Parties, champagne and spectacular fireworks – New Year’s Eve is the same in Budapest as anywhere else. We’ve collected the best places in the capital city to celebrate the last night of the year and say goodbye to 2014.
On the Danube
No doubt, one of the most splendid ways to spend New Year’s Eve and see all the beauty of Budapest is to make a ship cruise. On Táncsics boat, the party begins at 7 pm. The amusement is garanteed by the award-winning Hungária Folk Ensemble & Orchestra who will provide a great opportunity for dance. Besides getting a glimpse into Hungarian culture, you will have the opportunity to meet people from different countries with whom you will celebrate this unforgettable evening. During the evening, the ship will cruise twice and after all the performances the boat will dock at the Szilágyi Dezső square (the Buda side of the city), where boarding starts, too.
Info and tickets: hunkonc@ticket.info.hu
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photo:budapestrivercruise.com
In a villa
If you want to spend the last day of 2014 as elegantly as possible, there’s no better place than Barabás Villa. The New Year’s Eve party there starts at 6 pm, lasts until 4 am and is very special since the protagonist is not champagne, but wine. The event is called Bor BUÉK („bor” is wine and „BUÉK” is the abbreviation for Happy New Year); it’ll start with a wine tasting featuring 8 excellent wineries from the best wine regions of the country and will continue with a 4-course dinner with traditional Hungarian dishes and a buffet. After midnight, gastronomic sensation continues with stuffed cabbage and sausages, the most popular first meal of the new year.
Info and tickets: http://www.dolcevitakonyha.hu/index.php/rendezveny.html
In a hotel
One of the biggest parties of the capital is definitely the Pop Song Festival at the famous Gellért Hotel where unforgettable singers, a star-studded programme and a supper of culinary surprises await the lucky guests. From the second half of the 1960’s, Pop Song Festivals were the most popular forms of entertainment in Hungary. Many talented singers who made their first appearance there are well-known stars now, and on the 31st of December, the best of them with some new ones will entertain guests with the evergreen songs.
Info and tickets: szilvia.sveda@danubiushotels.com
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photo:gellertszilveszter.com
On the streets
The cheapest way is not always the worst way – nothing proves it better than celebrating New Year’s Eve on the streets of Budapest which is for free. There are 3 major places, focal points of the outdoor activities on the last night of the year. On Vörösmarty Square, there’ll be a three-day celebration, on 30th-31st December and on 1st January, during which live bands from different countries will perform. On Nyugati Square (M3 metro line and trams No. 4, 6), Hungarian pop-rock bands will entertain people, while Oktogon (trams No. 4, 6) will serve as home to a disco till dawn with popular Hungarian DJs.
