Local tradition
National Day: 23 October
Az 1956-os forradalom ünnepe
Hungary marks the 1956 revolution with ceremonies, flag-raising and free museum entry across Budapest.
- When
- 23 October 2026
- Where
- Kossuth Lajos tér and across the city, Budapest
- Price
- Free
- Type
- Local tradition
- Official site
- budapestinfo.hu
Why it's worth going
It is the one day the 1956 story is told everywhere at once — on Kossuth tér, at the Terror Háza, in the streets where it happened. Many museums open their doors free.
What to expect
Official ceremonies in the morning, mostly around Kossuth Lajos tér and the Parliament, with the flag raised at the start of the day. The afternoon is quieter than the other two national days. Expect closed shops and a reduced transport timetable: this is a full public holiday, not a festival, and the city treats it as one.
The revolution began on 23 October 1956 with a student march that ended at the Parliament, and was crushed by Soviet tanks within a fortnight. The memorial that matters most is below street level on the eastern side of Kossuth tér, and most visitors walk straight past it. If you are in Budapest on this date, the day is better spent understanding it than working around it.
Build a day around this
Tell us you are coming for National Day: 23 October and we will build the rest of the day around it — where to be and when, somewhere good to eat nearby, and the parts of Budapest most visitors walk straight past.
Plan my Budapest day →Or start from a tour that already fits
Every tour we run is private and priced for the group. Any of them can be moved around this event.
