Let the Festivals Begin...!

Many festivals grace the sands of our beautiful country, and with summer fast approaching it is time to start preparing! Here a few of Underguide's favorite festivals...!

Budapest Pálinka Festival 10th-13th May, 2012

The Hunyadi Court in Buda Castle plays host to the spring Pálinka Festival the aim of which is to introduce high-quality Hungarian fruit brandies, pálinka in Hungarian, to both locals and tourists.

Musical programs, concerts enhance the atmosphere during the 4-day event.

This year the focus will be on pálinkas made from apricot.

Daily tickets: 2 000 HUF includes a tasting glass, 4-day pass (includes a tasting glass): 5 500 HUF.

Opening hours: Thurs-Fri: 14.00-02.00, Sat-Sun: 14.00-24.00

More information: Budapest Pálinka Fesztivál

The Tale of an Irishman's first Budapestian Party..

As an Irish person living in Budapest, it’s easy to see things a little differently than the the hungarians… Particularly the night life… it is safe to say that the Budapest night life is incomparable to anything I’ve ever experienced. Growing up in Dublin, Ireland, the clubs are good, some may even say great, but there are far too many ‘mainstream’ venues that flood the Dublin scene... 

I still remember the first time I discovered one of Budapest’s most underground, untainted (by this I mean not filled with drunk tourists) and absolutely authentic clubs I have ever found…  Corvintető!

Ádám Fellegi piano artist's House concert

Ádám Fellegi is one of the most well-known Hungarian piano artists and he has been providing many of us with a unique program. His speciality is giving special house concerts - ring the bell, go upstairs, chat with him and enjoy his performance seated in his living room. 

We said performance, and we mean it. It is not purely like listening to a composer's masterpiece (the plays change every few months) - it is getting involved in the world of that music.

Budapest's Eclectic Mix by Amrit Chima

My life in June was relatively uneventful, as is appropriate for this time of year here in Hungary. Not only did Daniel and I spend another two exhausting weeks scrambling to get into our apartment, but we’ve just entered the inertia of “cucumber season”. It’s precisely as many people here have warned: the most exciting event worth reporting is that the cucumbers have begun to ripen…and by how much. Throngs have fled the city after enduring the monotony of their jobs for yet another year (as we in the U.S. are all too familiar with). And although there is an influx of tourists, thickening around festival hotspots, the streets still seem quieter than usual. Though I sometimes feel that I should attend some of these festivals—by missing them surely I’m cheating myself out of an opportunity to fully experience this place—the truth is that we collapsed into our new home with fervor. We didn’t go out except for necessities, instead enjoying books, documentaries, and wine. Friends came to us.

whats up budapest? sping break! - regular underground partyguide

Far back in the past history and weather might have made an arrangement, so these days the very beginning of spring usually concurs a long weekend. This nice "gift" of the past gives everyone some time to remember the revolution in 1848 as well as to have some rest and enjoy the short break. What else could be a more up-filling and restful way of spending the four days off than partying two days in the weekend and then doing a little nothing on the following ones?

 

 

whats up budapest? elegant losers in the spa! - regular underground partyguide

I just heard two theories of that unbelievable - but occurred - phenomenon of nature that it was snowing on the first day of March... on the first day of the month we usually call "spring". One theory says it was just the last struggle of winter to show its presence, which is piteous and even ridiculous. Winter should shut its mouth and wait at least nine months to be in the center again. According to the other theory, this little snowing was a beautiful and respectable effort of winter, the huge "fighter". 

Whats up budapest? CARNIVALIA - regular underground partyguide

Okay, there was already a precarnival, and the Carnival of Rio and Venice is just about to start, and I would never dare to compare the period in Budapest to those but still, we are looking forward to a joyful weekend and beware of alive cartoon figure, dead actors and fairies!

Carnival is called Farsang here and all the dancing and celebrating is supposed to make it clear to Mr Winter: Time to go, see you never again! At least, we do not concentrate on this freezing cold but try to figure out what costume to wear. As a child, this heavy responsability was taken off our shoulder by our mothers, so we went as angels, princesses, cowboys, maybe batmans to the kindergarten parties.

THURSDAY

Do you think applied art students have cooler dress ups?? Check them out on MOME Farsang Party in Merlin (quite cool to have your university carnival in Merlin...) while partying to Dj Palotai.. If you play dress up, it will be cheaper.

Whats up Budapest pre Carnival? - Regular Underground Partyguide

I love good food, I love good restaurants. In the best restaurants the food is made of only fresh  ingredients, and the menu is usually rather short. The advantage of the short menu is that it is easier to choose, and you can be sure of the perfect quality. 

The "underguide restaurant" offers some similar menu as well: the parties on the menu are a few, but you don't have to worry if you would like to really get known Budapest's underground partylife.

