1/11
Christmas markets
Holiday-season fairs and ice skating rinks are now open citywide, enticing everyone with live music, cultural attractions, merry merchandise and festive fare. Vörösmarty tér, around the Basilica and Városháza tér round the corner all get a Christmas makeover in the city centre. If you’re venturing further afield, then the picturesque, historic town of Szentendre, 40 minutes from Budapest by suburban train, sets out its stalls and winterises its cobblestoned streets.
2/11
Skating
With winter upon us, don your skates and draw figure eights! Whether you amaze people with your smooth moves on ice or amuse them with epic falls, you can slide and glide alfresco at many skating spots around town. Settings stretch from rooftop retreats in town to the cultural hubs by the Danube. And then there’s the jaw-droppingly gorgeous rink in the City Park! All have tasty treats to boost your mood between laps. See our selection here.
3/11
Star Wars: The Fans Strike Back
Now running until 19 January 2020, this themed exhibition at the Bálna leisure complex coincides with the 40th anniversary of the first Star Wars film being screened in Hungary. More than 600 original artefacts collated by Star Wars fanatic Daniel Prada came to Budapest in ten loaded trucks all the way from Paris. Official collector’s items, works by artists and professionals, as well as special audio-visual effects, help recreate the iconic sci-fi world now revered by three generations.
Star Wars: The Fans Strike Back
Bálna Budapest
District IX. Fővám tér 9-10
Open: Tue-Fri noon-8pm, Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 10am-7pm
4/11
Mikulás
Here Santa Claus comes on the feast day for Saint Nicholas, 6 December. Mikulás is the real deal, when presents arrive from afar, expectant children polishing their shoes and leaving them on windowsills. Everyone is on their best behaviour lest the evil krampusz show up, his presence indicated by a birch stick and the distant hint of punishment. Worse, no presents. This, of course, never happens, but silvery sticks may be left as a gentle warning alongside the seasonal goodies. Around town, the city fills with merriment: special menus, kid’s attractions and, at certain Christmas markets, the red-suited fellow himself. From 6 December and all weekend, Christmas elves provide seasonal fun on the trains of the Children’s Railway, awaiting children with games, songs and dancing.
5/11
Mikuláss Charity Run
Another annual MikuLÁSS Charity Run takes place on Margaret Island on 8 December. Scores of sporty Santas do one or two laps of the island, costumes and bells de rigueur. As the event is organised by the Sport and Leisure Association of the Visually Impaired (LÁSS) – MikuLÁSS being a play on words with Hungarian Christmas, Mikulás – there’s also a mini-run on a 400-metre track for blindfolded runners, with a guide provided. Also on hand will be lashings of mulled wine and Christmas biscuits. Hungarian speakers can register for MikuLÁSS.
6/11
Sinéad O’Connor
Grammy award-winning Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor comes to Budapest to play the Main Hall of the downtown Akvárium Klub on 9 December. The instantly recognisable singer has undergone a few changes since her cover of Nothing Compares 2 U turned her into a world star in 1990. Still happy to perform under her stage name while not releasing any new material, the singer turns 53 during this European tour, which precedes an extensive one of the States.
Akvárium Klub
7pm, 9 December
District V. Erzsébet tér 12
Admission: 13,900 HUF. Tickets on sale here
7/11
Big Mikulás Jog
On 15 December, a team of underdressed Santas take the streets to run around central lanes and thoroughfares wearing a swimsuit, sneakers, a Santa hat and really not much else. This initiative began in Boston in 2000, when five guys ran through Back Bay wearing only Speedos and Santa hats to spread some holiday spirit. Since then, it has grown into a huge annual event attracting hundreds each year to create a surreal wintry scene. The run finishes at the Széchenyi Baths, where everyone can melt their goose bumps away. Everyone is welcome to join the team between 2pm and 2.30pm near the Go Active Fitness Centre in the Gozsdu Udvar. Come early to get a Santa hat and face painting. More details (in Hungarian)
Icelandic chamber pop? Yes, please! Reykjavík’s finest exponents of the genre, Árstíðir, step out where goths and metal merchants usually lurk, the Dürer Kert. Bringing their harmonious voices and catchy melodies, Árstíðir (‘Seasons’) sound best in winter – their last studio album was fittingly titled Nivalis (‘Snow’). Their special holiday tour takes in eminently Christmassy destinations such in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Poland.
Dürer Kert District XIV. Ajtósi Dürer sor 19-21 7pm, 18 December
Admission: 3,500-4,500 HUF. Tickets on sale here
Superstar DJ from East Berlin, Paul van Dyk is still at the top of his game, performing in the Fan Zone in Moscow during the last World Cup and headlining in Ibiza. A tenth studio album, Guiding Light, is expected in 2020 – meantime, there’s a handful of pre-Christmas dates in Central Europe, including a night at the Akvárium Klub on the last Friday before the holiday.
Akvárium Klub District V. Erzsébet tér 12 7pm, 18 December
Admission: 3,500-4,500 HUF. Tickets on sale here
10/11
Christmas
Christmas here is Christmas Eve, 24 December. Everything closes at lunchtime, public transport stops running early afternoon and Budapest comes to standstill. Hotels are still busy of course, but you’ll almost certainly have to book a table if you’d like to dine on something seasonal – fish, fish soup, more fish – at one of their restaurants. These days, a bar or two might stay open on the Nagykörút, particularly between the Király utca and Blaha Lujza tér tram stops. Transport starts running again on 25 December, and eateries slowly re-open.
