Events: What's on in Budapest

The biggest music festival in the region is still going strong after nearly 25 years. Taking over its own island (sziget), this sprawling, multi-cultural event is unique in that it comprises many stages and all kinds of attractions for all the family. Arriving by HÉV suburban train to Filatorigát or by special festival boat from Margaret Bridge, hundreds of thousands of visitors ('Szitizens') are immersed into a completely new world for the length of their stay.

Most come for the music alone, of course, but camp out here and you'll get the full Sziget experience. Consistently winning prizes for Best Festival Infrastructure, Sziget also scores high for food and drink, and children's entertainment.

For 2026, headliners include Twenty One Pilots, Florence + The Machine and Lewis Capaldi, along with UK favourites such as Underworld and the Lambrini Girls. On the electronica front either, Richie Hawtin, Sara Landry and Nia Archives provide a darker, clubby atmosphere, while the domestic field is bolstered by Beton.Hofi and Analog Balaton, among others.

All takes place between August 11-15, with Day 0 on August 10 and a -1 day in celebration of Hungarian music legend János Bródy on August 9.

This summer, the wine list at Time Out Market Budapest is taking on a lighter character, combining fresh varieties, brilliant vintages, new winemakers and drinks ideal for warmer evenings in town.

Come to the tasting session of the new wine list at Time Out Market Budapest on July 14 and be among the first to try the seasonal selection. Throughout the evening, the Market's own-label sparkling Tokaj Brut and Édes Szamorodnija, and new white wines, rosés and reds will be served, and the offer will be complemented by cider, non-alcoholic drinks and the crowd-pleasing Time Out Market sangría.

You don't have to rush home after the tasting either – from 9pm, you can watch the World Cup semi-final here beamed live from Dallas. The kitchens stay open until 10pm, and the bars until 11.30pm.

There's no experience more Budapest than watching open-air cinema while bathing in thermal waters in opulent surroundings. This summer, Cinespa brings together the city's spa culture and the relaxed atmosphere of alfresco movies of a Friday night. Here, you can watch screen classics while bobbing in the waters of the Széchenyi Baths.

Screenings start at 8.45pm, films shown in English with Hungarian subtitles. The schedule includes Mamma Mia! on July 10 and 50 First Dates on July 17.

In case of rain or bad weather, screenings may be cancelled but that doesn't mean you have to go without an evening spent relaxing at Budapest's most popular spa.

This Saturday, July 11, glide high over the city under the stars with the return of the annual summer Chairlift Night, offering romantic rides right through until 1am.

After sunset, the slope up to the highest point in Budapest, János Hill, shows a completely different face when the lights of the city start twinkling beyond. If you're lucky, even the illuminated outline of Parliament can be seen in the distance.

For Chairlift Night, live music will be welcoming visitors at the lower station, while the café at the top will be open throughout the event. The programme runs from 7pm to 1am. You can ride uphill until 12.30am, and downhill until 1am, boarding on a first-come, first-served basis. A separate return ticket, which can be purchased online, is required to participate, which entitles you to one ride up and one ride down, with no discounts.

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.

Few artists have influenced electronic music as much as Moby. His album Play from 1999 sold 12 million copies, his songs have become indispensable pieces in films, TV ads and clubs, and the producer has been a master of experimentation ever since. He returns to Budapest for the first time in 15 years and is preparing a new live show, in which he will perform his best-known hits and new compositions.

The evening will be characterised by ethereal vocals, psychedelic projections and heavy bass. The spacious space of Budapest Park is ideal for a concert where downtempo melancholy and danceable, rave beats go hand in hand. Moby’s music is a true emotional North Star for many. To immerse yourself in the soundscape of the new century for an evening, make your way to south Pest.

Start Sunday morning in the city centre at a different rhythm to everyday life with The Palace Reset: Yoga & Brunch on July 12 at Al Habtoor Palace Budapest.

