Weekly programme guide for Hungary: November 12-18

Hungary may be a small country in the heart of Europe, but there is no shortage of excellent programmes to enjoy each week. As a tourist or someone who has lived here for a while but is still not comfortable with the Hungarian language, it may be challenging to find the right programmes that do not require any knowledge of the language. We are here to help with that and give you the best programmes every week.

Monday, November 12th

Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Exhibition

Robert Capa is a unique figure in the history of photography for his photos from 20th-century wars. He was the only civilian photographer to be there on the beach for D-Day. He got really close to the soldiers, leading to his famous words:

“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.”

Robert Capa
Photo by Gerda Taro

Now, you can check out his work every day between 11-19 o’clock at the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Centre (8 Nagymező Street, Budapest, 1065). Tickets are 1500 HUF (4.66 EUR).

Invisible Exhibition

Invisible Exhibition Budapest is a unique, interactive trip to the day-to-day life of people who live with blindness.

You can experience what it is like to only be able to rely on touch, sounds and smells.

Guided tours are available in English, French, Dutch, German, Russian, Spanish and Romanian, but you do have to notify them at least one day in advance. Tickets are around HUF 3000 (EUR 9.33), and the tour takes about 1.5 hours.

Christian Sands Jazz Concert

Christian Sands is not even 30 yet but he is one of the hottest jazz pianists right now. He has appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, the Detroit Jazz Festival and the Savannah Jazz Festival, among others. Tickets are available for his 8 pm Monday concert at the Budapest Music Centre (8 Mátyás Street, Budapest, 1093) for 7500 HUF (23.3 EUR).

Tuesday, November 13th

Chocolate Museum Tour

A perfect activity for the autumn weather if you have to hide from the rain for an hour or two or if you are simply a lover of chocolate. You get a fascinating tour in English or German, and a taste of the high-quality chocolates for 7000 HUF (21.8 EUR). The address of the museum is 22 Bekecs Street, Budapest, 1162. For more information, click here.

Piano concert by Balázs Fülei

Balázs Fülei is a Hungarian-born pianist who started playing the piano at the age of 8 and got a solo night at the Carnegie Hall in New York in 2008. He has performed all over the world, preferring to play composers’ lesser-known works. This Tuesday at 6 pm, you can see him perform live at the Béla Bartók Memorial House (29 Csalán Road, Budapest, 1025).

Royal Opera House – Live Cinema Season screening in Debrecen

This time, the world-class performance you get to see is the classic ballet performance of La Bayadere (The Temple Dancer) to music by Ludwig Minkus, coming straight from the Covent Garden. The screening starts at 20:15 and lasts approximately 3 hours, with two intervals. Tickets cost 1990 HUF (6.2 EUR).

Here is a sample:

Wednesday, November 14th

Sparkling Sprites – Christmas Adventure in the Circus

Check out the winter performance from the Capital Circus of Budapest, the only stone circus in Central Europe. You can see a heart-warming performance about real Christmas values and what the true Christmas spirit is like.

The building is in City Park (Városliget), near the zoo. Tickets cost 8400-9000 HUF (26-28 EUR).

Ice hockey match: DVTK Polar Bears vs Dukla Trencin

Lovers of sports who happen to be in Miskolc, in the northeastern part of Hungary, might want to check out the match between the Miskolc team and the Slovakian Dukla Trencin team. The event will take place at the ice rink of Miskolc that was finished in 2006. Tickets are between 1500-2200 HUF (4.6-6.8 EUR).

Thursday, November 15th

On Thursday, you have the chance to go and enjoy Father John Misty’s first Hungarian concert. The artist used to play in the band called Fleet Foxes. He is working on his solo career now, though, and he seems to be on the right path. He has worked with Lady Gaga, Lana Del Ray and Beyonce in the last few years. The concert’s venue is Müpa Budapest (1 Marcell Komor Street, Budapest, 1095), ticket prices range from 1000-7900 HUF (3-24.5 EUR).

In the meantime, check out his music here:

Thursday is also the day the Fantastic Beasts sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, comes out in cinemas. You can watch the movie in English at the Cinema City in both Allee and Arena.

Friday, November 16th

Siófok Goose Days – Saint Martin’s Day Celebrations

The 3-day event gives you a glimpse into Hungarian gastronomy and culture, while a number of family-oriented programmes will be on offer, too. There will be concerts as well, and even if you do not speak the language, this may be the perfect chance to get more used to the music of Hungarian bands and familiarise yourself with the language. If that is not your cup of tea, you can still enjoy the beautiful autumn view of the Balaton area, eat good food and drink some good wine.

Saturday, November 17th

The exhibition about David Bowie was one of the most successful events in the history of the London Victoria and Albert Museum, with about 200 000 people buying tickets. Now, the documentary called David Bowie Is Happening Now is shown in the Castle Garden Cinema. The movie is in English, with Hungarian subtitles. The screening starts at 4 pm, tickets are between 1000-1600 HUF (3-5 EUR).

On the same day, those interested can watch a virtual guided tour about the Girl with a Pearl Earring painting, at the Urania National Filmtheatre. The 11 am screening will be in English, tickets cost 3600 HUF (11.2 EUR).

A somewhat different event is the Mitiszol? (What do you drink?) Festival, taking place between 12 and 7 pm at Millenáris Park. This is the first festival in the country that focuses on making organic, natural beverages. You can get a taste of the wines from 10 Hungarian wine regions as well as from various European countries. For tickets and more information, click here.

Sunday, November 18th

Black Noise – Sissi Autumn Dance Week

This fascinating show is put on stage by the Miskolc Ballet Company. As the title suggests, it deals with deep emotional turmoil, touching on problems from current politics, like the question of minorities, more specifically, the relationship between Hungarians and Romas.

The show is based on a short story by Attila Ditzendy, but it can be enjoyed without any prior knowledge. It starts at 7 pm at the Bethlen Square Theatre (3 Bethlen Square, Budapest, 1071). Tickets cost 2000 HUF (6.2 EUR).

Last but not least, do not forget that the famous Vörösmarty Square Christmas Market has just opened and is welcoming visitors.

Featured image: facebook.com/StrandFesztiválOfficial

Source: Daily News Hungary