BudaFest Summer Opera and Ballet Festival

Founded in 1992, the BudaFest Summer Opera and Ballet Festival has been held annually in one of Europe’s most beautiful opera houses, the Hungarian State Opera House, built in 1884, which is now fully air-conditioned. The festival hosts distinguished singers and ballet soloists, with the participation of the Opera House’s chorus, dance troupe and orchestra. A full house is always guaranteed. The audience is mostly composed of tourists, who are given a taste of the Hungarian capital’s opera and ballet life.

Amongst the festival’s most significant events are the visiting performances. In 1992, for example, the de Santiago Ballet from Chile were here on their first European tour. There is an established relationship with the Kiev Opera House, which presented a ballet gala in 1993, the popular ballet Swan Lake in 1994, Mussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov in 1995, and participated in Verdi’s Rigoletto in 1997. Visitors to BudaFest have also been enchanted by performances of ballet soloists from the Paris Opera and the ballet company of the Vienna Staatsoper. The organisers promise similar treats in the future. The operas performed at the festival are always among the most popular in the genre.

In addition to the evening performances there are tea-time concerts in the Opera House’s other chambers. The program includes fine art, costume and set design exhibitions, and auctions.