Livens the city
Get in the Spirit!
For the fifth year in a row, Városháza Park will be home to a pretty darn good gastronomical festival, parading the fiery Hungaricum, pálinka, at its best. Between May 6th and 9th, venture out into the sunshine and browse the long line of stalls of the Budapest Pálinka Festival showcasing over 300 (!) types of tempting fruit brandies alongside this years newcomers, exciting pálinka-based cocktails for the more adventurous among us. All this, plus polished music performances, foodie treats and a bigger location than last year!
More than 25 exhibitors, master distilleries and specialist shops will take over the park for four whole days, offering pálinka made from dozens of fruit varieties and the chance to learn about distillation methods straight from the horse's mouth and get the hang of how to smell, sip and savor the beverage correctly. You can also fill your glasses with excellent wines and champagnes and as it would be pretty unwise to drink on an empty tummy, there will be, among other delicacies, a wide range of homemade cheese and spicy Hungarian sausages on offer.
-To avoid long queues in the evenings, there will be more ticket booths operating at the entrance this year-, explained Róbert Maros, the executive director of Hungarian Pálinka Non-profit Organization. -Also, since early April, you can purchase your day ticket or four-day pass in advance through the countrywide network of Ticketpro (www.ticketpro.hu - ed.)- That is the spirit, we say!
As for music, the festival will bring you Kiscsillag, one of the most important representatives of Hungarian underground music spearheaded by András Lovasi from cult band Kispál és a Borz, to kick off the gaieties on the opening day. Several foreign bands will also stop by, including La Tresca from Italy and the French Palinka (yes, they love the fruity Hungaricum so much they have named themselves after it), who create the musical equivalent of a quirky pálinka cocktail, blending jazz, swing and gypsy music into something refreshingly different. For the full program go to www.budapestipalinkafesztival.hu
May 6-9
Városháza Park
Daily tickets: 1,700 HUF or 6,5 Euro, includes a tasting glass and a tasting coupon value of 500 HUF
Festival pass: 3.300 HUF or 13 Euro, includes a tasting glass and a tasting coupon value of 500 HUF (unlimited entry during the festival, tasting coupon
and glass provided only once, on first entry)
Open every day: from 12pm until midnight. On Friday and Saturday till 02am.
Cassa/Cashier will be closed one hour prior the end of the festival.