This weekend, Budapest lines up the country’s finest food trucks and their fare for an alfresco fiesta. Between May 4th and 6th, Kincsem Park racecourse is being transformed into a huge communal barbecue for special vehicles equipped with facilities for cooking and selling delicacies. This hedonistic hootenanny presents diverse dishes from Asian steamed dumplings to zesty BBQ ribs and succulent seafood. Besides, a fair share of treats is in store for vegetarians and vegans. Horse and greyhound racing add a pinch of adrenaline to the gastronomic gathering.
Just a short ride from the city centre on the M2 metro line brings you to Kincsem Park, Budapest’s main racecourse for equestrian action. Besides fast-paced sports events, this venerable venue often hosts prominent festivals, including the Budapest Food Truck Show, a popular public picnic. Over three days, city crowds gather in the parkland to feast on an array of global eats and treats, all served from some of the fanciest vehicles seen on the streets of Budapest and across the country in recent years.
The booming Budapest street-food revolution has brought an ever-increasing number of new mobile hostelries to augment the existing fleet of rolling restaurants. In the past six months, 20 new food trucks have joined the Hungarian Street Food Association and many will be making a stopover at the Kincsem Park festival. Juicy burgers, succulent salamis, loaded sandwiches, cheese dishes, pancakes and waffles are just a few of the dishes festival-goers can devour this weekend. Juices and smoothies are also served, while bars on wheels offer pálinka, wine, spritzers and beer.
To help the planet, all of the participating trucks support a plastic-free environment by using only biodegradable plates and trays for serving food and drinks.
The festival is not just about gastronomic delights – horse racing and greyhound competitions add fast-paced excitement while street musicians perform live. Couples taking a swirl on the merry-go-round, families flying kites and kids riding ponies add to the funfair feeling. Each day of the event concludes with a film screening.
If you come by public transport, alight at the Pillangó utca stop on the M2 metro line. Alternatively, to travel to the site in style, a rarely seen rolling relic, a yellow school bus, will be shuttling festival-goers for free between focal Deák tér and Kincsem Park, setting off on the hour from outside the CBA supermarket in the city centre.
Admission costs 1,000 forints and those arriving by cycle receive a 50% discount. The festival is open 4pm-11pm on Friday, 11am-11pm on Saturday and 11am-9pm on Sunday.
For more information about the Food Truck Show, visit the event’s Facebook page.
