For four days, historic and unexpected venues host diverse festival events ranging from a pool party on top of the Buda Hills to Margaret Island concerts to DJ sets in a railway roundhouse, while deep discounts await at numerous restaurants and museums across the Magyar metropolis. Here is a thorough-yet-incomplete roundup of what to do once you have your Budapest Essentials wristband – check out the official festival website for complete program and ticket details in English, French, or Hungarian.ThursdayStart the day with a large dose of caffeine! During the time of Budapest Essentials, you can drink coffee in My Little Melbourne for 20% cheaper, and since they open in the morning, the café is a perfect place to plan out your programs for the day in the company of a flat white and a croissant. If you do not want to dive into the festival all by yourself, a nice opportunity to make some acquaintances is the 10th pesthajnal, which will psych up all early birds for the following days with a refreshing morning party.
Since the music programs only start in the evening, there is plenty of time to take on the capital to soak up some culture. At Mai Manó Ház, everyone with a Budapest Essentials wristband receives a 50% discount on the admission fee, providing a great chance to admire groundbreaking photography works by André Kertész and András B. Hajdú.At Kazinczy Street’s Ramenka, we can choose from five types of ramen and a miso-based soup, with extra toppings like Chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, egg, wood-ear mushroom, beef, chicken, or seafood. From the salads, we can try the daikon radish, Chinese cucumber or Korean kimchi salad – and we do not have to fear the neighborhood’s prices either, as festival participants enjoy it all for 20% cheaper.
Culture is one of the important factors that make Budapest the city we love and celebrate with Budapest Essentials. In the framework of the Nekem Budapest exhibition in Telep, ten artists will tell us about what the capital means to them and how it inspires them in their work through their artworks. The special guest of the opening at 6pm will be SoulClap Budapest, who will elevate the mood with jazzy-funky-hip-hop goodness.From 6pm, concerts will start at Margaret Island, featuring the Garden City Movement, who sometimes play soothingly languid chillwave, and sometimes modest club music; the Astronautalis have been to our country several times and always expand the boundaries of hip-hop; and the androgynous pop diva La Roux, whom everyone knows for at least one hit song.
With performers from Forbes’ 30/30 list, there will be a 1.5-hour-long show at the next Cultivo, which has been a dream of the organizers for a very long time. Successful young people will tell the audience about dreams, entrepreneurship, and the vibe surrounding them, which is about one thing: creating something lasting. By twisting the format a little bit, the workshop will be divided into two parts this time, so that you can listen to the most dynamic conversations in Ötkert.
On Thursday, music and Budapest Essentials will play the leading role in the Capital Circus, with the ringmasters being the Carbonfools and Fran Palermo. The big-top concerts of the domestic representatives of tropical rock ‘n’ roll and the Carbonfools will not be an everyday experience, we can say that much.FridayIf you managed to survive the first day of Budapest Essentials, another coffee can help you get on your feet again – moreover, in Kontakt, you can even get a special type of coffee on tap (called Roket); two deciliters of the cold refresher, somewhat less bitter than everyday coffee, contains the caffeine content of roughly one and a half espressos, so since it is highly addictive, you should drink it carefully. Furthermore, you can even take it with you, so it is the perfect choice in case you would like to down the party cup right in the morning. Obviously, the 20% discount applies here, too.
Around downtown, more than 200 workshops produce a wide variety of products, from candy through riding boots to special sheet music. At some places, umpteenth-generation family businesses preserve their traditions while constantly searching for new solutions, but there are many stories about economists who have thrown away their Excel sheets, as well. At the joint tour of Hosszúlépés! Járunk?
and Budapest Essentials, registered visitors can gain insight into this particular scene.The goal of padthai wokbar is to bring together Eastern cuisine with the urban environment, nature with the city center, speed with quality. Their system remains pretty simple: unique wok dishes are made in the open kitchen, from the combination of noodles (rice noodles, glass noodles, egg noodles), toppings (chicken, beef, tofu, vegetable mix, wood-ear mushroom), and sauce (sweet and sour, green curry, satay).
From 3:45pm, Palatinus Strand will host a variety of concerts, featuring Middlemist Red, playing Black Angels-like psychedelic rock; Dry The River with emotional, grandiose folk-pop-rock; and the Wombats, playing electronica-fueled indie rock. Thus, an intensive workout and hit songs are guaranteed at these memorable concerts.Fancy spending a night at an amusement park? On Friday, Budapest Essentialsmoves the party into Holnemvolt Park – in the area of the old Amusement Park, the roller coaster provides the background for the broken beats! The names of Dope D.O.D.
and Sub Focus guarantee the all-night madness, but based on our experiences, the two trump cards of Bladerunnaz, IAN Autorun, or Jade might play the most memorable sets of the party.
Deep house, techno, and machines. An impressive lineup in an impressive environment – Berlin- and Detroit-style party madness among locomotives and machine monsters at Budapest’s Railway Museum! Sounds good, right? Especially if we add that the latter genre will be represented by its greatest figure, the legendary disc jockey of Detroit, Carl Craig. In addition to him and other domestic musicians, Solomun will perform as well, combining classic disco, techno and numbing house.SaturdayIt is a special opportunity when you can observe how paintings are reborn from close up. Or do they just shine in their old glory? How can we know what a damaged painting looked like originally? What techniques do conservators use today, and what knowledge can no scientific method replace? All of these questions will be answered in the special guided tour of the Hungarian National Gallery – however, prior registration is required, so you might want to hurry up and sign up, as places usually fill up quickly!
The next station of CityMatiné will be the Csillebérc pool complex, with performers Polarize and Cassy complementing the usual lineup. House, techno, and Austrian moderation blend in the late-night sets of Cassy. This could easily become the best party of the summer!
If you grow hungry, drop by the popular sausage-based gastro point of downtown. In Faszaládé, sausages are fried in front of the guests on charcoal, to give the food a unique and special taste, so do not be surprised if you smell smoke after stepping in. Do not be shocked by part of the counter bursting into flames from time to time either – after all, it is not every day that you can see your future lunch engulfed in flames just a few inches from you. Definitely try their specialty called citromdisznó (“lemon pig”).
The exhibition “Capa in Color” displays the color photos of Hungarian photographer Robert Capa, known worldwide for his black-and-white wartime photojournalism. More than 100 color photographs can be seen at the comprehensive exhibition, featuring many images published in major magazines during Capa’s lifetime, but most of which being exhibited to the public for the first time, in the Capa Center – within the framework of Budapest Essentials, wristband-wearing visitors get a 50% discount on the tickets.
Take a peek behind the scenes with the editors of InStyle and visit the workshops of the hottest domestic fashion designers! The tour of Hosszúlépés? Járunk!
departs from Erzsébet Square.
The Downtown Jam will be held for the Budapest Essentials Festival again this year, with the Olof Palme house and its environment providing the platform. The event has many surprises in store, regarding both its participants and its contents: the Jam will be dotted with exhibitions and workshops, with screenings from the Neolux film festival.
One of the greatest sensations of Budapest Essentials will perform on Margaret Island. Katy B serves as an authentic link between mainstream pop and the underground club scene, and not only because the appearance of the British performer on stage coincided with the prosperity of dubstep, but also because in her music, she combines the feminine and sensual vocal topics with the basic elements of underground genres (UK funky, jungle, house). Naturally, it would be nonsense to judge the artist’s activity based solely on her contributors. Katy earned praise in her own right as well, whether by the means of her flexible organ, cheerful ‘party girl’ personality, fragile and charming appearance and demeanor, or her adrenaline-heavy performances.
For a bit of electronic music, drop by Tesla in the evening. Brian Angelides, better known by his stage name Eskmo, has been trying to cement his own fame since the end of the nineties, and after several failed attempts, his popularity jumped significantly in 2010. He poured all his precious memories – his childhood in Connecticut, his getaway to England and Scotland, the impulses of his life spent in San Francisco and Los Angeles – into his 2015 studio album “SOL”, which he himself also called much more cinematic than his previous works. So party together with this exceptional performer at Budapest Essentials!Sunday
Panificio il Basilico is typically the place where you would like to taste everything: from the dried-tomato crescent rolls (150 HUF) to the rosy tarts (250 HUF), everything! Not only the cocoa roll, but also the plum and cinnamon roll, the focaccia with olives, the rosemary tart with Brie cheese and orange jam, and the mini sandwiches with Kaiser rolls – all rinsed down with a good Lucaffé. Anyone with festival wristbands can browse their selection while anticipating a 20% discount.
The special summer edition of Budapest Secret Cinema prepares with a unique program, including a pool, garden cinema, beach food, and music. They will serve the cinema with an “auditorium-pool” on a sunbathing lawn, and will screen a truly “must-see” film, the title of which depends on you, among others.
The exhibition of Ludwig Museum mainly consists of artworks made after 1989. Today, the valuable and structured international collection, created on the foundations of Peter and Irene Ludwig’s donations, counts of more than 500 items and bears the unique marks of the post-socialist region. The current compilation focuses on concepts and phenomena including the regime change, history, utopias, the street, the body or the space – all through 80 striking and thought-provoking works of art. Take a look at it for free with a Budapest Essentials wristband!
Time for a little rest: drop by the super design and antiques market of Budapest on Sunday, at Anker’t! With a wristband you automatically haggle at least 20% off the original price – and even more if you are skilled enough.
Punnany Massif does not really need to be introduced to anyone. If you still have some energy left in you, conclude the festival with their acoustic concert in Várkert Bazaar.
