Shows, movies, concerts and cultural attractions – Budapest is always buzzing. Each week, we gather all of the important happenings taking place in our favourite city so you can plan ahead. Incorporating our regular movie guide, now updated weekly, here we showcase Budapest’s best events for the upcoming days. Get out and get involved!

Thursday

5pm - : Architects at Budapest Park

Architects, a metalcore band presented with the Best British Live Act award for 2018 by Kerrang! magazine, return to the Hungarian capital to play Budapest Park, showcasing new album Holy Hell.

6pm - : Night Walk at the Budapest Zoo

A night tour of Budapest Zoo allows visitors to see a veterinarian at work and access otherwise off-limits parts of the aquarium. Alongside other attractions, they’ll also have the chance to hold a giant snake, meet giraffes face to face from a high vantage point and get to know Géza the tapir. Sign up at info@allatkertialapitvany.hu.

9pm - 5am: Disco Oriente at PONTOON

Wonderful vistas, deliciously intoxicating drinks, hammocks, fine beats, friends and everything you love about a Budapest summer in one place, by the foot of the Chain Bridge. This is PONTOON. On Thursday, Orpheu The Wizard, Ouissam, Adis Abbé and Aron Ya take the stage.

Friday

5pm – : Mojo pres Friday at the A38 Ship

Jungle, liquid, deep drum and bass plus cocktail discounts rock the ship on Friday, when DJs spin discs while the sun slowly sets. Entry is free, but you need to wear a wristband.

8pm – : Ecool Jazz Night – Czakó Virág Group at the Budapest Jazz Club

Four young Hungarian jazz musicians – singer Virág Czakó, guitarist Robi Dely, bass player Péter Czakó and drummer Máté Éles – provide a relaxing session of favourites and evergreens.

9pm - : Night of Lidos at various venues

On Friday, several Budapest lidos stay open late to entertain paddlers after dark. Popular slide haven Aquaworld, the Dagály and Lupa Beach all await with special attractions.

Saturday

All day: Liberty Bridge Picnics at Liberty Bridge

This is the last weekend in 2019 when one of Budapest’s most picturesque landmarks, Liberty Bridge, will be closed to traffic so people can enjoy spontaneous gatherings, concerts, BBQs, performances and just chilling directly over the Danube.

2pm - : Cruisin pres. Carl Craig at the Europa Boat

CRUISIN, one of the biggest open-air daytime electronic dance events in Budapest, brings legendary Detroit DJ Carl Craig to the Europa Boat by Batthyány tér on Saturday. For more details, follow the official Facebook event.

6pm - : Comic Market at Budapest Park

For the third year running, Budapest Park hosts its annual Comic Market on Saturday. Visitors can browse various collections by Hungarian and international artists and hone their drawing skills in making their own comics. There will also be cosplay shows and workshops and Hungarian pop-folk band Moonshine Bros will give a live show.

6pm - : Wombo Orchestra at Dürer Kert

Bordeaux-based Wombo Orchestra will play the Dürer Kert on 27 July. Their repertoire contains hit songs from Rage Against the Machine, Queen and Carmen. This concert will showcase their new album Roll Da Dice and admission is free.

Sunday

10am - : Brunch in Style at Frankó Kitchen

Spend your Sunday morning in the splendid surroundings of the Frankó Kitchen. The brunch menu features egg dishes, orange juice and desserts.

10:30am - :Cricket at Sződliget Three cricket matches between Hungary and the Czech Republic take place over the weekend at the GB Oval, home of the Hungarian Cricket Association (HCA) in Sződliget half-an-hour north of Budapest. Featuring mainly long-term residents and naturalised citizens from the Indian subcontinent, the Hungarian team take on their Czech counterparts at 10.30am and 3pm on 27 July, and 10.30am on 28 July, each a T20 contest. Trains leave Budapest Nyugati every 30 minutes for Sződ-Sződliget, also accessible by car on the M2. The ground is on Új utca a short walk from Sződliget station.

7:30pm - 10pm:Mintz, Geringas, Cohen... at the Franz Liszt Music Academy Three internationally acclaimed virtuosos – violinist Shlomo Mintz, conductor David Geringas and keyboardist Jonathan Cohen – perform an evening of French Baroque with pieces by Schubert, Mendelssohn and Boulez. London-based conductor, cellist and keyboardist Cohen also plays the prestigious Franz Liszt Music Academy the night before, when he combines with soprano Ágnes Kovács and violinist Katalin Kokas with arias by Bach and Handel on the agenda.

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:

One-offs:

  • Vertigo Film Week: three popular features a day, four over the weekend, are being screened at the Puskin cinema between 24-31 July. The schedule contains 24 films, including Asif Kapadia’s documentary Amy and the hit drama Moonlight which won three Oscars in 2017. Full details and advance tickets available online.

  • American History X at the Bem Cinema

Other films on view: