New Year’s Day: a public holiday for all and a chance to recover from the excesses of the night before, and to get together with family and friends for dining and socialising.
Revolution Day: on the 15th of the month, Hungarians celebrate the anniversary of the uprising against Austrian rule in 1848. This is a national holiday with public celebrations held in many cities.
Budapest Spring Festival: this is most prestigious cultural festival in the whole country and begins in the middle of the month, lasting until the middle of the following month. Throughout the festival big name performers from Hungary and around the world, showcase their talents at venues such as the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy, Matthias Church, the Hungarian State Opera, the Palace of Arts and the National Gallery.
Spring Festival Season: besides the high profile festival held in Budapest, there are spring festivals held in every major city in the country. Each has its own unique themes and selection of events and attractions.
Labour Day: is a public holiday observed on the 1st of the month. Most shops close and some public services are limited in their availability.
Danube Carnival: held in the country’s capital city, this is a major cultural festival in which performers from musical genres such as folk, classical and world and dance styles such as folk and contemporary, assemble to showcase their talents. Performers come from all over the world to take part in this six-week event.
Miskolc Opera Festival: also known as the International Opera Festival of Miskolc, this event is culturally themed and held annually in the city of Miskolc in the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county. International and Hungarian performers participate in the event.
Szeged Open-Air Festival: a site located in front of the magnificent cathedral in the city of Szeged is the setting for this festival of music, opera, ballet, folk dancing and more. The event is exceedingly well attended, seeing crowds of up to 4,000.
National Day: this public holiday is observed in memory of the country’s first king and national leader, St Stephen.
Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix: one of the country’s largest sporting events and certainly the highest profile car racing event of its kind, the Grand Prix attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Hungaroring race track near Budapest.
European Wine Song Festival: is a festival where attendees get to appreciate a combination of some of the country’s best wine and vocal talents with the motto that the two are the perfect complement for each other.
Republic Day: on October 23, 1989, the country officially declared its independence from communism and Soviet rule with the formation of the new Hungarian Republic
Hungarian Pálinka and Sausage Festival: Budapest is the setting for this popular gastronomically themed event in which the humble sausage is the focus of celebrations
Christmas: the entire Christmas season is celebrated enthusiastically in Hungary and proceedings have a definite religious edge to them. Besides attending church services, locals enjoy all the usual fun and festivities.
We stayed in a two-bed apartment and were delighted with the accommodation. It was spacious and very well equipped - even had a dishwasher! The location could not have been better, down a side stree...
