What's on: Budapest & Hungary
Every date below is checked against the event's own official site. Updated daily; "expected" means the annual event is a safe bet but this edition's dates aren't announced yet.
Running now
- The Treasures of King Louis I (the Great) of Hungaryuntil 31 Dec · Exhibitions
- Freddie: The Exhibitionuntil 28 Feb · Exhibitions
- Rituals of Beauty: Body Decoration in the Amazonuntil 4 Jan · Exhibitions
- Akvárium Klub Autumn Programuntil 20 Nov · Music
- Recirquel: Walk My Worlduntil 31 Oct · Theatre
- World Press Photo Exhibition 2026until 8 Nov · Exhibitions
- Walk This Way. The Art of Walkinguntil 31 Jan · Exhibitions
- Stephanus International Organ Festival (St Stephen's Basilica)until 31 Oct · Music
- Toscauntil 18 Nov · Culture
- Lumina Parkuntil 7 Mar · Seasonal
- Elhivatottak (The Called): Hungarian Women Artists in the First Half of the 20th Centuryuntil 14 Feb · Exhibitions
- Garden of Lightsuntil 3 Jan · Seasonal
- Living Folk Art: 18th National Folk Art Exhibitionuntil 11 Apr · Exhibitions
- Bonjour Monsieur Gauguin!until 28 Feb · Exhibitions
Heads-ups for your dates
This week
Városligeti Tök Jó Fesztivál (City Park Pumpkin Festival)
A pumpkin festival run by the organiser Budapest Feszt at the City Park Ice Rink, over three weekends: 17-18 October, 23-25 October and 31 October-1 November 2026. The opening day, 17 October, runs from 10:00 to 22:00.
Official site ↗Budapest International Film Festival (BIFF)
Nine days of new international films at the Corvin cinema, from 24 October to 1 November 2026, with festival films such as Anton Corbijn's A Talent for Murder and Taika Waititi's Klara and the Sun. Screening times and tickets are on the festival's own ticket shop.
Official site ↗The Fountain of Bakhchisarai at the Hungarian State Opera
The Hungarian National Ballet dances Rostislav Zakharov's ballet after Pushkin's poem, to Boris Asafyev's music. Ten performances from 29 October to 15 November in the Opera House on Andrássy út, some as 11:00 matinees; the Saturday 31 October show runs 18:30 to 21:10.
Official site ↗Alphaville
The German new wave band behind Forever Young and Big in Japan plays MVM Dome.
Official site ↗Halloween Evening at Budapest Zoo
After normal closing on Friday 30 Oct the zoo reopens from 18:00 to 23:00 for a family Halloween evening: night-time animal talks with snakes and other creepy-crawlies, fire-juggling and LED shows, and a witches' hut. Day tickets and passes are not valid; it needs its own ticket, 5,900 Ft for adults and 4,200 Ft for children, students and seniors. The ticket desks and entry close at 21:00, and at most 7,000 people are let in at once.
Official site ↗Boris Brejcha
The German techno DJ known for his masked stage persona headlines a Halloween-dated show at MVM Dome.
Official site ↗Harlem Globetrotters: The 100 Year Tour
The show basketball team brings its centennial tour to Budapest, facing its old rivals the Washington Generals in the new anniversary jersey. Start 19:00. A family evening of trick shots and slam dunks. The Magic Pass lets fans meet the players before the game, and the 5th Quarter after it is for autographs.
Official site ↗Jozef van Wissem plays Nosferatu
Sold out (checked 29 October). On Halloween night at 20:30, Dutch lutenist and composer Jozef van Wissem plays his own score live to F. W. Murnau's 1922 silent film Nosferatu at the Toldi cinema. He wrote the music in 2019 for the Cinémathèque française in Paris; he is also known for his work with Jim Jarmusch on the Only Lovers Left Alive soundtrack.
Official site ↗Little Night of Horrors at Müpa
Müpa's long-running Halloween concert: Gábor Hollerung conducts the Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra and the Budapest Academic Choral Society, with ARLtistic Dance Company on stage. Saturday from 21:00 to 22:30; tickets from 5,900 to 17,900 Ft with dynamic pricing, and Müpa warns of an online queue.
