Our regular roundup for the upcoming weekend offers plenty of suggestions for where to go, what to do and who should not be missed during the next three days. There are always so many happenings to choose from in Budapest – exhibitions, parties, live music, festivals and more – but here is our pick of the bunch:
This is a long weekend in Hungary, people do not work on Monday and Tuesday; please note that many of Budapest’s shops and service providers are closed on Tuesday, May 1st.
Friday
7am - 11pm: Hungarian Sausage Weekend at various venues
During the weekend, six Budapest eateries join forces to show you how tasty juicy Hungarian sausages really are, and most of them offer something extra. At Séf Utcája in the Downtown Market you get a free apple fröccs (spritzer), Cupákos awaits with a free craft beer, Ica Mama Húsboltja offers a 10% discount, Kishusom gives you a free glass of draught beer, TöLTő also offers a free beer or a Thai basil lemonade, and Séf Asztala at WestEnd Shopping Center provides 50% off their soft drinks and craft beer. Pretty good offers, so gulp down a sausage and a drink at some point between Friday and Sunday.
5pm - 5am: PONTOON Opening Weekend at PONTOON
Wonderful vistas, deliciously intoxicating drinks, hammocks, fine beats, friends and everything you love about the Budapest summer in one place, by the foot of the Chain Bridge. This is PONTOON, one of the most popular hangouts in Budapest during the warmer months, and it is finally open now for the season. During the opening weekend, DJ parties, acoustic concerts and live jamming awaits visitors, so definitely do not miss out on a drink at this really cool club. More details
6pm - 12am: BETA Festival at Valyo Kikötő
Between Friday and Tuesday, a five-day mini test festival is taking place at Valyo Kikötő, Budapest’s latest summertime hotspot, before its official opening on May 1st. Valyo Kikötő is a huge riverside space by southern Budapest’s red Rákóczi Bridge, being transformed into an inner-city festival site for the summer. You can test out this new venue every evening this weekend, eat, drink, dance and enjoy alfresco waterside chilling, before the full-on entertainment starts in earnest.
9pm - 10:30pm: 'Hungarian Rapsody' Queen Live in Budapest at the Uránia National Film Theater
In 1986 Queen threw a memorable concert in Hungary as one of the very few bands from Western Europe who performed in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. Fantastic Freddie Mercury
sang the sweetest Hungarian folk song, Tavaszi szél, which still touches the heart of all Hungarians to this day. This concert was recorded and enhanced with extra scenes of the band arriving in Budapest, walking the streets of the city and go-karting at Hungaroring. The movie evokes the atmosphere of legendary Queen concerts, so do not miss out on seeing it screened at Uránia.
Saturday
10am - 10pm: CitiMatiné S07E01 at Golftanya
Delicious drinks in the daytime, good food, dancing to hedonistic house beats amid the coolest company, and you’re in bed by 11pm. Sounds fun, don’t it? The pioneer of daytime parties, CityMatiné, is back in action! The first party of this open-air event series takes place at Golftanya on Saturday to welcome the first rays of spring sunshine and start the season.
12pm - 7pm: Tweed Run Budapest at Egyetem Square (outside Starbucks)
Cigars in jacket pockets, hats on heads, extravagant hair and perfect pearls: don your best vintage outfit and let yourself be lured back into the lavish, decadent and wild world of the Roaring Twenties while cycling through the city with other flappers and gangsters. During the Tweed Run, participants cycle through the city dressed in the costumes of the day, stopping for a picnic, small talk, photo session or a dance flash mob.
11pm - 5am: YONCÉ - The Holy Trinity - Beyoncé x Rihanna x Nicki Minaj at Volt Lokál
Can you handle three divas all at once? Songs by the uncrowned queens of pop, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj turn up the heat at Volt Lokál on Saturday. Shake it late into the night to the songs of these pop goddesses at this Bootylicious party happening at this cool downtown club.
11pm - 4am: Soundtrack Party at Mika Tivadar Mulató
When it comes to soundtracks, the main theme of iconic films like Pulp Fiction and TheBlues Brothers start playing in our ears straight away. On Saturday French DJ Lapidem fills Mika Tivadar Mulató with the best movie music of all time.
Sunday
9am-2pm: Szimpla Farmers’ Breakfast at Szimpla
One of the most popular ruin pubs in Budapest – Szimpla on Kazinczy Street – fills every Sunday with a friendly artisanal farmers’ market, where you can buy high-quality locally made goods and fresh products. The market has always been very popular, so Szimpla has decided to select the best ingredients from the market and make a delicious brunch of them. Meet friendly local farmers, try a brunch made from their products and you surely won’t leave empty-handed…
11am - : Gazprom Hungarian Open at Nemzeti Edzés Központ
Being staged in Budapest for the second year running, the week-long ATP World Tour reaches its climax on Sunday. With nearly half a million euros in prize money at stake, Frenchman Lucas Pouille is looking to defend the crown he won here in 2017. Action takes place on the outdoor clay courts of the Nemzeti Edzés Központ in Óbuda. Click here for tickets.
5pm - 7pm: Pride and Prejudice at the Bem CinemaMr. Darcy is still the most beloved romantic hero of all time – not too bad for a bloke who has been around for more than 200 years. Although very offensive in the beginning, by the end of the film Darcy truly melts your heart – and let’s not forget about that 'I love you... most ardently' scene in the rain here – and restores your faith in fairy tales. You know you want to watch this again. Well, head to the Bem Cinema for a romantic Sunday getaway. Original audio, Hungarian subtitles.
