Cultural Agenda for October and November
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The following programs can be worth of your interest whether you may want to spend a whole day brainstorming during the Design Week or if you are up to taste the very first wines of the year 2008.
Although October is the month of architecture worldwide and in Hungary as well, the official Month of Architecture has been cancelled due to financial problems, in particular the lack of previously promised governmental subsidies. Nevertheless there are several interesting programs on 3-12 October in the frame of the DesignWeek, you can find below the relating link to the Website of Design7 .
The Museums' Autumn Festival has also begun for the 3rd time in October. All the museums from each region await visitors with more than a dozen of programs from 1 October to 15 November. I personally think that the success of the festival is thanks to the ascending interests in indoor programs during the rainy and gloomy autumn months. Unfortunately the English website dedicated to this event is under construction, and you my find further details on the programs in the official guidebook of the event.
On 16 October an exciting film festival, the International Dancefilm Festival will begin in Toldi Cinema, a member of the art cinema network in Budapest. Unfortunately the website is also under construction, but I think the whole program can be obtained directly from the cinema (Address: 1054 Budapest, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 36-38.; Ticket service: 472-0397). Detailed programs can be found here also in Hungarian.
Artemovsk38 (A38) is a still boat near Petőfi Bridge on the riverside of the Danube and also a club with interesting music programs. On 29th October, a Russian band will present their new album on the Boat. Deti Picasso is inspired by folk and hip-hop music and also has a fascinating singer Gaja, whose voice is worth of listening.
The tradition of Halloween parties was spread a couple of years ago in Hungary too, thanks to American teen horror movies, and that is the very reason why you can find related programmes in all around the country, especially in Budapest. One of the most multicultural party places in Budapest, Gödör organizes a Halloween Party with Sanagi, an electro-pop duo with Japanese-Norwegian musicians and several famous Hungarian musicians (Belga and Carbonfools). (Address: 1051 Budapest Erzsébet tér. Phone: 20-943-5464).
On 8 and 9 November the 6th annual St Martin's Day New Wine Festival and Goose Feast will take place in Szentendre just 20km from Budapest. In Hungary, St. Martin's Day traditions go back hundreds of years. The Sabaria-born bishop, Martin died on 11 November. In his memory we celebrate juice turning into wine and the first wine of the season. In Szentendre, at the Hungarian Open Air Museum, the two-day St. Martin's Day New Wine Festival and Goose Feast awaits its guests with famous vintners and their first wines of the season, delicious goose dishes with wines to match and, of course, live music. I spent a whole day two years ago in the festival and it was hilarious. You can try traditional folk art methods and crafts in the Open Air Museum and after strolling among the village buildings and old stalls you can take a rest in a huge tent, taste fine wines and eat delicious dishes. Nevertheless the tradition is rather linked to village life and delicious home-made products and definitely has no connection with the outrageous 'goose liver scandal' on the merciless force feeding procedure within the European Union.