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Parliament House
On October 22nd, visitors can access Hungary’s neo-Gothic-style Parliament House free of charge during guided group tours to view some of the building’s key sites, including the Grand Stairway, the central Dome Hall, and the Holy Crown of Hungary. Tours run from 10am to 6pm throughout the day, and while preliminary registration is not required, it’s advisable to get there early, as lengthy lines are expected in front of the building. Regular tours are also available on the same day between 8am and 6pm – for more information, visit the Parliament’s official website.
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Memorial Torchlight Procession
On October 22nd, following a memorial ceremony at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (which served as a significant venue during the 1956 events), a torchlight procession departs at 4:30pm from in front of the building before marching along the Danube riverfront, continuing to Műegyetem rakpart, Szent Gellért rakpart, and Várkert rakpart, traversing Ybl Miklós Square, Lánchíd Street, Clark Ádám Square, Fő Street, Bem rakpart, and Csalogány Street, before reaching Nagy Imre Square, where the lighting of the Flame of Revolution welcomes the marching crowds. At 6pm, the procession concludes with solemn speeches at Bem József Square.
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Kossuth Square
On October 23rd at 9am, Hungary’s national flag will be raised high above Kossuth Square in front of the Parliament House, while starting from 3pm, official speeches commemorate the Magyars’ undaunted fight for freedom that changed history.
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House of Terror Museum
Located along prominent Andrássy Avenue within the former secret police headquarters of the State Security Office, the House of Terror Museum offers free entrance on October 23rd to anyone who wants to witness its unsettling scenes and learn more about the atrocities that occurred in Hungary under the 20th-century communist regime. The interactive showcase commemorates victims of oppression who were detained, interrogated, tortured, and killed in the building, while six short movies take visitors into a virtual reality, where the 1956 Revolution comes to life. The exhibition is open from 10am to 6pm.
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Museum of Military History
Visitors can examine a range of weapons, battle scenes, and Hungarian army uniforms at the Museum of Military History (Budapest 1014, Kapisztrán Square 2-4) within the Castle District. Those who enter come across several displays of military technology and weaponry, plus visitors can join movie screenings and handicraft workshops, including tin-soldier painting sessions. The museum is open from 10am to 6pm, and entrance is free of charge on October 23rd.
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Hungarian National Museum
The Hungarian National Museum presents various artworks created to portray what went down during the revolution and through the weeks that followed. The “Codes/Signals/Images – The Secret Art of the Revolution of 1956” exhibition displays various drawings, paintings, posters, photos, and statuettes that evoke an era of oppression, devastation, and distress. The museum is open on October 23rd from 10am to 6pm, and the exhibition is on view through November 13th.
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Vintage tram rides
Newsboys deliver historic reports along the track of tram 6 at several stops, including Széna Square, Jászai Mari Square, Nyugati pályaudvar, Blaha Lujza Square, and Corvin Square, plus at the Móricz Zsigmond Circus and Kálvin Square stops of tram 49. Passengers can hop aboard vintage streetcars to ride along the two lines and sightsee around Budapest – retro journeys run on October 23rd and from October 29th through November 4th.
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Revolutionary light painting
Several sites across Budapest will be illuminated by colorful lights that enhance many of the city’s edifices with glorious memorial visions. City dwellers can view the sparkling phenomena at the following locations and times:
Erkel Theater
October 22nd at 6:45pm
Papp László Budapest Sportaréna
October 23rd from 6pm to 7pm and from 10pm to 11pm
Corvin Department Store
October 24th at 6:45pm
Address: Budapest 1085, Blaha Lujza Square 1-2
Újpest Town Hall
October 31st at 6:45pm
Address: Budapest 1041, István Road 14
St. Stephen’s Basilica
November 4th at 7pm
House of Terror Museum
November 4th at 7pm
For more information about events honoring the 60th anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 Revolution, visit the oktober23.kormany.hu website.
