Thursday
9am - : Kolorádó Festival at Nagykovácsi
Hidden away in a big forest at Nagykovácsi, on the border of Budapest and mother nature, Kolorádó welcomes mellow merrymakers for four days of live music and fresh-air fun. During the day, revellers can recover from the night before while chilling amid the greenery and awakening their arty side. After the sun goes down, local and international musicians take the stage, enticing everyone to dance under starry skies until dawn. This year between 19-22 June, you can move to the music of Hungary’s The Moog, Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Kurt Vile and many others. Tickets are still available.
7:30pm - : Red Fang at Dürer Kert
The tunes of Red Fang are similar to those of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss, but with a twist. This American heavy metal band take the stage of the Dürer Kert on Thursday.
8pm - : Giselle: Classic ballet in two acts at the Margaret Island Open-Air Stage
Giselle, a romantic ballet adapted from haunting tales of German folklore, can be seen for the first time on the Margaret Island Open-Air Stage on Thursday and Friday. Since its 1840 premiere in Paris, Giselle has been an essential ballet repertoire performed around the world. The plot revolves around young Giselle, who dies of a broken heart after being tricked and betrayed by a lover. Following her demise, she becomes a ghost-like nymph, one of the female spirits that appear at midnight to find new victims among the living and dance them to death.
Friday
10am - : Frida's Country at the Kunsthalle
A new exhibition opens on Friday at the Kunsthalle, showcasing a selection of works by Guillermo Kahlo, Frida Kahlo's father. The exhibition offers a journey back in time to the Mexico of a bygone era: the photographs taken in the first three decades of the 1900s are thrilling snapshots of the country’s rich, centuries-old architectural heritage, nourished by diverse cultures and traditions, as well as documenting the monumental Mexican construction projects that spanned the early part of the last century.
6pm - : Tensnake at PONTOON
On Friday night, a shared favourite of underground and mainstream crowds, Germany’s Tensnake returns to the Danube riverside to spin discs all night.
9pm - midnight: Kurt Vile & The Violators at the Kolorádó Festival
Friday at the Kolorádó Festival is headlined by Philadelphia-based singer and songwriter Kurt Vile. His tunes are characterised by melancholy and romance, fit for the atmospheric surroundings the Buda hills where the festival is held.
Saturday
1pm - : Sasha at the Akvárium Klub
Welsh DJ and record producer Sasha will be the first guest of a party series called Sun&Soda on the Akvárium Klub terrace. For this occasion, the courtyard transforms into an urban oasis with fake grass, colourful lights and other décor, while Sasha plays an extra-long set.
2pm - : Champagne Tasting at the Corinthia Hotel
On Saturday, a huge champagne-tasting event takes place at the Corinthia Hotel. The aim is to showcase the best varieties of local and foreign bubblies. Besides champagnes, other types of sparkling wines also feature.
8pm - : Night of Museums at various venues
On Saturday night you can find out whether museums really do come alive after the sun goes down. The Night of Museums is an annual event when many exhibition venues in Budapest stay open until late at night, awaiting families with plenty of exciting events that can all be visited with one all-inclusive wristband.
Sunday
10am – : Kiskertpiac Floral Fair at Anker’t
At the eco-friendly Kiskertpiac floral fair, fragrant flowers, plants and beautiful bouquets await visitors. Enthusiastic gardeners gladly provide everyone with creative inspiration, plus tips and tricks. Gastro and design products also feature.
10am – : Generali Children’s Island on Óbuda Island
Concerts, slackline, arts and crafts workshops, puppet shows, playhouses, a petting zoo, a climbing wall, trampolines and endless fun-filled games – on Saturday and Sunday, Óbuda Island, site of Budapest’s annual Sziget Festival, turns into an enormous playground for adults and children alike. Countless exciting activities await amid the greenery, and entry is free for all. More details (in Hungarian)
11am - : Italian Brunch at Impostor
The Impostor bar on focal Szabadság tér awaits guests with an Italian-style brunch on Sunday. Partnering up with Pizza Manufaktúra, who make one of the best Neapolitan varieties in town, the brunch will certainly be a feast.
Movies screening
If you’d like to see English-friendly films, mainly blockbusters, your best bet is always Cinema City, especially the ones at Allee or Aréna, sometimes at Campona and WestEnd. Budapest’s art-house film theatres mainly focus on artsy and indie films, while the Bem Cinema brings back the classics to the big screen, almost always in English.
This weekend’s English-friendly film selection:
- Arctic presents a man stranded in the snowy wilderness after a plane crash, and must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown in the hope of making it out alive. Screening at the Toldi Cinema on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. More details
- A whole new world awaits in Aladdin, featuring at Cinema City Allee and Aréna.
A father and his daughter struggle to survive in deep space where they live in isolation in High Life, featuring at Cinema City Allee, Aréna and WestEnd.- The Men in Black tackle their biggest threat to date: a mole in the MIB organisation. Men In Black: International features at Cinema City Allee and Aréna.
- The story of one of the X-Men’s most beloved characters, Jean Grey, evolving into the iconic Dark Phoenix in X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Showing at Cinema City Allee, Aréna, Campona and WestEnd.
- An epic musical fantasy about the uncensored human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years, Rocketman. Showing at Cinema City Allee, Aréna, Campona and WestEnd, as well as at art-house cinemas.
- A timeless classic starring Oscar-nominated Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society, screens at the Bem Cinema on Sunday.