Official site ↗Samhain: Celtic Halloween at Aquincum
The Roman ruins museum in Óbuda stays open late for a Celtic Halloween, with fire duels, pumpkin carving, a costume contest, Irish dancing and curator-led tours. Saturday from 16:00 to 23:00; adult ticket 3,500 Ft, family ticket 8,750 Ft.
Official site ↗All Saints' Day at Fiumei Road Cemetery
On 1 November, a public holiday, Hungarians light candles on family graves, and the national cemetery is at its most atmospheric after dark. There is a Mass at 15:00 at the Szentkereszt sacred space, then choir concerts from 16:00 to 17:00 on Jókai-körönd, and the entrance infopoint hands out one free candle per visitor. The cemetery is open 7:00 to 20:00; the mausoleums are closed that day. Most shops in the city are closed on the holiday.
Official site ↗Techno Yoga // Halloween UV Yoga
A Halloween edition of Techno Yoga at Akvárium Klub on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, with neon body painting from 18:00 and a UV-lit yoga session to DJ SABIRA at 19:00. Bring your own yoga mat.
Official site ↗
Next week
Kuplung
The Hungarian rock band plays two consecutive arena nights, its first headline run at this scale.
Official site ↗The Witcher in Concert
An orchestra and choir perform the game series' score live at MVM Dome, with scenes projected behind them.
Official site ↗Whisky & Fine Spirit Show
The 15th edition of Budapest's whisky fair fills the Corinthia Hotel with whisky and fine-spirit stands, masterclasses and an auction of 50 limited bottles of whisky, rum and cognac. Doors open at 14:00 on Saturday and the show closes at 21:00; the standard ticket includes a tasting glass and four tasting coupons. Over 18s only.
Official site ↗The Klezmatics: We Were Made For These Times
The Grammy-winning klezmer band brings its 2026 tour to the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall for one night, mixing traditional Yiddish repertoire with their own political songwriting.
Official site ↗Jodok Cello
The barefoot Swiss crossover cellist brings his world tour to the arena with an audiovisual light show: songs by Bruno Mars, Coldplay, David Guetta, Hans Zimmer and Ludovico Einaudi rearranged for cello. Start 20:00.
Official site ↗Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves: Celebrate John Coltrane
Two major American jazz names share the stage at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall for a John Coltrane centenary tribute, part of Müpa's wider jazz season built around the anniversary.
Official site ↗
November 2026
Placebo
The British alt-rock band returns to Budapest after ten years, marking 30 years since their debut album with a career-spanning set.
Official site ↗Vörösmarty Classic Xmas (Budapest Christmas Fair, Vörösmarty tér)
The Christmas fair on Vörösmarty tér opens on Friday 13 November 2026: Monday to Thursday and Sunday 11:00-21:00, Friday and Saturday 11:00-22:00, 24 December 10:00-14:00, 25 and 26 December 12:00-18:00. The craft stalls and the little train run until 28 December, the square is open 11:00-21:00 on 29 and 30 December, and New Year's Eve runs 11:00 to 03:00.
Official site ↗
Photo: Vörösmarty Classic Xmas · 2025 market (archive) 
Photo: Vörösmarty Classic Xmas · 2025 market (archive) Advent Bazilika (Christmas Market at St. Stephen's Basilica)
The Christmas market on Szent István tér, in front of St Stephen's Basilica, opens on Friday 13 November 2026 and runs to 1 January 2027: Monday to Thursday and Sunday 11:00-22:00, Friday and Saturday 11:00-23:00, 24 December 11:00-15:00, 25 and 26 December 11:00-20:00, New Year's Eve 11:00 to 03:00 and 1 January 11:00-18:00. The organiser lists nearly a hundred craft exhibitors and a giant Christmas tree on the square.
Official site ↗AWS 20 X Madách
AWS marks two decades together with what the band bills as its biggest arena show yet, a one-night 20th-anniversary concert at Papp László Budapest Sportaréna. Sung in Hungarian, but arena-scale, and the anniversary framing makes it likely to sell out.
