Budapest Spring Festival

Annually in the second half of March

Designed to fit the needs of Budapest’s cultural heritage and its requirements as a modern Central European centre, this metropolitan festival was instituted in 1981. By presenting and disseminating cultural assets it boosts the city’s image and encourages dynamic development of its cultural tourism. This "festival of festivals", traditionally covering a range of artistic fields, presents a series of homogeneous artistic activities. to which are connected international professional symposia.

The Budapest Spring Festival takes place in the last two weeks of March. Its main emphasis is on those symphony orchestra concerts, opera and ballet performances which will appeal to the widest audience, but the program includes open-air events and an operetta festival. The performances take place in the capital’s moss important concert halls and theatres - and often in historic monuments.

Over the years a number of regional towns hare been included in the Budapest Spring Festival - Debrecen, Gödöllő, Győr, Kaposvár, Kecskemét, Sopron, Szentendre and Szombatbely - and thus it has more or less expanded into a national festival. Wherever they might go in the country, visitors are faced with a rich cultural selection. This is precisely why we tell visitors to the capital to make the trip to one or two other festival cities, and visit a few other regions).

The list events always includes famous foreign guests as well as distinguished artists and groups from Hungarian musical life. Classical concerts, productions at the Opera House, open-air events, the Operetta Festival, theDance House Convention, the Dance Panorama, and what are considered to be the real treat, the exhibitions, will continue to ensure a bubbling festival atmosphere in years to come.

In 1997, for example our guests were Karan Armstrong, Uri Mayer and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1998 the Budapest Spring Festival will be graced with the presence of, amongst others, Cwyneth Jones and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.