Friday

Tha carnival (Farsang) season has just started in the city. From now on don't get surprised if you meet witches, walking vegetables, Harry Potters and other unusual faces on the streets during the night. On Friday night in Merlin at the Literally Literary Masquerade Party you have to dress as a novel hero! If you arrive without a costume, even the entrance fee will be higher!

Some spicy speciality on the menu: New-wave post punk electro party in Roham Bár. The venue itself is something quite new in Budapest nightlife - they're really a platform for everything new and unusual -, and the music is also something you don't hear in every party.

Saturday

The graduating students of the imPro School (Budapest School of Music Technology) will be presenting what they have studied. The "diploma-party" will be held at Fogasház. Don't worry, you don't have to read 50-100 pages of thesis works, instead you only have to listen and dance to some tech, house and dubstep music.

Love skiing and snowboarding, but stuck in the city? Go to Anker, where after some snowboard event broadcasting a nice "Hütte-party" will take place. Don't scream, there won't be any austrian yodel music, only the atmosphere will be as happy and hot as in a crowded ski-pub.

Now it is winter, there are less fresh fruits and vegetables available... a have a feeling that a little bit so it is with parties.

Pálinkás Marcsi

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whats up budapest? party again - regular underground partyguide

Oh, we always go underground in Vittula...

I have never been sure if this story with the bears sleeping - and probably dreaming - through the cold winters is true or not. One thing I know is that people tend to behave like these bears (even if it's maybe a myth only!) in this period of the year. They just love to spend time in their warm beds, sleep a lot and feel sick even from the thought of the freezing cold weather. The city has been quite quiet these weeks, but maybe there's something the coldest-blooded bear should see as well.


Friday
'Are you on the list?'
'Which list?'


'The cool list, of course...' 

Whats up 2011? - Regular Underground Partyguide

"I will go out every weekend"

"I will check out all the new clubs and pubs in Budapest"

"I will dance when I go out"

I know....typical New Year's pledges. Now some of you might think about not taking them seriously or just drop them at the first time given. Please calm down and don't be silly, the regular partyguide is in your service in 2011 as well: it will help you commit to your party-related pledges! There it goes, the first guide of 2011. Enjoy!

Friday

There will be a special party - in more manners - on Friday night in Mono. Hundred and Twenty People is having Aera from Berlin for those who can't resist dancing to German house music. It is sadly the last night of Mono Klub (some beloved Mono parties will move to Mappa Club), so don't miss the party, make the last night a memorable one!

Whats up Budapest? - Regular Underground Partyguide

Some people love surprises, some others just freak out of them. One thing is sure, surprises are stressful, they just raise the adrenaline in your body (good or bad way, depends on you and the manifestation of the surprise as well). Xmas is really the time of surprises... Just think about that rubber-made spider you got from your little brother last year, that embroidered table cover your granny gave you, or that ceramic angel-shaped candle holder you got from your boss. For those who want to avoid the stress of surprises already one week before the Xmas rush, I have good news. We've collected some parties which will be for sure just perfect for some weekend dancing.

Whats up Budapest? - Regular Underground Partyguide

Santa Claus has already put the deserved chocolate or virgács to your boots (for being a good or bad party-kid in the past year), so it is time to get them out of the window and use them for what they have been invented by the ancient Greeks. That is walking (to a partyplace) and dancing (for nice music). Let's see where to walk and what for to dance this weekend.

whats up budapest? 3 DAYS PARTY- regular underground partyguide

I love houseparties. My friends are around, I have a quite a big influence on the DJ - or whoever is at the computer - to play my favourite song and there is always a kitchen and a bathroom to hear the latest and hottest gossip in town. The only problem with houseparties is the "missing hero"...the lack of regular houseparty organisers.  Don't be sad, we've selected for you the parties for the weekend, where nice people, cool music and a lot to happen are more than likely.
 



 Ah, and by the way, only this weekend more to go and our Mikulás (something like Santa Claus but arriving on the 6th December) is coming :))

whats up budapest? - regular underground partyguide

These boots are made for...

-regular underground partyguide-

 

Skinny jeans, an open-back dress, a 30-cm-long skirt, granny’s pullover, sexy boots, sunglasses, five types of jewelleries in one time, a glittering top... is there an odd one amongst them?

If your answer is no, i would suggest to think about it again. If your answer is yes, and you're a hundred percent sure of the correctness of your answer, i officially qualify you for going out this weekend. 

 

 

 

whats up budapest? - regular underground partyguide

First of all, sorry for putting the guide on friday evening, internet was far today :) But the night is young and anyway there is tomorrow

Have you ever thought about having weekends in just one period of the year (for example in summer only)? That would be awful. But don't worry, even though  the late summer days we had this November are coming to an end, there are still weekends. This means you can go out, even when it is so hard moving out of the warm and comfortable room.  Keep in mind, weekends are the only time when you can go out and spend the other day with sleeping.

