Events: What's on in Budapest

At first glance, rum and beer may seem to be two separate entities, the former fresh, hoppy and communal, the latter speaking of deep, spicy, sun-drenched landscapes. But at the end of June, they come together at the Rum and Beer Festival at Time Out Market Budapest, where more than 100 varieties of rum and 50-plus types of beer await those keen on discovering new flavours.

The beer side is represented by the Pannonhalma Abbey Brewery, FIRST Craft Beer, Horizont Brewing, Fehér Nyúl Brewery and Dreher, while rums include brands such as Angostura Caribbean, Dictador, Bumbu, Havana Club, La Hechicera, Botran, Black Tot and Compagnie des Indes.

Meanwhile, the full food and drink range of Time Out Market Budapest will be on hand, meaning that you can also enjoy a great meal served by Budapest's most exciting kitchens separate to your event coupons.

On the day of the event, every guest will be greeted with a free tasting ticket, which can be exchanged for a beer or rum. A five-item tasting coupon package can also be purchased on-site, also available in advance through jegy.hu for Ft 5,990 (€17).

The tasting glass can be purchased or rented on-site. The tasting ticket cannot be exchanged for cash and cannot be combined with other promotions.

This Saturday, June 20, in one of the biggest occasions in the local calendar, the Night of Museums the city's most prestigious and little-visited institutions throw open their doors until the wee hours, and put on special events, activities, tours and workshops. In total, more than 400 places are involved, ranging from the Aeropark of vintage planes out at the airport, to the museum of popular local football club Ferencváros, to the House of Unicum, to the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, to...

Naturally, the big hitters are pulling out all the stops, the National Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts and the House of Music Hungary. One ticket costing just Ft 3,000 (€8.60), Ft 1,500 (€4.30) for 6-18s, covers entry to all venues and events, the wristband also allowing you to ride free on the seven special bus lines across the city, running until 2.30am.

See here for details and tickets.

Kicking off with the lilting reggae rhythms of Irie Maffia on April 23, prime open-air live venue Budapest Park stages five months of regular shows in the shadow of Közvágóhíd, set back from the Müpa arts complex in south Pest. Among the top international acts are Moby on August 1, Rita Ora on July 29, Idles on July 8 and the Sex Pistols with Frank Carter on July 20. Big Hungarian names include Halott Pénz, Ivan & the Parazol and Blahalouisiana. The season closes with Parov Stelar on September 26.

June is Pride Month: the Budapest festival, which runs from June 5 to 28, will fill the city with talks, film screenings, workshops, cultural events, parties and community get-togethers. The highlight is the parade on June 27, when flags and music bring the whole community together through the streets of Budapest.

At the end of the parade, a Civil Village will be set up to join organisations, initiatives and community events, before the night continues with the Budapest Pride Rainbow Party, held in Budapest Park. Doors open at 10pm and ticket revenue supports the work of Budapest Pride.

Being served between June 8 and 21, summer will be arriving to Time Out Budapest Market in the form of seasonal dishes featring peas and cherries, from fresh main courses to fruity desserts.

Over these two weeks, tender green peas, sweet cherries and distinctive Hungarian sour cherries will be taking the starring role on the menu, but not in the way you might imagine. You can opt for pink duck breast with sour cherry strudel and carrot cream from Szaletly, golden currant and cherry ceviche from Lira by Essência, jade wok with sugar-snap peas from 101 Bistro, and cottage cheese dumplings with sour cream and sour cherries from Casa Christa.

101 Bistro’s seasonal menu draws from the world of Far-Eastern cuisine: the crunch of sugar-snap peas, the elasticity of wood-ear mushrooms, the creaminess of taro and the umami-rich sauce combine to create a light yet characterful summer dish. But there will be no shortage of sweets: Bigfish is creating a cherry cheesecake while the Pingrumba team has been concocting a Turkish chocolate ganache, with smoked cherries and black tea.

Prices do not include a 5% service charge, to be added to the bill.

Following on from last year's successful world tour, veteran New Romantics Duran Duran take to the road again, this time taking in Hyde Park, the Arena in Verona and... the Papp László Sportaréna here in Budapest on June 28. Featuring four of the original members, the group should be performing all the old favourites plus the single they released earlier this year, Free To Love, as performed with Nile Rodgers on a recent broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live! It's 1982 all over again! Tickets here.