Official site ↗Thomas Anders
The Modern Talking co-founder brings his 80s hits to MVM Dome for one night.
Official site ↗St Martin's New Wine Festival and Goose Feast at the Skanzen
The Szentendre open-air museum marks St Martin's Day over the weekend of 14 and 15 November with new-wine tastings, goose dishes and concerts in the courtyards of its old farmhouses, plus crafts, games and a lantern procession. It closes the museum's Autumn Festival of Museums; the detailed programme is still to come on the museum's site.
Official site ↗Carmen
Calixto Bieito's staging of Bizet's Carmen, moved from 19th-century Seville to post-Franco Spain, returns for eight performances. Sung in French with Hungarian, English and French surtitles; evenings start at 18:00, and the 21 and 29 November shows are 11:00 matinees. The Opera does not recommend it for children under 16.
Official site ↗Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival
The 23rd Verzió brings more than 80 documentaries from around the world to Budapest. It opens at Trafó on 16 November, then screens mainly at the Toldi and Művész cinemas, with many films followed by Q&As with the filmmakers. A good plan for a rainy evening in late November.
Official site ↗Buhera: Jerry-Rigging
How did a washing machine motor become a lawnmower? This exhibition at the Museum of Ethnography shows the home-made fixes of rural Hungary from the 1950s to the 1980s, when shortage made everyone an inventor. One section has explicit content, so under-18s should come with an adult.
Official site ↗Városligeti Műjégpálya season opening (City Park Ice Rink)
The City Park Ice Rink opens its 2026/27 season on Friday 20 November 2026 at 17:00, weather permitting. 2026 marks 100 years since the rink became mechanically refrigerated, so the first day is a celebration with ice-sport shows and music. Tickets, prices and the full program are not published yet.
Official site ↗Nixon in China (John Adams)
John Adams' opera about Nixon's visit to China, staged by András Almási-Tóth in the Hungarian State Opera's converted railway workshop. Sung in English with Hungarian and English surtitles, three performances at 18:30 on 20, 22 and 24 November. Not recommended for under-16s.
Official site ↗Debreceni Advent (Debrecen Christmas Market)
Debrecen's Advent season opens on 20 November 2026 and lasts until 23 December, with an Advent market, an ice rink, a baroque carousel and a little Christmas train in the city centre. The Ice Flower Carnival, the winter counterpart of the August Flower Carnival, starts at 17:00 on 21 November on Kossuth tér. Debrecen is roughly two and a half hours from Budapest by train, so an overnight stay works best.
Official site ↗The Nutcracker (Hungarian National Ballet)
Wayne Eagling and Tamás Solymosi's Nutcracker, in the Opera House repertoire since its 2015 premiere, is the house's Christmas ballet, with the first public performance on 20 November at 19:00 and the last on 10 January. Matinees and evening shows alternate, and several days carry both, 31 December among them at 13:00 and 21:00. Tickets are on sale on the Opera's site.
Official site ↗Sarah Brightman: A Winter Symphony
The soprano's new holiday show brings orchestra and choir to the MVM Dome for one night, mixing Christmas classics with her greatest hits.
Official site ↗Pitbull: I'm Back!
Pitbull returns to Budapest for a fall show at the MVM Dome, a second Budapest date after his summer Puskás Aréna concert sold out.
Official site ↗Advent Győrben (Advent in Győr)
Advent in Győr fills the baroque old town from 16:00 on 27 November until 23 December 2026, according to the city's own event guide. The detailed programme is not out yet, so check again closer to the date. Győr is under an hour and a half from Budapest by train, an easy day trip.
Official site ↗Eger Advent (Christmas Market in Eger)
Eger's Christmas market takes over Dobó tér below the castle from 27 November to 24 December 2026, with a craft market, holiday concerts, mulled wine and shared Advent candle lightings. The city promises close to 80 programme items, and the detailed schedule is still to come.
Official site ↗Smokie
The British soft-rock band behind "Living Next Door to Alice" plays the arena on its Legacy Tour.