My sister and Frank Zappa - Vadabadas concert in Zappa Café

wikipedia

Imagine the early 1990s, barely after the democratic transition, rendszerváltás (systemchange) how we call it. Imagine the underground movement of this period and their most beloved meeting place. This place was called Tilos az Á (meaning literally "The A is forbidden" after the famous trespassing sign from Winnie the Pooh - it is the Hungarian version of "No T") till it got closed by the authorities in 1995. Now it reopened. Frank Zappa had a concert there 20 years ago and Tuesday my little sister's band, the Vadabadas played here as well. 

Promising Metropolitan Party Place - SZIKRA

Sunday can be with hangover (másnaposság in HUngarian, meaning "with the next day")

I was in Szimpla (simple), no, sorry, Szikla (rock), no not even that one... Szikra (sparkle), yeah, that's it :) Szikra Cool Tour House has its opening parties series these days and we just had to check it out on this Saturday nigh fever.


We still do not get it what this place was before. Theatre for sure, cinema as well, and than for some period they had random parties or events. Now it is a very retro, yet fancy party place with a huge dancefloor. We were already hungry for something like this!

Party on a retro soviet roof - Corvin tető

"For just as Paris dictates Europe’s fashion, so is the capital’s fashion dictated by Corvin, and it does so with a master’s hand." (Pesti Hírlap Képes Naptára, Pester Newspaper's Picture Calendar )1930

The citation is nowadays truer than ever before. Corvin gained success as a department store in this century, and is having his golden epoch right now: it is the centre of Budapest's club scene, in every sense of the word. It is in one of the main junction points, it is visited by  Hungarians as well as  foreigners, it can be defined a highly popular donno-where-to-party-so-lets-go-here-surely-good-party places and still, it hasn't lost its underground touch. The magic of the Budapest underground scene: made for everyone, made with careful style.

Psychedelic Herbal Tea Rock- Korai Öröm concert in Gödör Klub

Gödör is in the centre, actually Gödör is the centre itself! You cannot stay one day in the city without stumbling upon it, and you shouldn't, as it is one of the most quality music and art points. A few days ago, my Parisian friend Jean Charles visited me, and he was lucky enough to come with me to a very special band's concert in Gödör. And in Budapest we like free programs... as it was around the days of 20th August, our national holiday, plenty of attractive concerts were brought to us without having to open our wallet.
Korai Öröm (their name means literally "Early Joy") define themselves something like psychedelic herbal tea rock, which oddly enough pretty much describes their style. In Budapest, there is a broad alternative music scene, and they are one of the dinosaurs, for more than twenty years in the business. They combine tribal oriental sounds and instruments with rock. It is mostly instrumental, sometimes almost sounding like techno, and sometimes more on the rocker side, the singer providing some mysterious spiritual humming, creepy laughing or he is just simply jumping around the stage.

Go out to the Ditch in the heart of the city – GÖDÖR CULTURAL CENTRE and PARK

Gödör means ditch in Hungarian. And we, Budapesters love to lie on the grass here, take beers, or go to the cool concerts. You might ask: Why on earth do we have a ditch in the middle of the city? The story is a mix of Hungarian political debate and the architectural creativity of  Budapesters.

  The location of  the new National Theatre would be a strategic issue in any normal city. In the Hungarian capital even more, as we are struggling to harmonize our national psychology and body, but let this be another topic on magyars... Anyway, a few years ago the decision was finally taken and they started preparing the garage of the new theatre building at Deák Ferenc tér (where our 3 beloved metro lines cross). However political debate got into flames again, construction was stopped, and the new National Theatre (Nemzeti Színház)  was put in exile in the south, on the riverbank, next to the Palace of Arts (Mupa). So, can you imagine, poor Deák Ferenc tér, old elegant buildings facing the big hole?

Luckily enough, the hole became the Gödör Cultural Centre and the gorgeous park around it the hottest meeting point. During the day you can lie on the grass and relax, watch the lake (which, by the way, is the ceiling of the concert room below!!), or the youngsters skateboarding. In the evening people of all age start gathering, for a beer, with a guitar, to meet international erasmus students, or maybe someone is just passing by with the bicycle. If your friend's guitar skills need improvement, go inside Gödör and feel the vibe at folk, etno or rock concerts, jump to some cool DJ, or enjoy a wine listening some jazz. And watch out for the ever present exhibitions as well!

Why not meet at Gödör? Találkozzunk a Gödörnél!

Useful links: http://www.godorklub.hu/

Where is it?

Ps: Gödör is at Erzsébet tér (Elizabeth square), during the communist regime it was Stalin square – we can agree that it is better those times are over...

                                                                                

Bakonyi Zsuzsa