Every night of the week, whether it’s aboard a former cargo ship in the Danube or in an animated folk club, there’s always live music to enjoy in Budapest. Locations run from a main square in the city centre to distant south Buda. The biggest international acts coming to town usually play the Papp László Budapest Sportaréna or, in summer, outdoor Budapest Park.
The most unique live venue in Budapest is also its most diverse. The A38, a former Ukrainian cargo ship now moored by Petőfi Bridge, hosts music of all genres, rock, indie, underground, electronica, performed on stages inside and out. You can always come outside for fresh air and a fabulous view of the city waterfront.
Across the river, nearer Rákóczi Bridge, summer-only Budapest Park stages top Hungarian acts and well-known names from abroad, in a huge open-air space open until dawn. Recent performers at the 12,500-capacity Papp László Budapest Sportaréna include Kraftwerk, Rod Stewart and Sting, the former indoor sports hall now the most popular location for touring bands to play. Alongside, the new Ferenc Puskás Stadion is taking shape, due to open in 2019. Formerly known a the Népstadion, it once witnessed legendary appearances by Queen, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen.
Photos: Budapest Park - Krisztián Bódis, Balázs Lengyel
Elsewhere in town, club-sized venues abound. The most notable is Akvárium Klub, set in the focal square of Erzsébet Square, comprising a main hall of 1,300 capacity, a smaller one of 700 and the intimate space of the VOLT Lokál accommodating 300 people. Outside, a few hundred can gather around the convivial terrace.
Close by is the city’s main party vortex, where some of the famed ruin bars also have a concert agenda. Over on Akácfa Street, Fogas Ház regularly showcases niche Hungarian and international acts. The prime destination for anything extremely loud and grungy is Dürer Kert, formerly a nun-run boarding school near City Park (Városliget), now a three-hall live venue with garden and bar, underscored by a mainly punk and metal music policy.
For more metal, Barba Negra in south Buda serves up Kiss tribute bands and Swedish glam rock to a loyal band of regulars usually clad in leather. Nearby, the mood changes entirely at the Fonó Budai Zeneház, focused almost exclusively on live folk music from Hungary and around the Carpathian Basin. Here, táncház (‘Dance House’) nights are a long-revived tradition, participatory events in which beginners are taught the steps before the show.
The city has always been big on jazz. The biggest names on the domestic scene, as well as a regular stream of international artists, make use of the superb sound system at the Budapest Jazz Club, filling an old cinema in the up-and-coming district of Újlipótváros. Down in south Pest, the Opus Jazz Club is another key venue, where the likes of Keith Tippett and Django Bates have graced the rare Fazioli piano.
