Events: What's on in Budapest

Falkirk's finest celebrate their 30th anniversary with a tour of south-eastern Europe and a new album, Half-Told Tales, their ninth. Indie faves Arab Strap, Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton, have produced many a bleak, poignant ditty in their Lowland brogue, taking a few years out of performing before re-entering the fray in 2016. An undertone of hungover regret remains the duo's lyrical leitmotif, while their musical style touches many bases. Don't miss.

The story of Beauty and the Beast is brought to life in the historic Botanical Garden through light projections, tunnels, moving installations and familiar melodies from the tale. This outdoor walk – lasting roughly an hour – is a great choice for a family outing or a romantic rendezvous – just be sure to dress appropriately for the weather! What’s more, your ticket supports a good cause, helping to ensure the preservation and care of the garden’s unique plant collection.

For one evening, the southern wine hub of Szekszárd moves into the Corvin Palace and Time Out Market. The November edition of the Market's wine-tasting series will feature the first new wines of 2026, spicy Kadarkas and Szekszárd Bikavér (Bull’s Blood). In addition to wines from the Heimann, Takler, Sebestyén, Márkvárt János jr and Vida Péter wineries, you can also sample selections from Bortársaság’s new wine collection. Food and drink will be available throughout the evening – kitchens remain open until 10pm, bars until 11.30pm.

Subtitled Buda and Pest During the Ottoman Period, 1526-1686, this major exhibition at the BHM Castle Museum marks the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Mohács by investigating the consequences of the victory of the Sultan’s forces that day. A City on the Front Line shows that during the 160 years of Turkish occupation, the separate, facing cities of Buda and Pest sat at the fault line between two great empires, Habsburg and Ottoman, assuming the role of an important diplomatic centre and trading hub for goods from further east. The new rulers also brought with them exotic elements of their culture that remain in place today. With English-language documentation, this long-running exhibition shines a brighter light on a lesser-known but pivotal period of Hungarian history.

Eating goose on St Martin’s Day around November 11 is a Hungarian tradition but the kitchens at Time Out Market have more to offer than just the classics. From November 9-15, goose will feature in ramen, pappardelle and nigiri, while the Rockefeller burger at Tuning Burger gets a rich twist with the addition of foie gras.

If you prefer a more traditional approach, try the goose soup at Casa Christa or the goose leg at Canteen by Costes. For those with a sweet tooth, Pingrumba offers a vegan goose-foot brownie, featuring sour cherries and tahini.

St Martin’s Day Menu

Pingrumba: Goose-foot brownie – a vegan brownie with sour cherries, cherry-tahini, almonds and Maldon salt.

Casa Christa: Goose soup with matzah balls and foie gras.

Tuning Burger: Rockefeller burger made with Angus beef, Cheddar cheese, Black Forest ham, apples aged in Calvados, foie gras, and truffle pesto with fried potatoes and truffle mayonnaise

101 Bistro: Goose ramen with a 16-hour slow-cooked bone broth, homemade noodles, soy-marinated egg, pickled red cabbage, coriander and sesame seeds

Fúzió: Pearl barley risotto and goose dubarry

Big Fish: Foie gras nigiri (2 pieces)

Canteen by Costes Group: Goose leg with mashed potatoes, red cabbage with apples and pan juices

Szaletly: Duck leg and duck breast with roast celeriac purée, red cabbage tartlet and Korean-style cabbage

Lira: Pappardelle with confit goose, caramelised onions and orange

Hai Nam: Five-spice goose breast noodle salad with rice vermicelli, fresh herbs, coriander, soy dressing and peanuts

The White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts all make an appearance along this year’s light path at Lumina Park, which brings the story of Alice to life at the Palatinus baths on Margaret Island. Spanning some 1.5km, the route features more than 200 installations, sound effects and interactive elements that guide you through Wonderland. Snack bars within the Palatinus grounds will be open, offering hot drinks to keep you warm during your stroll. Opening hours vary from week to week – check the latest schedule here.

Paul Gauguin’s Tahitian paintings are world-renowned, yet his artistic journey began much earlier, in France. This exhibition at Budapest's Museum of Fine Arts traces this path chronologically – from Paris and Brittany, through Arles, to the worlds of Martinique, Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. In doing so, it reveals the development of Gauguin’s distinctive painterly language, in which colours, forms and symbols each play an independent role.

The exhibition comprises 150 artworks, including 80 pieces by Gauguin. Alongside, visitors can discover creations by his predecessors and contemporaries, such as Gustave Courbet, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Vincent van Gogh.

Between November 23 and 29, Hungarian and Central European designers will be showcasing their creations in Budapest as part of Fashion Week. Runway shows, along with workshops, masterclasses and professional discussions at the Fashion Hub, will take place on November 28–29. Over the same weekend, a pop-up market featuring 30 designers will also be open to visitors, with free admission. Tickets are required for the runway shows. Further details can be found here.

It's been 30 years since Placebo released their self-titled debut album, giving the London band the excuse to repackage this breakthrough work as RE:CREATED and take off on an anniversary tour. With a set list focusing on songs from their first two LPs, Brian Molko and his band return to Budapest after ten years, treading the boards of the Papp László Budapest Sportaréna on November 13.

The Győr Ballet company presents a three-act production of original contemporary dance, including an interpretation of Ravel's Boléro, over two nights at the National Dance Theatre, one in October and one in November. The whole 110-minute show delves into questions of identity and spirituality. Choreographed by Adél Bálint, Krisztina Szőllősi and László Velekei respectively.

After the success of Young Artists Month this summer, the Velvet Bar & Café in Budapest’s five-star downtown Al Habtoor Palace is staging live shows by emerging musicians. On November 11, charming duo Ekaterina Zueva & Bence Daróczi will be singing their favourite tunes in English and Hungarian, while on November 18, Luna Vareha offers an evening of jazz and lounge music. Trained in Budapest, Luna and her distinctive voice have already graced Hungary’s top TV talent shows. Both concerts begin at 7pm and are free of charge, but require table reservation.

For two nights, Hungexpo will be the centre of Budapest’s electronic music scene as the Bónusz festival takes over the huge event venue on November 13–14. Friday features Dubfire, Len Faki, Nico Moreno and Sam Paganini, while Saturday sees the likes of Agents of Time, Fideles and Kevin de Vries taking the decks. The line-up offers a diverse range of styles. Alongside standard DJ sets, 999999999 is a hybrid live act and Mathame is preparing an audiovisual show. Hungarian names include Mateo & Spirit, Sanfranciscobeat, Svetec and Budai House Clique.

Premiered as part of the Bartók Spring Festival and now running for two nights, maverick virtuoso violinist Félix Lajko teams up with the Székesfehérvár ballet company to create a dream-like production that speaks to your most treasured secrets. Memories, impressions and your deepest conscious thoughts are brought back to life by Attila Egerházi's choreography and Lajkó's wild string rhythms, that go way beyond the folk roots taken as his starting point.

A new monthly series of get-togethers tied to the community-led Running Latte Club launches at Time Out Market Budapest on Wednesday, October 28. All participants doing the 6km jog will receive a complimentary alcohol-free cocktail by UNDONE afterwards at the Market, where the race starts and ends.

Tasty bites, chilled drinks and, of course, latte, will also be available, and all paces and fitness levels are welcome to join in, with entry free. There’s also a bag drop at the market. The plan is to hold the event one Wednesday month, always starting and finishing at the Market. Runners set off at 7pm. More details here.

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.