One of Hungary’s leading orchestras will perform outdoors on 12 September as part of a Swiss–Hungarian anniversary year.
Publication date: 9 August 2026
Last checked: 9 August 2026
If you are in Budapest on Saturday, 12 September, keep the evening free. The Budapest Festival Orchestra is scheduled to give a free open-air concert at Heroes’ Square.
This is a rare chance to hear one of Hungary’s most internationally recognised orchestras in one of the city’s grandest public spaces. Founded by Iván Fischer and Zoltán Kocsis, the orchestra was named Orchestra of the Year by Gramophone in 2022 and is widely regarded as one of the leading symphony orchestras of its generation. Read about the orchestra’s international standing.
Heroes’ Square is a fitting setting: the monumental end point of Andrássy Avenue, beside City Park and the Museum of Fine Arts. It forms part of Budapest’s UNESCO World Heritage site, together with Andrássy Avenue and its historic surroundings. It is also an iconic place in modern Hungarian history. The square and its immediate approaches can accommodate crowds of well over 100,000, although the permitted capacity for this concert will depend on its final layout and safety plan. An orchestral concert here can offer something a concert hall cannot: music in the open air, framed by one of Budapest’s most recognisable urban landmarks. UNESCO describes the site here.
The concert is not a spontaneous addition to the calendar. It is part of the 2026 programme marking 80 years since Switzerland and Hungary resumed diplomatic relations after the Second World War. The Swiss Embassy has announced a cultural collaboration with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and lists the 12 September concert as free of charge. See the official anniversary programme.
At the time of writing, the public announcement does not specify the concert time, repertoire, conductor, principal organiser or funding partners. These details may be announced closer to the date. But for visitors who happen to be in Budapest that weekend, this is already a date worth noting.
If you would like to see more of the area before the concert, one of the PhotoSherpa Budapest Photo Walks begins right here at Heroes’ Square. We look beyond the monuments to the stories that shaped this part of the city, with time to notice its details and make photographs of your own along the way. Explore the Best of Budapest walk here.