The Best Spring Festivals In Hungary

Spring is here with warm sunny days, and we have a lot of cool festivals. Go out and enjoy yourselves! There are various opportunities to choose from. Here come the festivals of the early spring, according to szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu.

April 4-12 Titanic film festival

Although the Titanic film festival has already started a few days ago, if you have time it’s really worth to visit the rest of the event. This is Hungary’s biggest and most special international film festival. This profession event presents the most long feature films, and it has successfully preserved its independency and individual identity during the last 20 years. Titanic film festival is bringing 52 creations of 25 nations divided into seven sections on five different locations: Uránia Nemzeti Filmszínház (Uránia National Film Theater), Örökmozgó Filmmúzeum (Perpetual Motion Film Museum), Toldi Mozi (Toldi Cinema), Puskin Mozi (Puskin Cinema) and on the A38 ship. The Titanic film festival has been operating as a competitive festival as well since 2005. This year 9 creations – 6 of them are debut films – are competing for the “Hullámtörők” award (Breakwater award).

The event will also commemorate on Jancsó Miklós, famous Hungarian film director who passed away recently. The last movie of the festival will be “Immortal lovers”, Jim Jarmusch’s vampire film starring Tilda Swinton. Ticket price is HUF 1100. Note: Hungarian language skills may come in handy.

April 12-13 Sakura feast

Sakura feast is a tradition organized for several years in ELTE’s Botanic Garden; which is related to the Japanese holiday, Ohanami, the bloom of the Japanese cherry trees in April. This time of the year, when these cherry trees are blossoming, the visitors can picknick on blankets in the Botanic Garden, and admire the flowers of the Sakura trees, like Japanese people do in the Country of the Rising Sun. This year the first programs were held last weekend, but more are coming this Saturday and Sunday. Visitors can view the Herendi porcelain exhibition, make origami with the Hungarian Anime Society, see Japanese archery shows and sword plays, and listen to traditional Japanese music. The ticket prices are HUF 850 for adults, and HUF 400 for students, children, and pensioners. The Botanic Garden is open from 9 am to 5 pm.

April 11-13 The weekend of oldtimers

The location of the event is the Vasúttörténeti Park (Railway History Park). The locomotives’ engine sheds and the whole park is filling with spectacles for this weekend. Beautiful oldtimer cars, oldtimer motorbikes and military vehicles will be on display in the engine sheds, and you can see veteran cars and tractors in the foreground of the sheds, which will be changed every day. Hostesses and security guards will oversee the vehicles. In the park, oldtimer steam-engines and railway wagons will be on view, exhibited by guides. The braver ones can even climb onto the railway vehicles, or get in the driver cab. The oldtimer steam engine will work as a nostalgia train for 3 days. The organizers paid great attention to families during the organization of the event. A garden railway will operate with 5 trains, hand cars and railcars can be tried, or you can get on an omnibus pulled by horses. Children can play on folk playgrounds, get free face painting, or visit the fun-fair where an organ grinder will play music during the day. Free chocolate, pálinka, cheese and wine tastings will entertain the adults, food stands will offer grill food, shashlik, Hungarian stew, drinks, coffee, chimney cake, lángos, candy-floss, gingerbread and more kinds of delicious food. “Adventurers Exhibition” will exhibit ships and motor homes, and the latest car models, motorbikes, quads, bicycles and hiking gears. The variety of programs is almost infinite: thought-provoking games, climbing wall, dog show, BMX Trial demonstration, petting zoo and pony riding for children, collision simulator, and helicopter simulator for adults. All in all, this festival is worth the HUF 2990 ticket price (HUF 1990 for children, and HUF 8990 is the family ticket).

April 18-21 Pálinkafestival Gyula

The 15th International “Kisüsti Pálinka” Festival, Exhibition and Market will be organized in the 9 hectare size castle garden of Gyula, between 18-21 April. With the attendance of 30 thousand people, it’s not only the country’s but the world’s biggest pálinka (fruit spirit) event. An outstanding part of the event is the 3rd Pálinka, Fruit, and Wine Spirit World Cup, but it’s only one of the many programs: cabaret, folk music, pigsticking, quiz show, cooking competition, egg painting, gingerbread decorating and puppet-show will entertain the visitors of the festival. The daily ticket costs HUF 1000, but the entrance is free on the 21th of April.