Festivals, cool concerts, cultural events and amazing parties – Budapest is always buzzing. Every month, we bring together all the important happenings taking place in and around Hungary’s capital, so you can plan ahead. For April, I Bike Budapest, the Spring Etyek Picnic and the BANFF Film Festival are among the many exciting events you shouldn't miss. Whether you would like to shake it to the coolest beats, immerse yourself in culture or give in to guilty pleasures, we present a bunch of events for the upcoming weeks. Get out there and enjoy everything that Budapest has to offer!
1/15
Akvárium Spring Terrace
A warm spring evening, a glass of wine in hand, your group of friends or special someone and an acoustic alfresco gig in the heart of Budapest. Does it get any better? Akvárium Klub on Erzsébet tér presents a special free event series for the month of April – between the 5th and 22nd. Shaking up sunshiny spring evenings, they set up a temporary stage to welcome popular Hungarian musicians and up-and-coming artists to give acoustic shows and other exciting performances every day on the lively terrace. This year’s special guests are MEUTE from Hamburg and American Laura Gibson. More details
2/15
Spring Etyek Picnic
The picturesquely rustic wine village of Etyek – about 30km west of Budapest – is full of excellent boutique wineries, with friendly, small-batch family producers surrounded by lush vineyards. The region is mostly known for crisp whites, and some of Hungary’s best Pinot Noir. This adorable bijou village hosts homely picnics four times a year, presenting top wines and gastronomic treasures typical of each season. The spring picnic, taking place on 6-7 April at Újhegy (New Hill), welcomes visitors with delicious wines, tasty dishes, family activities, outdoor cooking and fantastic folk concerts. Guests can stroll the unpaved roads of Újhegy, popping into various cellars to sample distinctive tipples, amid the musty aroma of oak barrels and the tantalising bouquet of wine. More details
3/15
Michelangelo - The Triumph of The Body
On view for nearly three months from 6 April to 30 June, The Triumph of the Body exhibition features 80 drawings by Michelangelo and contemporaries at Budapest’s revamped Museum of Fine Arts. Drawings focus on the visualisation of the human body, a prominent theme of art in the 15th and 16th centuries. More details
Felix de Laet, aka Lost Frequencies, gained immediate acclaim with his tune Are You With Me back in 2014, when he was only 20. Since then, he has been producing hit songs and earning a place as one of the resident DJs at the illustrious Tomorrowland festival. On 6 April, he plays Budapest’s Akvárium Klub. More details
5/15
Budapest Art Week
An exciting festival of fine arts is taking place between 9-14 April around Budapest. Many of the city’s museums and art galleries will operate with longer opening hours, hosting numerous exhibitions and cool cultural events. Meet the artists, join gallery tours and see newly installed displays during this enlightening series spanning six days. More details
6/15
BANFF Mountain Film Festival
Massive rock formations, fast-flowing waters and snow-capped mountains... Embark on an adrenaline-filled escapade to exotic places and explore the wonders of the world through dramatic action brought to Budapest by the BANFF Mountain Film Festival. Taking place between 10-12 April, it presents a selection of adventure documentaries at the Corvin Cinema. The films touch on a wide range of topics, but they all have something in common: a love of outdoor sport and a reverence for nature and human achievement, all from a uniquely artistic point of view. More details
Welsh heavy-metal band Bullet for My Valentine have been playing together for more than two decades now. Their last release was in 2018, an album entitled Gravity. Currently touring in Europe, they stop off in Budapest on 10 April to play at the Barba Negra Music Club. More details
Mike Rosenberg, aka Passenger, is both a successful pop artist (Young As The Morning, Old As The Sea) and a sensitive songwriter (The Boy Who Cried Wolf). His two sides complement each other well, gaining him a big audience all over the world. After many successful performances in Hungary, he now plays at the Akvárium Klub on 12 April. More details
The Spring Half Marathon entices enthusiastic runners to Budapest’s beautiful Margaret Island to complete diverse distances amid inspiring surroundings on 13-14 April. Within the framework of this two-day jogging jamboree, runners can attempt a ten-kilometre Vivicitta and a 21-kilometre half marathon on the Sunday (this year including relay of three), while on Saturday the focus is on shorter races ranging from 750 metres to seven kilometres. The route of the half marathon passes many of Budapest’s major sights, such as the Chain Bridge and Parliament. Refreshments are provided every 4-5 kilometres, and several musical points make the race a little more fun. More details
10/15
Hyperspace Electronic Music Festival
World-class DJs spin dance tunes and revellers let loose on the dance floor at this surreal electronica extravaganza taking place at the Hungexpo site on 13 April. Headliners include Chris Liebing, Julian Jeweil, Slam, Anetha, Flug, Rebekah and international music masters. Early bird tickets are already available. More details
11/15
International Book Festival Budapest
This free Budapest festival and intellectual forum – taking place between 25-28 April – celebrates literature every year by gathering book lovers and authors from all around the world to Buda’s Millenáris Park. Bestsellers and recently published editions, round-table discussions, concerts, book-signing sessions and other cultural events accompany the festival. This year's guests of honour are one of the most original writers in Europe, Karl Ove Knausgård, and Norway as a whole. More details
12/15
VinCe Budapest Wine Show
If you'd like to try the finest wines in Hungary and the Central European region, this festival is for you. Between 25-27 April, Budapest’s beautiful Castle Garden Bazaar fills with top tipples for visitors to try. Numerous exhibitors showcase their best wines, while various kinds of pálinka brandies and spirits can also be sampled. To fill the belly, gourmet products such as cheeses and sausages will be served with wine biscuits and olive oil. Seated wine tasting, master classes and interactive workshops also await connoisseurs. More details
13/15
The Naked Clown
The Recirquel Contemporary Circus Company are an ensemble of talented performers who aim to popularise a new genre of circus to the public. In their spectacle entitled The Naked Clown, a clown’s life is coming to an end; he is about to enter the unknown, but before the final curtain call, he needs to leave behind his ruff, taking the last steps only with the nakedness of his soul. In this production, the disguise is removed both literally and figuratively, as the performers take the audience on an unusual inner journey into imaginary realms. The show is staged on 27 April in Hungarian with English subtitles. More details
14/15
I Bike Budapest
The best event for cyclists in Budapest this spring. On 28 April, a huge group take to the streets on two wheels on a quest to promote cycling in the city. Several roads around Hungary’s capital will be cleared of cars for this special event, making the most spectacular sights more accessible by bike. This immensely popular mass-cycling extravaganza began in Budapest in 2004 and by 2013, more than 100,000 people had turned up to draw silent attention to the continuing need for creating better bike routes around town. Hop on your bike and take a ride for a more bike-friendly Budapest! See you there! More details
15/15
Midnight Music
A regular event at the Várkert Bazaar, Midnight Music is an informal classical music concert series being held late at night, where guests can enjoy the melodies while sitting comfortably on beanbags. On 28 April, the orchestra, led by conductor Manfred Honeck, play Tchaikovsky. More details
