Friday
10am – : Dried Flower Market at Wild Flower Bar This funky downtown florist is hosting a dried-flower market, selling tropical leaves, spices, wildflowers and many other oddities that can be dried to preserve them for display in a vase or frame. Admission is free.
6pm – : Children’s Halloween at Holnemvolt Vár Set up within the Budapest Zoo, animated Holnemvolt Vár (Once Upon a Time Castle) gets all spooky to celebrate this Halloween event. Besides the park’s regular cartoon-themed activities for children, juggling, face painting, ghosts and zombie shows entertain the kids. Free for those under 14 wearing costume.
7pm – : Anne Shirley Supersad at Klinika
A place for coffee, culture and concerts, Klinika in the city’s District XIII assembles vinyl, DJ sessions and music books within this tiny locale. Friday night, Anne Shirley Supersad gives an acoustic concert here, enchanting the audience with her beautifully melancholic tunes.
8:30pm – 10pm: Qualitons Concert at EllátóHáz Budapest-based funsters celebrating their tenth anniversary, The Qualitons tread the boards at EllátóHáz, deep in the city’s party vortex. Inspired by the energetic rock, funk and beat of the ‘60s and ‘70s, this entertaining ensemble promote their new record Echoes Calling!, defined by a progressive style and solid guitar grooves.
9pm – 11pm: Double Indemnity at the Bem cinema On Margit körút along tram line 4/6, the Bem art-house cinema screens 1944 film noir classic Double Indemnity. This black-and-white crime drama co-written by Raymond Chandler and director Billy Wilder stars Fred MacMurray as an insurance salesman, Barbara Stanwyck as the femme fatale and Edward G Robinson as a claims adjuster whose job is to track down phoney claims. The film shows in English with Hungarian subtitles. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis.
10pm – : Rødhåd at Corvin Club x TEREM Since cult Budapest party spot Corvin Club has reopened at high-tech TEREM downtown, underground gigs are taken to new heights. This weekend, this newly merged locale welcomes famed Berlin DJ Rødhåd behind the decks to spin bold, dark and melancholic beats that echo the factory sounds of the post-industrial era.
11:30pm – 5am: Halloween Party at A38 What used to ply Europe’s rivers as a stone-carrying barge is now one of Budapest’s most prominent hangouts, permanently anchored on the Danube. On the A38 decks are DJ Ludmilla and Palotai, household names within the local underground music scene, who will be spinning special Halloween-themed sets. Feel free to don an eerie outfit to add to the atmosphere. See here for ticket information.
Saturday
9am – 11am: Breakfast at Zhao Zhou Once a month on a Saturday morning, popular Asian tea shop Zhao Zhou on the Buda side of the Chain Bridge hosts a special breakfast event at which visitors can sample three different varieties, complemented by bread and pastries produced by Magva Garden. Special guests will be Máté and Andrea Szederkényi from the bakery. The event lasts for two hours but guests may stay on for as long as they wish.
9.50am – 3pm:Autumn hike in the Buda hills
Meeting at Kelenföld metro station (look out for the girls with the bright blue umbrella!), the Budapest Association for International Sports are organising a four-hour hike in the Buda hills. After taking the bus to Budaörs (bring a ticket or change), hikers will be clambering over autumnal landscapes, taking in Farkashegy Airfield, the Sorrento rocks and other picturesque heights. Participants should dress for wet, windy weather, wear appropriate footwear, and bring snacks and something to drink. The event is free but a donation at the end of the hike would be appreciated.
2pm – 6pm:Taxituri at Jurányi Ház Over in Buda, Jurányi Ház, a ramshackle venue for alternative culture, holds a second-hand clothes market on Saturday afternoon to raise funds for charity. Stalls will be set up in the Gólem concert hall. Whatever you buy, the proceeds go towards underprivileged communities around Hungary.
7pm –: Sear Bliss at Dürer Kert Szombathely’s finest black-metal band (are there any others?), Sear Bliss celebrate 25 years of thrash with a special jubilee concert at the Dürer Kert. The occasion will also mark the release of the band’s latest album, Letters from the Edge. Former members of the band should also be present. Support will be provided by Age of Agony, a cheery bunch responsible for such toetappers as Follow The Way Of Hate and Death Metal Artillery.
8pm – 10pm: Frenzy at the Bem cinema In this late-period Hitchcock, for his penultimate film, the Oscar-winning Master of Suspense returned to London after two decades in Hollywood to set a story around a Ripperesque serial killer. Jon Finch, Barry Foster and Billie Whitelaw star in this homage to post-Swinging London. Spoiler alert: the director’s cameo comes very early on. The film is screened at the Bem cinema in original English audio with Hungarian subtitles.
8pm – : Petruska at B32 Galéria és Kultúrtér Singer-songwriter Petruska has at last taken a leap into the unknown and decided to tread the boards with a full band. The popular troubadour, trombonist and former Eurovision challenger has just released his third album to be showcased here at the B32 Galéria és Kultúrtér in Buda. The bearded songsmith was also a previous winner of the Street Music Festival in Veszprém.
11pm – 5am: Tom Select at Toldi After appearances in Berlin and at Budapest’s alternative Kolorádó festival, top DJ Tom Select returns to the downtown Toldi cinema for a long night of downtempo, house, techno and soul. Expect six hours of danceable beats with a laid-back crowd.
Sunday
Noon – 10pm: Halloween Nightmare Interactive Labyrinth at Underground Fear Start Halloween early this month and take a trip to your worst nightmare. This 30-minute tour will boost your adrenaline levels with eerie surroundings and live monsters along the way. If you’re brave enough to face your fears, book a ticket in advance.
6pm – 8pm: Universal Sea short films at Trafó House of Contemporary Arts After an international open call, the short movies sent for The Universal Sea – Pure or Plastic?! explore the possibilities for art, science, technology and business to collaborate. The projects showcased all have a strong environment-conscious focus and investigate how art can trigger action, open new perspectives and lead to creative solutions to the issue of worldwide plastic pollution.
6pm – 11pm: Tarja and Stratovarius Concert at Barba Negra Music Club One of the most influential singers of symphonic rock, and former Nightwish member Tarja Turunen, joins forces with power metal group Stratovarius on a European tour entitled Nordic Symphony.
7pm – 11pm: Sound of Silence Charity Concert at A38 Six Hungarian indie musicians play unplugged with a charitable goal: proceeds support the Hungarian Autism Foundation. Besides the concert and the donations, this get-together is also a great opportunity to raise awareness and open up a discussion; the organisers and the foundation will prepare interactive activities for the audience.
8pm – 9pm: Freakency Magic Show at A38 Gábor Németh, aka Freakency, prefers dangerous and extreme illusions over classic card tricks. Started with spontaneous street videos and now appearing in front of a full house on stage, he shocks the audience with unexpected twists.
8pm – 10pm: The Untouchables at Bem Cinema Influenced by classic film noir, The Untouchables is set during the era of Prohibition in the US. Federal agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop cold-blooded gangster Al Capone, but the Chicago crime boss is heavily protected by his mafia network. Ness recruits a small, but professional team to help him and bring Capone to justice. Screened in English with Hungarian subtitles.
