Budapest is definitely a cosmopolitan city with a tremendous variety of cultural events all throughout the year. At the opera house, one of Europe’s finest, tickets generally range from 600 Ft for the nosebleed balcony to 16,000 Ft for the ultra-luxurious royal box once used by the Habsburgs, depending on the performance. Almost all the city’s theaters and concert halls, with the exception of those hosting internationally touring rock groups, offer tickets within an affordable 2,000 Ft to 10,000 Ft range. Of course, higher-priced seats are available at the same venue if you want a closer view. In some cases, it is wise to choose performances based on the venue.
The opera, ballet, and theater seasons run from September through May with some sporadic events in June, but most theaters and halls also host performances during the summer festivals. Bear in mind that none of them are air-conditioned and heat rises. If you are sitting in a balcony on a hot evening, you may be miserable. A number of the better-known churches and stunning halls offer concerts exclusively in the summer. While classical music is ingrained into the culture in Budapest, the country, jazz, blues, rock, disco, and every other variation you left at home is here also. Stylish and unique new clubs and bars open and close regularly. The bar and club scene starts late and lasts until morning, sometimes until the last patron leaves. Only the bars in residential areas have strict closing times. Restaurants and bars in these areas in the summer have to bring in their tables at 10pm by district law in consideration of the neighbors. So whether you have dancing feet or a taste for opera, whatever your entertainment preference, Budapest nights offer plenty to choose from.
Program Listings — For the most up-to-date information, go to www.jegymester.hu and click on the English link. This site includes information for the opera house as well as the major theaters in the city. A complete schedule of mainstream performing arts is found in the free bimonthly Koncert Kalendárium, available at any of the Tourinform offices, or you can check it online at www.koncertkalendarium.hu; there is a link for English. Funzine also has events calendars; the weekly Budapest Times includes cultural listings.
Hopefully, you will not have difficulty finding a watering hole at 2am, with many pubs and clubs open until, yawn, 5am. However, district by district, they are trying to change the laws forcing restaurants, pubs, and bars to close early, meaning by 10pm, to control “happy” customers’ noise as they leave the establishments. The lesser popular districts have been successful, but it may be a domino effect in the future. With that in mind, if you’re looking for a late-night cocktail but want to avoid the typical bar and club scene, Paris, Texas on the popular Ráday utca, is a pleasant place to sit down and talk or eat after a concert, but their food comes from the Pink Cadillac. For a summer alternative check out Funzine for the kerts or garden pubs that are currently open.
Budapest has a couple dozen respectable casinos. Many are located in luxury hotels: Las Vegas Casino, in the Atrium Hyatt Hotel, V. Roosevelt tér 2; and Orfeum Casino, in the Hotel Béke Radisson, VI. Teréz krt. 43. Formal dress is required. Other popular casinos include: Grand Casino Budapest, V. Deák Ferenc u. 13,Tropicana Casino, V. Vigadó u. 2, and the most elegant Várkert Casino on the Danube side, Ybl Miklós tér 9.
There is no longer a wide selection of movie theaters showing movies in their original language. Movies labeled szinkronizált, m.b., or magyarul beszél mean that the movie has been dubbed into Hungarian; feliratos means subtitled. Alkotás u. 53, multiplex provides the option of seeing movies in their original language even if the movie itself was dubbed, but this is one of the more expensive theaters.
Going to a movie at one of the cinemas above can be a cultural experience in itself. Some theaters are smaller than most people’s living rooms. Seats are assigned in all of the theaters. Jobb means right and Bal means left. First, find the sign to see if that theater uses right and left as you face the seats or as you are facing the stage; it is not a uniform custom. Then find your row number Sor, and finally your numbered “chair” Szék. If you do not sit in your assigned seat, you may find an upset Hungarian hovering over you telling you that the seat is theirs. As a throwback to earlier times, you will find a half-empty theater with people insisting they have to sit in their assigned seat when better seats are freely available. If popcorn is sold in the theater, don’t expect any butter or other topping. As much as the Hungarian diet is made up of fats, they don’t use any for their movie munchies.
