What To Do On New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day?
If you plan to celebrate New Year in Budapest you sure will have a terrific time. Budapest, with its enchanting blend of traditions and modern celebrations, offers a unique New Year’s experience.
Hungarians are very good at partying. We’re people who look for every occasion to eat and drink well.
One of these special occasions is the last day of the year, Szilveszter in our language.
You can pick from plenty of programs from upscale balls to club parties.
From street parties and dazzling fireworks over the Danube to the warmth of thermal baths, the city invites you to create lasting memories.
Let’s not forget the spectacular fireworks at midnight!
Browse our guide to some of the best New Year parties in town to make your last day of 2023 trully Note: In some popular entertainment places you have to book your New Year’s Program months or weeks before.
NYE Programs (12. 31. 2023. )
TIP#1: Boat Parties & 5-Course Festive Dinner on the Danube – New Year in Budapest for Free – Partying in a Hotel – Home Parties – Gala Concert of the 100 Member Gypsy Orchestra 30th December – TIP#2: NYE Pub Crawls – 3 in1 Party Hop – NYE Parties In Clubs – Dinner Parties in Restaurants – TIP#3: Ice Skating
New Year’s Day Programs (01. 01. 2024.)
Danube Cruise with Dinner – Concerts on 1st Jan 2024 – Ice Skating
More Tips
Public Transport on NYE – – – Hungarian New Year Traditions – Opening Hours During the Holiday – Frequently Asked Questions
Best NYE Party Cruises – Welcome 2024 On The Danube!
Cruise parties on the Danube are one of the most popular and romantic New Year’s Eve programs in Budapest.
You can choose one that suits your mood and budget the best:
- Cruise with 5-course gourmet dinner, or if you don’t want to eat you have two options with drinks
- Cruise with 5 cocktails or Unlimited booze.
Either way you will have a wonderful time saying farewell to the old year.
What’s more, a boat on the Danube is also a perfect vantage point to admire the spectacular fireworks illuminating the sky at midnight.
Note: Book in time to secure your place since programs usually sell out quickly as the holiday approaches.
Book A NYE Cruise Party With Gala Dinner Or Drinks: Cocktails/Unlimited Booze
Pub Crawls On New Year’s Eve
Budapest is famous for its ruin bars and the popular pub crawls that let you experience more than one of the best establishments with a local guide and skip-the-line entry.
Join a special-edition New Year’s Eve pub a crawl on December 31, 2024 for a whirlwind journey through the city’s vibrant party district, ensuring an extraordinary celebration.
1. NYE Pub Crawl With 1-Hour Open Bar, 31. December, 2024
Price:
- 71.10 EUR/person
Party away on a special New Year’s Eve-themed ruin bar crawl on 31. December.
You will get
- 1-hour FREE drinking (beer, wine, spritzen),
- Drink specials
- Olympic drink games
- VIP entry
- 4+ clubs and bars, with
- Expert guiding, and
- A crazy, unforgettable night
2. Budapest Party Hop, New Year’s Eve, December 31, 3 Parties In 1 Night
If you relly want to go wild and let your hair down then hop from party to party. You will get to 3 awesome parties on the last eve of the year.
You will ring in the NewYear in the legendary Instant-Fogas ruin bar complex.
Price:
- 100 EUR/person
What’s Included?
- 1-hour unlimited drinks (beer, wine, short and long drinks) at the 1st party
- Private dance floor and bar with drinking games at the 2nd party
- Guaranteed skip-the-line entry to Instant Fogas club to end 2023 and welcome 2024 in style.
Partying in Restaurants, Bars, Cafés
Most people in Budapest head for a restaurant, bar, café or pub to carouse on 31st December. You have to book well in advance, especially in popular places.
If you have no reservation, go early and you might get in with some luck. There’s usually a substantial dinner that includes special dishes.
Top Parties In Budapest On NYE 2023/24
A glass of champagne is usually included in the price to clink glasses at midnight.
The New Year starts with more eating:
- Frankfurter sausages with horseradish and mustard,
- Lentil soup,
- Roasted suckling pig and
- Other traditional Hungarian New Year dishes are served after 24.00.
