Amazing celebration coming up this weekend in Budapest! – Detailed guide

During the long weekend of 20^th August, a wide range of St. Stephen’s Day events will take place in the Hungarian capital, including traditional festive programs, historical performances, exhibitions, classical and popular music concerts, festivals, parades, sporting events, art programs and gastronomic experiences, as well as the spectacular evening fireworks on 20^th August. See the detailed program guide below!

19th August

The series of events will start on 19th August at 4 pm with the Street Music Festival and Foodtruck Show in Liberty Square that will also give place to the Veszprém Street Music Festival; within the framework of which, musicians from 14 countries will give 151 concerts in 12 locations during the long weekend. On that day, we should not miss Elizabeth Square either, where visitors can attend concerts of Hungarian musicians, formations and DJs at the Szabadrét Festival.

20th August

On 20^th August, classical music lovers should visit the Garden of Philosophers on Gellért Hill, where the audience can enjoy classical music concerts in a pleasant picnic atmosphere with an impressive panorama of the Buda Castle, the Parliament and St. Stephen’s Basilica. Among the programs in Buda, the audience can enjoy the performance of a wide range of popular Hungarian bands. In addition, people can also attend a wide range of theatre performances at the Operetta Promenade, in front of Pesti Vigadó, during the long weekend. Besides, the Road Movie Live concert series will also be held this weekend on the quay of the Budapest University of Technology, where performances of popular Hungarian singers and bands can be enjoyed.  

Hungarian news portal Helló Magyar reports that, as traditionally, every year, a parade will be organised on Andrássy Avenue. Here, besides the outstanding figures, inventors, artists and venues of Hungarian history, the emblematic figures and symbols of the Christian and Catholic religions will come to life in several spectacular installations.

As we previously reported, this year, Budapest is preparing for its biggest celebration ever, as a result of which, a number of new visual elements will be added to this year’s program series. This is also true for the Budapest air parade that awaits visitors with previously unseen spectacles. According to the commander of the Hungarian Armed Forces:

“This year, the audience can see manoeuvres over the Danube that people in Hungary have not yet been able to see with a Hungarian aircraft”.

The approx. 45-mins long spectacular air parade will take place on the section of the Danube in front of the Parliament, where the audience can see the young officers taking the oath and admire what the pilots are capable of with the old and new equipment of the Hungarian Army.