Festivals are a celebration of a nation’s culture and being the capital city of Hungary, Budapest has a huge number of festivals annually. From festivals to enjoy Palinka and the different seasons, here are the top festivals that you can join in Budapest (or nearby).
Sziget Festival
Held on the Island of Freedom, along the Danube River, is one of Europe's biggest and greatest music festivals. Featuring international artists such as Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa, there are over 1000 performances held during the seven day festival in August annually.
True to its values at heart, the festival has a range of activities to celebrate music and love. The Labyrinth is a makeshift lab that will help you work through your difficult questions in life, while the Ability Park will let you experience what it is like to be disabled through a series of games.
Participants can choose to stay on the island by camping and passes to the festival options are 1 day, 3 days, 5 days or 7 days, starting from $69.90 SGD (€45) to $495.54 SGD (€319).
For more information, or to book your tickets, you can head here.
Samsara Festival
While this festival is held at a place slightly more than an hour away from Budapest city, it is close enough to consider for a day trip. As a psychedelic festival for yoga, music, nature lovers, and healers, psybient music will be your main entertainment.
This festival is held in August annually with membership(tickets) starting at $245.33 SGD (€158) for the Dharma Nonprofit Foundation.
Budapest Spring Festival
When the flowers begin to bloom, so does Budapest in its art glory. Fans of opera, classical music, jazz, ballet turn up to enjoy the numerous performances put up at numerous venues. The streets are strewn with parades, filling the air with energy and buzz.
Similarly, Budapest also holds a Summer Festival so fret not if you find it hard to make it in April!
For more information, you can refer to the official site.
Efott
Interestingly, Hungarian students gather to celebrate the end of their exams each year. At Lake Velence in July, over 100,000 students show up to celebrate at this Hungarian music festival which also hosts a multitude of water sports and games.
Festival of Folk Arts
To celebrate the birthday of Hungary in August every year, the Festival of Folk Arts is held at Buda Castle. There will be local performances and workshops to learn crafts such as embroidery, wood carving, basket weaving, etc. They also invite guests from other countries to show off their cultural skills.
Jewish Summer Festival
With the recent boom to the Jewish population in Budapest, the synagogues hold Klezmer music performances during the Jewish Summer Festival and the whole quarter comes alive. The festival takes place over the course of a week at the end of August or at the beginning of September annually.
For every season that you visit Budapest in, there is sure to be a festival which is celebrated by the locals. Not only are they eye-opening, but they are also great fun to attend!
