At the outset of the past two years, We Love Budapest has peered into our cracked crystal ball to perceive some bold prophecies about what will happen in Hungary’s capital during the upcoming 12 months. So far, pretty much none of our predictions have come true… but while we apparently won’t be giving Nostradamus any competition anytime soon, we won’t let our weak track record of forewarning prevent us from again dabbling in the occult as we look forward to 2017. Based on the trends and events that shaped Budapest during 2016, we now embark on another fanciful journey into the city’s future!

1/5

The chimney-cake revolution continues

After several Budapest businesses reinvented classic Hungarian chimney cake (“kürtőskalács”) as an ice-cream cone and as a savory sandwich shell during 2016, this beloved pastry continues to be repurposed as an edible fashion accessory.

2/5

Szimpla opens a new location on Liberty Bridge

During the summer of 2016, Budapest’s Liberty Bridge was closed to traffic for many weeks, and it became a beloved open-air recreation area for locals. By popular demand, during 2017 the bridge is forever closed to vehicles to instead become a permanent party place; soon afterwards, Szimpla opens a new ruin-pub location here.

3/5

Uber returns to Budapest

The online transportation-service business Uber was banned from Hungary during 2016, but in 2017 the company’s lawyers manage to discover a legal loophole that allows them to once again provide rides in Budapest… but only aboard beer bikes.

4/5

Budapest’s first gluten-free oxygen bar opens

Many eateries specializing in gluten-free meals and pastries opened in Budapest during 2016. Capitalizing on this craze, during 2017 a new oxygen bar opens guaranteeing that all of its products are also absolutely gluten-free.