Set along the scenic Danube, Budapest makes the perfect backdrop for a festival, and this city knows exactly how to put on a show.
Barely a month goes by without the Hungarian capital hosting some event devoted to food and drink, music, dance or art.
For anyone who wants to join the celebration, we have gathered some of the most exciting festivals that take place in Budapest throughout the year.
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Rosalia Festival
Every year, Budapest gets a taste of summer over a weekend in May at the Rosalia Festival.
Created by the organizers of September's wine festival, it is Hungary's only event dedicated to celebrating rose wine, along with champagne and sparkling wines.
It runs across three days and features a Rose Garden, tastings, jazz concerts, Hungarian food stalls and special activities for kids.
Dates: 31 May to 2 June 2019
Rosalia Festival, City Park, Budapest, 1146 Hungary; +36 1 203 8507
Sziget Festival
For more than 25 years, the week-long Sziget Festival has taken over the Danube island of Obudai-sziget every August, presenting over 1,000 performers and drawing tens of thousands of people from around the world.
It is one of Europe's biggest music festivals, attracting acts such as 2019 headliners Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran.
Revelers soak up the lively atmosphere while dancers stage theatrical performances around the site, and everyone heads off to dip into the Danube along the sandy beach.
Dates: 1 to 13 August 2019
Sziget Festival, Hajogyari Island, Budapest, Hungary
Budapest Summer Festival
Running through June, July and August, the Budapest Summer Festival brings some of the world's finest classical musicians and ballet performers to Margaret Island, right in the heart of Budapest.
There is a varied program of opera, ballet and classical music, with a little jazz and pop thrown in, much of it staged in the magical setting of Margaret Island's Open-Air Stage.
Keep an eye out for performances held on the open-air stage set in the shadow of Margaret Island's historic water tower.
Dates: June through September
Budapest Summer Festivals, Open-Air Theatre, 1122 Budapest, Varosmajor; +36 1 375-5922
Budapest Christmas Markets
Get ready to be completely enchanted by Budapest's Advent Christmas market, held every year in the square in front of St. Stephen's Basilica.
From late November to early January, the area fills with market stalls selling trinkets, toys, handmade crafts and plenty of unbeatable Hungarian food and drink.
Those who visit the market on a Sunday can watch the lighting of the Advent candles.
To top it all off, at the center sits a small but perfectly formed ice rink that adds another dose of holiday magic.
Even more treats await at Vorosmarty Square, home to the city's main Christmas market.
There are more than 100 stalls selling gifts and food, all of them personally inspected by a jury, so quality stays high.
Christmas market by St. Stephen's Basilica, St. Stephen's Square 1, Budapest, 1051. Dates: 23 November 2018 to 1 January 2019
Christmas market at Vorosmarty Square, Vorosmarty Square, Budapest, 1051. Dates: 9 November 2018 to 1 January 2019
Budapest Wine Festival
Every September, Buda Castle turns into one big civilized party under the late summer sun as dozens of winemakers show off their latest vintages in a relaxed yet buzzing atmosphere.
Buy a glass and wander from one tasting stall to the next, sampling Hungarian snacks along the way.
Four festival stages take turns presenting music and entertainment across the four-day event, and there is also a Harvest Parade around Buda Castle celebrating folk music and dance.
Dates: 5 to 8 September 2019
Budapest Wine Festival, St. George's Square 2, Budapest, 1014
Budapest Fish Festival
Hungarians spend the winter months warming up with a dish called halaszle, a hot red fisherman's soup packed with paprika and river fish.
When early March rolls around, many make their way to the three-day Budapest Fish Festival to enjoy this spicy dish along with plenty of other kinds of fish.
Heroes' Square hosts cooking competitions, wine tastings, folk music and entertainment for kids, not to mention countless stalls serving up mouth-watering dishes.
Dates: 2 to 4 March 2019
Budapest Fish Festival, Heroes' Square, Budapest, 1146
Danube Carnival
The open-air stage on Margaret Island and plenty of other outdoor venues along the Danube burst with color during this week-long folk dance festival in June.
Several hundred international dancers and musicians bring their own cultural sounds and moves, blending them with traditional Hungarian styles at this annual event.
The carnival procession, which winds along the Danube promenade to Vorosmarty Square, is one of the festival's main highlights.
Dates: To be announced
Danube Carnival, +36-20-314-2062
Festival of Folk Arts
Craftspeople from all over Hungary gather at Buda Castle every August for a three-day celebration of the trades that have been practiced in the country for hundreds of years.
Visitors can join workshops and watch experts at work as they spin, weave, carve and paint, showing off skills handed down from generation to generation.
The festival includes folk dancing and performances and, since this is Hungary, a wealth of food stalls offering wonderful traditional food and drink.
Because the event coincides with the St. Stephen's Day celebrations on 20 August, which feature food stalls along the Danube promenade, concerts and a spectacular fireworks display, anyone in the city at this time gets to experience both.
Dates: 18 to 21 August 2019
Festival of Folk Arts, St. George's Square 2, Budapest, 1014 Hungary
Palinka and Sausage Festival
When the weather in the city starts to cool down in October, it is time to warm up with glasses of Hungarian brandy, known as palinka.
The Palinka and Sausage Festival, held on Castle Hill over three days in early October, brings together several producers of this spirit, while the region's sausage makers stand ready to offer the perfect snacks to soak up all that brandy.
You can sample all sorts of different palinka flavors as you move from stall to stall at this quirky Hungarian food event.
Dates: 2 to 4 October 2019
Palinka and Sausage Festival, Castle Hill, Budapest
Budapest Spring Festival
As if Budapest's cultural calendar were not full enough, April also brings the Budapest Spring Festival, a city-wide celebration of music and the arts.
It stages a series of classical concerts at venues all across the city over a 17-day period.
Visitors can pair their musical enjoyment with the visual arts during Budapest Art Week, which runs at the same time, and can also drop in on workshops, film screenings and exhibitions at nearly 70 locations.
Dates: 5 to 22 April 2019
Budapest Spring Festival, Budapest
Downtown Beer Festival
While Hungarian wine and palinka have been grabbing all the attention, a beer revolution has also been quietly brewing in the country.
More than 60 microbreweries from across Hungary set up their spots in City Park over three days in June to show off their latest creations and flavors.
Visitors can try beer from guest breweries in Bavaria and the Czech Republic and tuck into the food on offer at the street food fair.