Between June 12 and 19, Budapest will be dancing at the Danube Carnival, one of the city's most spectacular international festivals involves Hungarian folk dance and music, and global ensembles demonstrating how tradition resonates in the movements and rhythms of different cultures.

This multi-day festival takes place in several locations around Budapest, and the programme alternates between domestic and international dance ensembles, folk-music concerts and folklore shows. The highlight of the week will be the gala Love Woven into Dance on June 19 at the Margaret Island Open-Air Stage, where some 300 dancers and musicians take the spotlight. Several events can be seen for free or with prior registration, but a separate ticket is required for the Margaret Island gala. All starts on June 12.

In June, the open-air stage on Budapest's largest island comes alive again when one of Budapest’s most beautiful summer-only venues kicks off its annual agenda of classical music, opera, spectacular productions and Hungarian pop idols.

The season begins on June 4 with the opening concert of the National Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by the Queen Symphony & Concert Show on June 13, and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana on June 17, which will be performed in a concert-like, oratorio format, with a symphony orchestra and choir.

The Danube Carnival gala will be held on June 19, followed by two nights of Verdi on July 23 and 25, and the revered pre-war Hungarian cabaret swing of Budapest Bár on September 2. Although the programme is aimed towards a domestic audience, the verdant setting under the stars more than makes up for any linguistic hurdles. See here for the full schedule in English.

Timed to coincide with the pioneering exploits of Artemis II in April 2026, Destination: Galaxy! looks at the earliest days of space exploration, when Moscow-aligned Hungary followed the progress of Vostok, Yuri Gagarin and the Soviet cosmonauts years before the Americans left Earth's orbit. Hungary has its own cosmonaut, Bertalan Farkas, who held the nation in thrall when he became the first Magyar in space in 1980. Photographs, original artefacts and interviews recall the thrill of the moment, with mainly English-friendly documentation.

From May onwards, the Musical Fountain on Margaret Island will perform its popular choreography to the sound of classic waltzes and modern pop hits. Visitors can look forward to children's songs in the morning, classical tunes at noon, pop in the afternoon, and a light and music show in the evening, magical after sunset. Grab an ice cream, sit on the grass and let yourself be enchanted by the dancing water jets.

Running for most of the summer at the Museum of Fine Arts on Heroes' Square, this large-scale retrospective marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of Victor Vasarely, considered the father of Op art. Born in Pécs, southern Hungary, Vasarely first hooked up with the Bauhaus movement in Budapest but then followed many Hungarian emigrés to Paris in the 1930s. There, as well as earning a decent living designing advertising posters, he set in motion one of the most far-reaching revolutions in 20th-century visual thinking. His work played a defining role in the emergence of geometrical abstraction and Op art after World War II, and continues to inform attitudes to visual culture to this day. 

On Friday, June 19, bubbles will be the main focus at Time Out Market Budapest. At this evening of champagne and sparkling wine, you can sample more than 20 varieties from Hungary, Italy, France and Spain at three different counters, selected by three prominent distributors.

The range includes fresh proseccos, elegant Italian Franciacortas, Spanish cava, Burgundy crémant, rosé bubbles and traditional Hungarian labels, and even a special non-alcoholic sparkling tea will be added to the glasses.

The bubbles here are not just about the view: their finesse, durability and character also say a lot about what makes a sparkling wine truly exciting. The labels include Ferghettina, Masottina, Codorníu, Domaine Henri Delagrange, Kreinbacher, Etyeki Kúria, Tokaj Nobilis, Sauska, Kárásztelki and Acala.

Admission includes five tasting tickets, each valid for a 0.5 dl glass. Organisers reserve the right to change the items.

On the Hungarian throne for 40 years, from 1342 to 1382, King Louis I the Great, oversaw the excavation of precious metals, mainly gold, to allow his medieval realm to flourish. Born exactly 700 years ago in Visegrád, where a number of anniversary events will also take place, this ruler of the Angevin dynasty pursued a successful foreign policy and quelled internal rebellion, acquiring the Polish crown, founding Hungary's first university, and encouraging the development of arts and craftsmanship. The few remaining examples of coins and jewellery from this golden period are on display at the National Museum will be on display until the end of the year. Documentation is in English and Hungarian.

Hosted at his namesake exhibition centre, Hungarian Report, 1948, displays some 50 photographs taken by the legendary photographer Robert Capa, who had returned home from his acclaimed photo shoots around war-torn Europe. What he discovered was ruined streets and the gradual rebuilding of the city of his youth, as it faced a post-war future with hope and uncertainty.