Enjoy Easter in Budapest with fun and feasts galore

Hungarians celebrate Easter (Húsvét) as a prominent cultural and Christian event. The obscure tradition of locsolkodás characterises the annual Easter observance. On the Monday, menfolk go from house to house to recite poetry to the female host before splashing her with cheap perfume or a bucket of cold water. While this practice has links to earlier pagan fertility rituals, in modern-day celebrations it expresses the wish that the lady in question won’t wilt like a flower. In return for this noble act, men are then treated to food, strong drinks and freshly painted eggs.

Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday are marked as public holidays in the Hungarian calendar. On these three days, most shops close and public transport runs less frequently. Restaurants and bars should operate according to usual opening hours.

Easter at Várkert Bazaar

From Saturday through Monday, the palatial parkland at the foot of Buda Castle fills with life, when crowds congregate for springtime celebrations. Visitors are invited to join egg-painting and children’s workshops while entertainment includes a petting zoo, street theatre on stilts, a puppet show and a culinary showcase. Live music is provided by Roma band Parno Graszt and the supremely danceable Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra, among others.

And it’s all free!

Activities are scheduled every day from 10am to 9pm.

More details (in Hungarian)

Budapest Spring Fair

At its new location of the panoramic Danube Promenade, the Budapest Spring Fair spreads its stalls of Easter eats, handmade crafts, performances and workshops along the river and around the focal square of Vigadó tér. Hungarian folk art and design products feature heavily, many Easter-themed.

Over the long weekend, from folk dance on Saturday morning to an appearance by the Zoltán Kodály Choir School on Monday evening, three days of family-friendly fun also includes puppet shows, stilt-walkers and a theatre show.

To find the Easter Bunny, head for central Városháza Park by Deák tér at 6pm from Saturday through Monday, where every child who says hello should receive a little gift. During the day, kids can make Easter souvenirs in the handicraft playhouse.

The Hungarian-only full schedule is here – times and locations should be reasonably easy to figure out.

Easter brunches

This weekend, indulge in an all-you-can-eat feast served at Budapest’s most illustrious hotel restaurants to celebrate the holiday. At these family-friendly events, many establishments provide supervised entertainment for kids, from egg hunts to clown demonstrations. Packages and prices vary but all these suggested brunches start at noon and run until 3pm or 4pm.

On Easter Sunday at the Corinthia, the Easter Bunny welcomes youngsters with chocolate eggs and treats before a communal egg hunt. Here brunch (11,500-12,500 HUF, 50% for 6-12s) includes house wine and beer thrown in.

At the Gresham, the KOLLÁZS Brasserie & Bar lays on live music as well as an egg hunt and kiddies’ corner – here brunch runs to 19,900 forints, 9,900 for 5-11s. Live music also features at the ARAZ, this stylish eatery in the Continental Hotel in the Jewish Quarter also hosting a kids’ corner. Here, chef Áron Barka’s spread (9,800 HUF, 50% for 6-12s) includes mangalica with spicy ratatouille and lamb ragout.

You’ll find more Easter Sunday treats at Paris Budapest in the Sofitel and the Corso at the InterContinental, where you choose between a bubbly package with sparkling wine (14,900 HUF) or a gourmet one with the premium stuff (16,900 HUF). Youngsters aged six to 17 are charged half-price. On the buffet table will be braised rabbit, oven-roasted rack of lamb and beef medallions in foie-gras sauce.

Starting from 12.30pm, the Kupola Lounge at the downtown Ritz-Carlton lays on a spread featuring sliced mangalica ham, roast lamb and grilled salmon, all for 10,500 forints with soft drinks, 13,500 forints for unlimited house and sparkling wines, or beer. Look out, too, for a little live music, a gin corner and a play area for the kids.

Of the establishments offering Easter feasts for both the Sunday and Monday, the ÉS Bisztró at the Kempinski is putting out an Easter Family Table (11,900 HUF, 50% for 4-12s) groaning with goodies, and a playhouse alongside.

On the Sunday, younger guests at the LÁNG Bistro & Grill at the Hilton up in the Castle District will be entertained by a balloon-twisting clown, while the buffet spread (13,900 HUF, 50% for 4-14s) features roast lamb with wild garlic, and salmon fillet in caper sauce. On Easter Monday (11,900 HUF, 50% for 4-14s) from noon, there are kids’ games and dishes such as Argentine rib-eye steak made to order.

The newly opened DNB Restaurant at the riverfront Marriott has put together a special Easter brunch (16,900 HUF, 50% for 6-12s) for both days, with a few surprises in store.

Hungarian Railway Museum

The Easter Bunny will also be paying a visit to the Hungarian Railway Museum (District XIV. Tatai út 95), which draws locomotive lovers every spring and summer to Budapest’s north-eastern outskirts to admire historic trains.

With Easter the museum’s season opener, on Sunday and Monday there will be egg-painting and craft workshops, as well as an egg hunt. A petting zoo will be set up on Monday, plus a puppet show in the afternoon. The full schedule in English is available here.

A garden railway, horse-drawn trams and locomotives transfer visitors across the park between 10am and 6pm.

Easter Festival in Szentendre

The city of Szentendre north of Budapest is a popular destination for daytime getaways. This historic settlement is also home to the Skanzen Hungarian Open Air Museum, a meticulously recreated village that presents Magyar life from centuries ago, with various cottages showcasing the folk-art architectural styles of different regions. Frequent holiday celebrations inspire live displays of traditional dancing in the streets. If you visit this homely hamlet this Sunday or Monday, costumed processions and plenty of splashing evoke how Hungarians celebrated Easter back in the day. The Skanzen will be open from 9am to 6pm.

How to get there:

From Batthyány tér, take the HÉV train to the Szentendre terminus, journey time 40 minutes. From there, take hourly bus 878 – allow 25min.

More details (Hungarian-only)

Easter in Hollókő

Every year, the historic World Heritage village of Hollókő provides an authentic setting for Hungary’s most famous Easter festival. From Saturday through Monday, this hillside community of old-fashioned houses becomes a stage for special Hungarian Easter customs. Typical scenes on this occasion feature locals wearing folk costumes, medieval-style celebrations at the Castle of Hollókő and lively folk-dance sessions. This outdoor fiesta also serves as a showcase for palóc gastronomy, presenting the characteristic food of north-east Hungary.

How to get there: The regional bus leaves Puskás Ferenc Stadion on the M2 metro line at 8.30am, journey time two hours. By car, take motorway M3, exit at the intersection of Hatvan, then take road 21 towards Pásztó. Before reaching Pásztó, at the intersection take a left turn for Szécsény and Hollókő, then on Kossuth utca, a left turn for Hollókő. There is signposted parking in the areas surrounding the village.

More details here.