The Lake Lupa project plans by the Sziget Festival’s founding honcho, Károly Gerendai, were already revealed in our previous article, but now it seems that his dreams have already come true, as a few weeks ago he launched the waterfront version of Budapest’s party quarter with lakeside locations of KIOSK and Budapest Park at Lake Lupa, which are already attracting cheerful crowds. The lake has always been a secretly popular swimming spot among Budapest residents, even though swimming was strictly forbidden here, but now everyone can legally paddle in the pond throughout the summer season, due to the new KIOSK Beach.
The main concept of this new project is to provide everything that is already beloved in downtown Budapest right next to the lake, and entice everyone out from the city center to this amazing environment that is easily approachable by bike or by car, offering much more than the services of inner-city swimming-pool complexes.
At KIOSK Beach, mini palm trees, rentable deck chairs, and even massages can help visitors relax, while a DJ spins records to create a true beachside atmosphere. If it weren’t for the fact that the lake’s opposite side is visible from the shore, we would seriously feel as though we were at the seaside here.
As there are no residents living in the immediate neighborhood of KIOSK Beach, there is nothing that can stand in the way of late-night lakeside parties here, as the bass-heavy tunes cannot disturb any locals.
KIOSK’s professional kitchen creates a deluxe beachside atmosphere with added restaurant services. They also have smaller stands nearby offering classic beach food (hot dogs, waffles, pancakes), traditional breakfasts (omelets), and homemade ice cream. However, their prices fall in the upper-middle category: one pint of beer costs 700 forints, a hot dog with cheese and onion is 990 forints, and a scoop of ice cream is 300 forints.
Not too far from the KIOSK kitchen, we find a large lounge area with comfortable beachside beds and deck chairs, and a few steps away, Budapest Park’s roof terrace provides a perfect place for admiring the panorama.
Lake Lupa offers a nearly 100-hectare-large water surface. The entrance ticket costs 2,000 forints for adults, but families can get in together for 5,000 forints. Besides the aforementioned seaside feeling, there are many other extras that we get to enjoy at
Lake Lupa:
there are small piers from which children can jump into the water under the supervision of professional lifeguards, smooth and sandy beach-volleyball courts with a grandstand for memorable matches, comfortable beach beds, and clean restrooms.The management told us that 3,600 people can relax at the same time at Lake Lupa’s KIOSK Beach, which will remain open through September (depending on the weather), so we look forward to enjoying several one-day vacations here during the upcoming weeks.
