May-Oct | Thursday evening organ concerts in the city's largest church provide a perfect opportunity to study the lavish interior decoration of this extraordinary building. |
| JUNE | Open-Air Theatre Festival | Jun-Aug | Margaret and Óbuda Islands provide two of the major venues for this summer-long, open-air arts festival. |
| JUNE | Budapesti Búcsú | last weekend in Jun | A mixture of music, dance and theatre celebrates the departure from Hungary of Soviet troops in 1991. |
| JULY | Hungarian Grand Prix | end of July | The biggest event in the Hungarian sporting calendar takes place east of the city, at Mogyoród race track. |
| JULY | Chain Bridge Festival | weekends of Jul-Aug | A lively series of free events including concerts and dance, traditional arts and crafts, street theatre, parades and activities for children. |
| JULY | Budapest Summer Opera and Ballet Festival | Jul or Aug | Look out for the ten-day series of shows that makes up the summer season at the Hungarian State Opera House. |
| AUGUST | St István's Day | 20 Aug | St István, the patron saint of Hungary, is celebrated with mass in St Stephen's Basilica followed by a huge procession. The day ends with fireworks on Gellért Hill and along the Danube. |
| AUGUST | Sziget Festival | Aug | Ten stages and a camp site are set up on Óbuda Island for this popular week-long festival of rock, folk and jazz. |
| SEPTEMBER | Budapest Wine Festival | 2nd week of Sept | After the late-August grape harvest, wine makers set up their stalls for wine tastings and folk dancing on Buda's Castle Hill and in sqares around the city. |
| OCTOBER | Spar Budapest International Marathon and Running Festival | Oct | There is a marathon, a relay race, a mini-marathon and a family running competition for participants. Concerts and events are held for spectators. |
| OCTOBER | Autumn Festival | middle of Oct. | Several weeks of contemporary film, dance and theatre at venues across the city. |
| NOVEMBER | Budapest Christmas Fair | 26 Nov- 24 Dec. | The Budapest Christmas Market transforms Vörösmarty Square into a festive marketplace, where Hungarian artists and craftsmen display their work and national dishes are served. |
| JANUARY | New Year's Gala Concert | 1 Jan | This cheerful occasion is an excellent way to start the new year. Outstanding Hungarian and foreign artists perform excerpts from European opera and musicals, providing a lively evening of music. |
| FEBRUARY | Hungarian Film Festival | early Febr. | This two-day celebration of Hungarian film has been run by the Magyar Filmszemle since 1969, to attract funding to a hard-pressed industry. Many films are subtitled. |
| FEBRUARY | Masked-Ball Season | Febr. | Budapest forgets the cold weather to welcome the coming spring, and the arrival of the farsang, fancy dreass masked-ball season. The climax of the season is the spectacular Opera Ball and a masked procession, on the last Saturday and Sunday before Lent, respectively. |
Read more about this topic: Public Holidays In Hungary
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