You can dance away all the calorie intake.
Prices are around 100 – 300 EUR, depending on how popular and upscale the place is.
TIP: Liszt Ferenc Square on Andrássy Avenue offers many trendy cafés and bars. Pick a place here and you’ll be close to the outdoor festivities on Nyugati tér and Oktogon.
New Years in Budapest for Free – Celebration in the Streets
Outdoor Festivities, Street Carnivals On New Year’s Eve:
On Vörösmarty Square in district V. – there are usually concerts, and lots of people gather here to count down till midnight- Nyugati Square (M3 metro line, trams No 4, 6) – always a popular meeting point and it’s no different on the last eve of the year.
- Oktogon (trams No 4, 6) – close to Nyugati tér, at the junction of the Grand Boulevard and Andrássy Av.
- Heroes’ Square next to City Park is also a favoured venue to welcome the New Year.
- The Party District is an excellent place to head for if you want to be in the thick of the craziness that takes over the city as midnight comes closer and closer. – Gozsdu Court and other parts of district VII. – the eclectic Jewish Qrtr., home to the ruin pubs: Kazinczy Street, Király Street, Dob Str.
On Spectacular fireworks welcome the New Year on all three places. Don’t forget to put on warm clothes, because last days of December tend to be chilly in Budapest.
You’ll find many people in the streets, especially around midnight.
Even those who have been carousing in a restaurant or bar, pour out onto the streets and celebrate the New Year with singing, dancing and blowing paper horns.
Luckily government has banned the use of firecrackers, so celebrating will be safer in the crowded streets, than it was in previous years.
Ice Skating – Pre-Party Fun In A Panoramic Ice Park
Address & Getting There
- II. Rákóczi Ferenc út 89-91, Budapest 1211 (View on Map)
- Take suburban train H7 from Boráros tér, get off at Szent Imre tér station (3rd stop), 1 min walk from there
Opening Hours:
- Every day: 08.00 – 21.00
- December 31: 08.00 – 18.00 and
- January 01, New Year’s Day: 12.00 – 21.00
Prices:
- 2 000 HUF (Free for babies under 3 yo)
Partying In a Hotel
Most hotels offer Special Packages for the New Year’s Eve period. Usually you have to stay for at least 2-3 nights.
A festive dinner and entertaining programs are included.
Choose a hotel in the city centre and you’ll find many places of entertainment within walking distance. You can join the happy crowd in the streets and enjoy the fireworks as well.
TIP: The Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace and other 5-Star Budapest Hotels have great New Year’s Eve programs each year with delicious, multiple-course dinners with spelndid wines and champagne.
Prices: approximately 80-250+ EUR.
View our selection of Luxury Hotels in Budapest and 4 Star Budapest Hotels.
Home Parties
If the above programs don’t appeal to you, stroll in Budapest on New Year’s Day afternoon and someone might invite you to a home party.
Hungarians are famous for their hospitality and we tend to be even more welcoming on New Year’s Eve.
- Drink local bubbly,
- beer or wine,
- have some homemade snacks and
- make new friends!
Public Transport on New Year’s Eve
During the day services run according to Sunday schedule.
Tram 4 and 6 (along Nagykörút/Grand Boluevard run all night long – at 3-4 min frequency till 02.00 am then at every 5 min till 05.00 am on 01. January 2023
The M2, M3 M4 metro lines operate till 01.00 am and the night bus services run more frequently.
First metro trains leaves terminus at around 4.30 on 1st January.
Public transport services operate according to holiday/Sunday schedule on 01. January.
Opening Hours on 31st December & 1st January, New Year’s Day
Shops are allowed to stay open until 16.00 on 31st December but many of them close earlier, at 14.00.
- Shops, food markets,
- most restaurants, cafes and
- other businesses,
- museums are closed on 01. January, New Year’s Day which is a public holiday.
Some Hungarian New Year Traditions
Most Hungarian New Year traditions are related to food.
Having lentil or bean dishes on New Year’s Day makes you wealthy. Pigs root out your fortune, while poultry scrapes it away.
