The Advent Feast at the Basilica – a must-visit Christmas market in the heart of Budapest

Discover Hungary’s most acclaimed Christmas market: The Advent Feast at the Basilica is blending Central European traditions and modern attractions, while turning the iconic St. Stephen’s Square into a 3D cinema.

Christmas spirit sparkles in front of Budapest’s grandest cathedral during the 7^th annual Advent Feast at the Basilica, an open-air festive-season market welcoming everyone with delightful gift items and delicious Hungarian and international food, like the all-time favourite ‘flódni’ cake, the Hungaricum chimney cake, mouth-watering burgers, and a range of fish dishes.

Free attractions include ice-skating for children (with skate rental and weekend skating lessons for kids under 14) in a central rink that surrounds a towering Christmas tree.

Photo: Advent Feast at the Basilica PR

From November 24th through January 1st, discover this enchanted city-center Christmas celebration rich with Central European holiday traditions, which also features modern elements like eco-friendly practices, flash mobs, a wide range of Hungary’s best contemporary hand-crafted products, and monumental light shows that – when seen with 3D glasses – will give a new dimension to the façade of St. Stephen’s Basilica, which serves as a movie screen several times every evening.

Photo: Advent Feast at the Basilica PR

The Christmas tale is projected onto the façade of the Basilica, a 1000 m² “screen”, with the help of four laser projectors. “While in previous years we focused on effects, this year we wanted to dazzle the visitors of the market with a lovely tale. Due to its detailed surface, designing a videomapping on the Basilica is a complicated task in itself, so animating the story of Santa Claus and his gingerbread helpers in stereo 3D was a real challenge” said VFX supervisor Ádám Herczeg.

With its picturesque scenery, dozens of vendors in charming booths, regional food delicacies, and diverse entertainment, Budapest’s Advent Feast is increasingly regarded as one of Europe’s must-see Christmastime events – it is Hungary’s only festive-season fair ranked among 2017’s Best Christmas Markets in Europe by the popular “European Best Destinations” travel website.

Advent Feast at the Basilica is held with a community spirit in mind: guests can enjoy charity-boosting concerts, and to preserve the environment, food vendors will use eco-friendly cups, plates, and cutlery, while waste will be recycled.

Last but not least, it must be mentioned that we can all vote for the Advent Feast at the Basilica on the www.christmas.ebdest.in website between the 1^st and 11^th of December.

For more details and information about the Advent Feast’s event schedule, check out the www.adventiunnep.hu/en website.

Advent Feast at the Basilica

November 24 – January 1, Budapest 1051, Szent István tér
Opening hours:

Monday-Friday: 11 am – 10 pm,

Saturday-Sunday: 10 am – 10 pm,

and 10 am – 2 pm on December 24.

Skating class hours: Friday from 2-8 pm, Saturday from 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am -6 pm.

 Featured image: Advent Feast at the Basilica

Source: MTI