Palinka and Sausage festival coming back in 2013

The dates have been announced for the Palinka and Sausage festival in 2013. Tradition is followed and the dates are only announced a few weeks before the actual festival. So also this year, so in less than two weeks the festival will come upon us and it is possible to taste a wide selection of Hungarian Palinka and taste traditional sausuage.

As always there will be a special guest coming to the festival, and in 2013 that guest will be “rum.” This means that as you come to visit the festival area you will get several chances not only to taste the traditional Hungarian food and fruit spirit, but also taste a wide selection of rums. The entrance fee is 2000 HUF for a day ticket, which also gives you a small tasting glass which is a quite nice souvenir to bring with you home after some days in Budapest.

The area for the festival is the castle area, so again a great opportunity to enjoy a beautiful panorama and visit one of the most visited areas combined with this festival, all in one!

Hungarian sausage

Read more about other Budapest events and concerts.

Report from Budapest Palinkafesztival 2013

The Palinkafesztival (Palinka Festival) in Budapest opened yesterday (May 16th) and it will be open until Sunday evening (May 19th). The weather forecasts do not promise beautiful weather, but if you are in town, make sure to check out what’s going on. I was there yesterday at the Erzsebet square and I liked what I saw!

Often the biggest and most popular festivals in Budapest are arranged in the Castle area. However this time the Palinka festival is arranged in the middle of Budapest, at the Erzsebet square, in front of the five star hotels Le Meridien and Kempinski, and next to the popular club Akvarium. My first comment is that I really liked the venue and the fact that it is in central Budapest. At such a location it is hard to miss out on the festival, and it is really easy to get to and from the festival at any time. Much easier than when it is located in the Castle area.

Another bonus with the location is that the festival feels much more intimate and the visitors are gathered at the same place, without giving you the feeling that it is overcrowded. Of course the wine festival could never be arranged here, because the area is to small, but for a Palinka festival this square is ideal.

Some more thoughts on the Palinka festival 2013

Inside the area there are lots of stands where you can buy all sorts of Palinka, the Hungarian fruit spirit. If you are a big fan this is an ideal place to taste new brands and get new favorites, and if you have not clue what Palinka is about, then this is a great place to get some basic knowledge.

As you buy your entrance ticket you will get the chance to enter into the festival area. Inside the festival area all payments are made with this electronic card you buy. The price is 500 HUF for the card and then you need to fill this with money. Money is withdrawn from the card whenever you make a purchase, and whatever is left on the card will be returned to you as you give back your card and leave the festival area (you will also get the 500 HUF that you paid for the card itself back). This system is quite easy to use (they used it at the Beer festival in 2012 as well), it only gets complicated if it is crowded and hundreds of people want to fill up or return their cards at the same time. However there are 4 such stands in the area, so it shouldn’t really cause any problems, I think!

The price for the different Palinkas on the inside starts from about 300 HUF, but you will of course find much more expensive Palinkas as well. If you are not a big fan of Palinka you find a DiVino bar on the inside where you can taste and drink wine, you can buy soft drinks in the Moszkva ter stands and hot and cold food at other stands.

Every evening there will be concerts, and some of the artists performing are really great, so worth to take a look and listen when in the concert area. A great plus in the festival area is that they have lots of benches and chairs, making it very easy to sit down and enjoy good company, some food and of course, something to drink.

Conclusion: If you have the chance, visit the Erzsebet square in Budapest before Sunday evening and check out the Palinka festival… even if you don’t like Palinka!

Palinka and Sausage festival this weekend

Apricot Palinka
Apricot Palinka

If you are in Budapest this weekend, why not check out the annual Palinka and Sausage festival arranged in the Castle area, near the Castle Hill Funicular. Here you can taste the best Hungarian sausages, and of course taste a whole lot of Hungarian Palinka, the Hungarian fruit brandy. The most popular Palinka is probably the apricot version, but you can also find Palinka made of for example plum, peach, apple, pear, strawberry and other fruits!

Read more about the Palinka and Sausage festival

Budapest Palinka Festival 2011

Palinka
Palinka

The annual Budapest Palinka Festival will be arranged between May 5th and May 8th in 2011. This year the focus will be on Plum-palinka, but you can of course taste a whole lot of other Palinka’s as well if you visit the festival. The Palinka Festival will this year be arranged for the sixth time at the Hunyadi Court, in the Buda Castle area. This festival should not be confused with the annual Palinka and Sausage festival arranged every autumn, also in the area next to the Buda Castle.

More information about the Palinka festival can be found here.

Budapest events

Palinka and Sausage festival this weekend

Palinka
Palinka

Do you like Palinka and Hungarian sausages? If so, you better visit the castle area between October 7 and 10, because that is when the annual Palinka and sausage festival is arrange in Budapest. Even though the weather is currently bad in Budapest, it will hopefully turn better before this festival start, and not turn out like a rainfestival, like the winefestival did a month ago.

The Hungarian Palinka is a fruit spirit containing in most cases between 40-60% alcohol, made of 100% fruit (its almost healthy), and if you travel to Egypt it is recommended to drink it a couple of times a day to keep the bacterias away.

The Hungarian sausage tastes great, and even if you do not like Palinka, the festival can be worth visiting because of the sausages. More information about the festival can be found here.

Palinka and Sausage Festival 2010

If you would like to taste only one glass of Palinka, why not join us on a half-day excursion to Szentendre. We often let our visitors taste a Palinka as the last drink during the winetasting there.

Palinka and Sausage Festival this weekend

Pálinka
Pálinka

Budapest is simply a festival town. There is always something going on, and when one festival is finished, another starts. Not long ago there was some small Pálinka Festival by the Danube on the Pest side, before that visitors could participate in the Wine Festival located in the Castle Area… And then you have the Autumn Festival and we could keep on writing!

Whats important now, is that starting this Thursday and keeping it up till Sunday people in Budapest can visit the Pálinka and Sausage festival in the Castle area. The Hungarian sausages are not very famous, but many claim that they taste just as good as Mortadella, Tyrolean and Viennese sausages.

The Pálinka is a real Hungaricum, protected by law since 2004, and you are only allowed to call the drink Pálinka if produced according to strict laws and rules.  Below you can see some of them:

1. it has to be made 100-percent from fruits or herbs indigenous to the Carpathian Basin and grown in Hungary, or from pomace grown in Hungary, and does not contain any additives,
2. it has to be produced and bottled in Hungary,
3. it has to have an alcohol content between 37,5% and 86% ABV.

So if this sounds interesting, check it out. You can read more about the entrance fees and about the festival at our Palinka and Sausage Festival page.

Events in Budapest