At the height of summer, the Hungarian capital is bustling with locals enjoying the city’s alfresco attractions and tourists exploring sun-splashed urban sites, while in the middle of it all, water-sports fans travel between the FINA World Championships venues in Budapest and Lake Balaton to watch the world’s best aquatic athletes in action. Tickets for many of the contests are selling out fast, but you can still follow the events as they happen at several Budapest hangouts that screen the competitions live, including FINA’s open-air cheer zones, renowned ruin pubs, and high-spirited bars.
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Margit híd (Margaret Bridge)
During the tournament, two official FINA cheer zones welcome fans to join alfresco gatherings where anyone can watch the water-sports contests projected on big screens. An isolated area on Margaret Island is one of the main sites where supporters get together and lounge on bean bags or sit on wooden benches at temporary tables where they can eat and drink while watching swim meets as they happen. Besides the live screenings, concert shows entertain guests between the contests, while several high-tech digital devices, including VR glasses, simulate what it is like to be an aquatic athlete.
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Jégkert
Found just steps away from Buda's Széna Square and the Mammut Shopping Center, Jégkert is a popular summertime destination for sports aficionados for their regular live screenings of major tournaments. During FINA, we can watch live broadcasts here every day of the week, and a selection of artisanal suds and fine wines ensure rowdy revelry while cheering. In addition, guests can also order complete meals to absorb the intoxicating drinks.
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Majorka
Graceful chestnut trees provide relief in the sweltering heat at Majorka, an all-season locale at Buda’s Városmajor Park that is especially enticing during the summer months, when this little oasis inside the tree-shaded parkland fills with urban dwellers. While watching heated competitions screening live, we can always cool down with a refreshing lemonade or a sparkling fröccs made with fine Hungarian wines. However, this place gets crowded in the evening hours, so table reservations are highly recommended.
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Fogas Ház
After merging with another signature Budapest ruin bar, this surreal hangout became one of the biggest nightclubs for drinking and dancing in downtown Budapest. During the FINA competitions, water-sports fans can follow the events every day at three different locations around the ramshackle hotspot, while enjoying snacks and chilling drinks served from the bar. When the contests are over, on designated days Fogas Ház turns into a boisterous party place where we can shake it until the late-night hours.
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Platós
This downtown dive bar on Budapest’s Dohány Street awaits FINA supporters with a variety of homemade syrups, artisanal beers, and fine meals. However, Platós isn’t screening all of the competitions, but only the water-polo matches where the Hungarian teams play.
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