Shows, 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. Get involved!

Friday, 21 April

PONTOON Opening Festival

At the foot of the Chain Bridge, on the Pest side, vibey summer venue PONTOON is getting ready to reopen. And this weekend, you can be there with them to celebrate the upcoming season with a fröccs (wine spritzer) and music. Join them for a little self-indulgent dancing, toasting, and sunset-watching. See the programme here.

Budapest Garden Opening Weekend

Budapest Garden, a leisure centre with outdoor sports activities and bars on the Danube bank, is opening for the season. And its opening weekend will be a pretty big deal: you can try all its facilities free of charge. That means jumping on trampolines or in bouncy castles, roller skating, skateboarding or hopping on a scooter. You can play badminton, floorball, bubble football, or volleyball. You can also act as a firefighter and slide down a pole. Or try yourself at Jazz and Charleston. Then settle down for a meal and a drink - apart from selecting from wine, whisky, gin, and rum selection, you can join a cocktail workshop at the Beach bar.

Fran Palermo, Cosmic Wacho (ES)

Hungarian band Fran Palermo will give a dizzying concert on A38 Ship. The band’s music and style fuse different genres, mostly indie, rock and roll, afro-pop and even by Mediterranean vibes.  So they will be a great match to fellow musicians, Cosmic Wacho, a fabulous Spanish-Argentine duo who have made Latin their vocation and urban their devotion. Like immersing yourself in a bubble bath in the middle of a tropical sea: we find ourselves in a musical and psychedelic jungle, where cumbia, bachata and calypso co-exist, flirting with trap, hip hop and pop.

Get tickets here. 

Saturday, 22 April

Celebrate cherry blossoms at the ELTE Botanical Gardens

Not to be dramatic, but this is the last weekend you can join the Sakura celebration at the ELTE Botanical Gardens. It is the time of the year you can chill on blankets among cherry blossoms - picnic-style while immersing and learning about Japanese culture.

Read more and get tickets here. 

BeThrifty Vintage Kilo Sale

Europe's coolest vintage sales series BeThrifty is coming to Budapest. They offer the biggest and best selection of vintage and recycled clothes, so if you enjoy a good treasure hunt, make your way to 21 Kazinczy Street at the weekend.

St George's Day Charity Party

On April 22nd, a St George's Day charity party will be thrown at the Budapest Marriott Hotel in honour of England's patron. It will be quintessentially English but open to everyone. So pin a rose to your lapel, and meet up with the capital's English-speaking community. Listen to a Shakespeare recital, taste whisky and gin, feast on fish & chips and tikka masala, enjoy live performances (including a David Bowie Tribute), and win prizes at Blackjack. And while you are having fun, you can help children affected by the earthquakes in Turkey & Syria via an auction supporting UNICEF.

More details here. 

Mystery Nights: Passion, rhythm, and Latin music

This Saturday night will be dedicated to Brazil at the Mystery Hotel Budapest. The Brazilian bossa nova star Renan Ambrogi will take the stage, where he will be mixing international and classic pop genres with Latin music. You might even hear him play Bruno Mars with a Latin twist. During the evening, you can also count on The Great Hall Restaurant to take you on a journey: they will be serving gourmet courses and cocktail specials.

More details here. 

Sunday, 23 April

The provocative world of Jan Saudek

See the work of Jan Saude, a Czech photographer and a master of provocation, at the Kunsthalle Budapest. The retrospective presents baroquely sultry, hand-coloured sensual nudes and visually rich scenes. The exhibition opened as part of the Budapest Photo Festival 2023.
 
Learn more and get tickets here. 

Czakó Piacz - Farmers' Market and Chimney Cake

Explore the products of local producers at Czakó Kert's market on Sunday (9 am - 2 pm). Get your hands on delicacies such as goats’ cheese, organic fruit and veggies, bread, honey, jams, smoked meats, or flowers. This time, Hungarian delicacy chimney cake (kürtőskalács) will be on offer too, filling the air with sweet smells. After your shopping spree, settle down at the bistro with a nice cup of tea or a hearty lunch. 

MOME Spring Design Fair 2023

Spring has arrived, which means that a MOME Fair (the design market of the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest) was due. At this artsy event, you can browse design products by nearly 60 students’ in a fun and colourful atmosphere. There will be prints, jewellery, ceramics, accessories, clothes and many other unique pieces. The event, starting at noon, will be at the K11 Art and Culture Center, where craft beer and good music await you.
 
Get to know the creators better on the Instagram page of MOME Fair.

Tim Burton's Big Fish at the BEM Cinema

BEM Cinema brings us yet another classic on Sunday: Tim Burton's Big Fish. The film, starring Ewan McGregor, is about a frustrated son trying to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father's life. It will be screened in the original language with Hungarian subtitles.

Get tickets online here or on the spot.