On March 25th beginning at 8:30pm, the Hungarian capital participates in Earth Hour to shine light on climate change with an hourlong purposeful power cut citywide, including within the Castle District, on Andrássy Avenue, and along the Danube banks. Happening annually since 2007, an increasing number of countries joins the powerful community-based initiative of WWF with several planet-friendly programs organized around the event worldwide, including good-time gatherings in Budapest like a popular torchlight tour in the Buda Hills, and candlelit dinners at many of the city’s eateries.

Saturday evening, those who stroll along Budapest’s floodlit Andrássy Avenue or the illuminated Danube banks will experience a unique spectacle, when many of the non-essential lights in these areas will be turned off at the same time beginning at 8:30pm to celebrate Earth Hour, an annual initiative organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to raise awareness for a sustainable future worldwide. Spanning from Samoa to Santiago, each year millions of people, businesses, and landmarks set aside an hour to conserve energy by switching off their lights and hosting energy-saving events around the globe, including in Hungary’s capital.

One of the most popular events of the Budapest celebrations for this year’s Earth Hour initiative – the torchlight tour atop János Hill – is already fully booked, but there are several other programs happening citywide to welcome everyone, including candlelit dinners at many of the city’s prominent eateries; participating restaurants include CsendesM, Csendes Létterem, Doblo Wine Bar, Sophie & Ben Bistro, Murok Café, Kőleves, Kéhli, Fruccola on Kristóf Square, and KIOSK. Furthermore, anyone who would like to celebrate Earth Hour in their own way is encouraged to join the beneficial blackout and turn off their non-vital lights at home on Saturday between 8:30pm and 9:30pm.