Eat roast pork on New Year’s Eve and you’ll be lucky throughout the year.
For hangover we eat a special soup (korhely leves) made from pickled cabbage and sour cream.
Eating lentil, strudel and fish (the scales symbolize coins) will bring wealth.
Dos and Don’ts
Washing and hanging out the washing is forbidden, because someone will die. Other forbidden activities include:
- to borrow and lend anything (e. g. money, household objects)
- calling or visiting a doctor – you’ll be ill all year if you do so
According to common belief, the whole year will be like the way you behave on 1st January. You’d better be happy to drive away gloominess in the New Year!
Love and weather divinations were also common in villages, nowadays these traditions are practised less and less..
New Year’s Day Programs – What To Do On January 01, 2024?
New Year’s Day Cruise & Dinner on the Danube
Date:
- 1st January 2024., at 19.00 or at 22.00
Celebrate the New Year on a sightseeing cruise on the Danube – Reward yourself and your family with a wonderful evening that includes:
- a splendid five-course dinner,
- live music by the Hungarian Folk Ensemble & Orchestra, and
- the enchanting sights of illuminated Budapest that you can see on a 2-hour trip.
The New Year’s Day boat excursion will be hosted on the spacious and elegant Europa Ship.
Concerts in Budapest On New Year’s Day
TIP: See also our selection of Budapest restaurants that offer a New Year’s Eve Dinner/Party!
Music-Wine Gala Concert of the 100-Member Gypsy Orchestra
Date:
- 30th December 2023., 18.30
Venue:
- Budapest Congress Center, Jagelló út 1-3., district XII.
Tickets:
- Concert + dinner + wine: 139 EUR / 169 EUR,
- Concert + wine tasting 50 EUR / 65 EUR
The end-of-year gala concert of the Hundred Member Gypsy Orchestra is organised each year.
This year the spectacular performance is combined with a four-course dinner with great Hungarian wines (the dinner is optional).
The festive concert is a wonderful pre-New Year’s Eve program in Budapest.
FAQ – New Year In Budapest
Q: Is Budapest safe for New Year’s celebrations?
Budapest is known for its safe and festive atmosphere during New Year’s celebrations. Stick to well-traveled areas in the centre, and exercise common-sense precautions to ensure a secure and enjoyable experience.
Q: What is the best time to visit Budapest for New Year’s celebrations?
The peak of festivities occurs on New Year’s Eve, but consider arriving a few days earlier to explore pre-celebration events and immerse yourself in the holiday spirit.
Q: Are there family-friendly New Year’s events in Budapest?
Absolutely! Budapest caters to families with various events, including early fireworks displays, family-friendly parties, and special activities at popular attractions. Consider locations like Városliget / City Park for a family-oriented celebration.
TIP: The Magic Grove/Varázsliget by Vajdahunyad Castle (City Park) offers plenty of activities for the little ones and their parents. See more on the event’s FB page!
Q: Can I witness the fireworks without attending a party?
Yes, several locations along the Danube and in the city centre (Basilica, Vörösmarty tér) offer fantastic views of the fireworks display without the need to attend a specific party. Find a cozy spot and enjoy the breathtaking show.
Why Celebrate New Year in Budapest?
You have many options where to say good bye to the old year in the Hungarian capital. From an exclusive ball to classy hotels, trendy restaurants and bars, or a boat on the Danube. Make sure you book early!
The best place to make friends and see how Hungarians welcome the New Year is at a home party. Hungarians are very friendly and hospitable.
An Affordable City for Partying
Alcoholic drinks (wine, sparkling wine, beer, liquors) are quite cheap here especially when you buy them in shops, supermarkets. But drinking in bars and clubs is also more affordable than in western European cities.
Food is reasonably priced too and you can easily find inexpensive, good-value accommodation at a great central location.
Last but not least, Budapest is a beautiful, historic city with a lot to do and see- a perfect location to welcome the New Year!
I hope you will come and have a good time!
Happy New Year, that is Boldog Új Évet in Hungarian!
Related:
More Events and Programs in December – Christmas Markets in Budapest – Festive Holiday Concerts in Budapest