Official site ↗
December 2026
Recirquel: Kristály, a winter circus tale (Millenáris)
Recirquel brings back a renewed version of its winter new-circus fairy tale, staged by Müpa in the Millenáris Glass Hall: a world frozen in ice that the performers and the audience thaw together. The show moves through the hall and you move with it, so every ticket is standing. Shows run Friday to Sunday on 4 to 6 and 11 to 13 December, then daily on 18 to 22 and 26 to 31 December, two or three a day, each about an hour. Tickets are 4,500 to 7,500 Ft, from age 6.
Official site ↗La Bohème
Puccini's La Bohème in Kálmán Nádasdy's production, in the Opera's repertoire since 1937 with nearly 1,000 performances so far, returns for the holidays. Sung in Italian with Hungarian, English and Italian surtitles; evening shows at 18:30, including Christmas Day, with matinees on 23 December and 10 January.
Official site ↗Bryan Adams: Roll with the Punches
Bryan Adams brings his Roll with the Punches tour to the MVM Dome for one night. A reliable arena show if you want a big international name without the Budapest Park summer-festival crowds.
Official site ↗José Carreras
The Spanish tenor, one of the original Three Tenors, gives a Christmas-season concert at MVM Dome.
Official site ↗Kincsem Park New Year's Eve Trotting Festival (Ügetőszilveszter)
Budapest's biggest open-air New Year's Eve gathering has run at the Kincsem Park racetrack for over two decades, mixing trotting and greyhound races with live entertainment. At the last edition the fireworks went up at 20:50 and the gates closed at 22:00, well before midnight. Kincsem Park has confirmed the 2026 edition for Thursday, 31 December; its event page says details are coming soon, and no programme, times or ticket prices are published yet.
Official site ↗HELLO 2027 New Year's Eve Festival
A new New Year's Eve festival at MVM Dome from the team behind STRAND Festival, with live concerts from 18:00 on 31 December into the early hours. Beton.Hofi plays five minutes after midnight, straight after the national anthem. Presale opens 9 October at 08:00.
Official site ↗
January 2027
New Year's at the Opera: Beethoven 9
The Opera House opens the year with a concert built around Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, at 20:00 on 1 and 3 January. On 1 January only Royal Box seats are on sale.
Official site ↗Manowar
The American heavy metal band returns to Budapest after 25 years, playing the Fighting the World album in full plus additional anthems.
Official site ↗MICHAEL: The Show Is Mine (Michael Jackson tribute production)
A licensed touring tribute production recreates Michael Jackson's stage show at the MVM Dome, with input from some of his former collaborators. Not the artist himself, but a large-scale, well-reviewed tribute worth knowing about if the real thing is what you're picturing.
Official site ↗WWE Road to Royal Rumble
WWE brings a live Road to Royal Rumble show to MVM Dome, part of the promotion's European tour ahead of the January pay-per-view.
Official site ↗Roby Lakatos & Hollywood Orchestra
The virtuoso violinist and his orchestra play songs that made history, from Bella Ciao and Imagine to Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World, with archive footage telling the stories behind them. Special guests János Bródy and Mariann Falusi. Doors 18:00, start 19:00.
Official site ↗
February 2027
Superenduro GP of Hungary 2027
The FIM Superenduro World Championship stops at MVM Dome for an indoor round of the off-road motorcycle series.
Official site ↗Bullet For My Valentine + Pendulum
The Welsh metal band brings its Social Apocalypse 2027 Tour to the arena with Pendulum as very special guest. Start 18:30, tickets from 22,200 Ft.
Official site ↗Early Music Festival at Müpa (Régizene Fesztivál)
Three evenings of period-instrument music: William Christie and Les Arts Florissants play Handel on 24 February, György Vashegyi and the Orfeo Orchestra give Rameau's La guirlande its first Hungarian performance on 2 March, and Andrea Marcon's Basel ensemble closes with a Monteverdi Easter Vespers on 11 March.