The event begins with Réka Hardy's yoga class and guided relaxation, then the experience continues under the hotel's signature atrium, where a Sunday brunch awaits visitors with an open kitchen, an eggs Benedict station, Italian dishes and the Art of Cakes dessert installation fashioned by pastry chef István Mázás.

The brunch includes unlimited champagne, cocktails, soft drinks and coffee, and at the end of the programme, each participant will receive a gift package with surprises from Clarins, Bobbi Brown and Jo Malone.

Releasing tunes on the One Little Independent label, renamed from One Little Indian and home of those groundbreaking Björk albums, Ásgeir rose to global fame with In the Silence, released in 2014. An exponent of a genre known as folktronica, the Icelandic Ásgeir is currently on a world tour, taking in New York, the Faroes and Budapest, backing his most recent release Julia. Here he performs with his own band as part of the MOL-New Europe Stage – Voices of Emerging Europe series.

Free summer concerts are taking place on Kossuth tér outside Parliament every Thursday from 5pm, a series known as Tér-Zene ('Square Music'). For an hour each week, musicians playing classical, swing, jazz or acoustic pop will be entertaining passing crowds near the fountain on the relandscaped public space, with the iconic dome of Parliament as the backdrop.

Whether you’re on your way home from work or stopping for a moment while sightseeing, you can plot up on the steps or lie on the grass and enjoy an hour's free live sounds. Prime spots go quickly, so get here a little early if you can.

Verdi’s evergreen classic is given a contemporary overhaul at the Hungarian State Opera House for an extensive run until July 9. Based on the Dumas play La Dame aux Camélias, this three-act opera takes the audience into mid 19th-century Paris, its salons and champagne-laced gatherings.

Students of the Hungarian Dance University and the Ágnes Nemes Nagy Vocational Secondary School of Art feature among the cast, with various sopranos taking the role of doomed heroine Violetta Valéry. Each performance lasts 2.5 hours including an interval, and features English surtitles.

Who was Attila the Hun? Precious little source information remains from the life of this notorious leader, the Scourge of God, who laid waste to much of this region in the fifth century CE. In the most significant exhibition to be staged in Hungary for the last 40 years, the National Museum has collated some 400 artefacts from 64 museums across 13 countries, most notably the British Museum, the Louvre in Abu Dhabi and the National Museum in Baku.

Along with the various items of jewellery and weaponry, pride of place goes to the painting The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila, attributed to Raphael and his assistants, usually stored at the Pope's official residence in the Vatican, now on view to the public for the first time in 120 years.

The 40th Hungarian Grand Prix sees the Formula 1 drivers set off for the first time between the new main building and grandstand, part of a major €200-million redevelopment. The investment has completely transformed the main stand, the pit lane and the paddock, opening a new chapter in the history of the Hungaroring.

Established by Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who originally wanted to bring Grand Prix to behind the Iron Curtain and then couldn't stage it through the streets of Moscow, the event has always been held at the Hungaroring near Mogyoród, an otherwise sleepy village north-east of Budapest. Always held in the sweltering heat of high summer, the Budapest fixture on the calendar is always popular one for the partying to be had around the city nearby.

To usher in this new era, a world-class racetrack awaits drivers from 24 to 26 July. The three-day programme brings race fans to the stands with free practice on the Friday, qualifying on the Saturday and the 70-lap race starting at 1pm on the Sunday. The tight corners of the 4.4-km long circuit continue to promise tough battles, but the new grandstand and paddock provide a more comfortable spectator experience.

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.

All the old favourites get dragged out and given another airing by three of the original members and sung by Frank Carter, Lydon having appeared in Budapest in recent weeks fronting Public Image. Rumours of new material have been greatly exaggerated – the set list is mainly taken from the band's only studio album plus a few well-known covers they played at the time, such as the Iggy's No Fun and the Monkees' Steppin' Stone – the Pistols always stole from the best.

Those interested in what these pioneering punk rockers actually sounded like should investigate the series of live albums currently being released from the seminal US tour of January 1978 in vinyl and CD form. Support is provided by The Damned, whose debut album and initial singles form part of the punk canon from 1976 and early 1977.

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.