Budapest Party District to face tightening silence regulations

The municipality of the 6th district would reconsider the current silence regulation. Many residents would favour stricter rules as they hope for more peace and public cleanliness. However, clubs are concerned about experiencing financial issues. They claim that if nightly income is lost, they will not generate enough revenue to fund daytime alternative / cultural programs in the same venues.

Residents and those working in the district will be polled about the silence regulation

According to the Terézváros municipality, it may be necessary to renew the local silence ordinance, which is believed to be obsolete (partly) due to the epidemic. There has been a multitude of restaurants, entertainment venues and cultural institutions operating in Terézváros, in the 6th district of Budapest, for decades. According to the local government, the decree is currently being reviewed, but they want to ensure that everyone could have a say in the decision. They emphasised that they do not aim to use overly drastic restrictions, so the sector will not suffer too much, says metropol.hu.

Culture requires overnight income

Club owners believe that if district rules get further tightened, there will be an avalanche of closures. According to them, alcohol revenue is needed to be able to organise civic, cultural, non-profit or even loss-making programs. To put it simply, pálinka and beer sales pay daytime culture. If nightclubs are not allowed to stay open at night, it will be impossible to operate the same way as before. Visitors may not find any cultural programs in the future, writes hirtv.hu.

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The local youth’s opinion differs on the subject

Even though young people appreciate the proximity of nightclubs, they also name a number of serious problems: trash, the smell of urine, and drunks present on the streets.

The story behind Budapest party places 

The 6th district used to have a vibrant nightlife at the turn of the 2000s (and even earlier); however, with the tightening regulations of the 2009 Municipal Silence Decree, a wave of changes began. Most of the clubs in the 6th district (the so-called ‘Bulinegyed’) relocated their headquarters, while others simply went bankrupt or ceased to exist. Terézváros then handed over the decision to the residents: a nightclub or club could only operate after 10 pm if half of the residents consented to it. In 2012, this regulation was further tightened, and since then, residents have had the right to oblige an establishment to close its doors after 10 pm. As a result of the process, less than 300 out of the more than 2,000 entertainment venues, including also commercial units and restaurants, have remained. 

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Source: metropol.hu, hirtv.hu