Official site ↗Morricone's Legendary Film Scores
Andrea Morricone conducts a live symphony orchestra through his father Ennio's film scores, from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West to Cinema Paradiso and The Mission, with scenes from the films projected behind the stage. Doors open at 19:00 and the concert starts at 20:00; Glennis Grace guests with a set of Whitney Houston songs.
Official site ↗
March 2027
Cirque du Soleil - OVO
Cirque du Soleil's insect-themed acrobatic show OVO plays four nights at MVM Dome.
Official site ↗Jimmy Carr: Laughs Funny
The British comedian brings his one-liner show to the Budapest Arena, in English with no translation. The ticket page warns that the dark humour is not for everyone. Start 19:30.
Official site ↗Loreena McKennitt: The Mask and Mirror
The Canadian singer and songwriter returns to Hungary on her 30-date European tour marking 30 years of The Mask and Mirror.
Official site ↗KALEO: Way Down We Go Tour
The Icelandic rock band marks ten years of its debut album A/B, the one with Way Down We Go, All The Pretty Girls and No Good. Start 19:30.
Official site ↗
April 2027
A Night About John Williams
A tribute concert to the film composer behind Star Wars, Harry Potter and Jurassic Park, played by the Danube Symphony Orchestra with a live choir.
Official site ↗
May 2027
Sabaton
The Swedish power metal band known for its history-themed anthems headlines MVM Dome.
Official site ↗Jazz Spring at Müpa (Jazztavasz)
Three nights of women in jazz: British saxophonist Emma Rawicz's sextet on 21 May and singer Emma Smith with Francesca Tandoi's trio on 22 May in the Festival Theatre, then Brazilian pianist and singer Eliane Elias closes with Antonio Carlos Jobim's songs in the big concert hall on 23 May.
Official site ↗
June 2027
Roger Waters presents LEGACY, a Pink Floyd show by the Harry Waters Band
A new live production of Pink Floyd's 1971 to 1979 music, created under the direction of Roger Waters and performed by the Harry Waters Band, led by his son Harry Waters. One show only at the Budapest Arena, start 20:00.
Official site ↗Rod Stewart: The Final Encore
Rod Stewart plays the Budapest Arena on The Final Encore, which the promoter calls his final tour, with Maggie May, Sailing and Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? on the set list. Start 19:00; general sale opened on 2 October 2026.
Official site ↗Nickelback: Everything Under The Sun Tour
The Canadian rock band brings its Everything Under The Sun Tour, named after its eleventh studio album, to the Budapest Arena, with Don Broco as direct support. The concert starts at 20:00; tickets are on general sale from 16 October 2026.
Official site ↗
July 2027
Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators
The Guns N' Roses guitarist brings his solo band, fronted by Myles Kennedy, to Budapest Park on the Flying Blind World Tour 2027, playing songs from the new album Flying Blind. Start 19:00.
Official site ↗Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 42nd Hungarian Grand Prix runs from Friday 30 July to race day on Sunday 1 August 2027 at the Hungaroring, about 30 minutes from central Budapest. Tickets are already on sale and some categories are sold out, so book your seats and a city hotel early.
Official site ↗
August 2027
Sziget Festival
Europe's island mega-festival returns to Óbudai-sziget for five days in 2027. Five-day passes are already on sale, 349 euros plus a 23-euro handling fee, and 279 euros plus an 18-euro handling fee for 21 and under.
Official site ↗
October 2027
November 2027
Il Divo
The classical crossover quartet plays MVM Dome on Saturday 20 November 2027. Doors open at 18:30 and the concert starts at 20:00, with opera and pop songs in one evening. Tickets are on sale now.
Official site ↗
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A cheap evening in Budapest
Free
- Fisherman's BastionThe upper towers stop charging at 19:00, and the lower terraces are free around the clock.Full guide →
Up to 2,500 Ft
- Szimpla KertA beer at the city's most famous ruin bar costs 2,200-2,500 Ft.Full guide →
Up to 5,000 Ft
- Ferris Wheel of BudapestA standard ride for anyone 12 and over costs 4,900 Ft.Full guide →
Calendar checked daily; last full pass: 2026-10-29.