It may be colder, it may be rainy, it may seem dull and gray, but, in fact, October is a very exciting month to visit Budapest. There are many festivals that turn autumn into a season of true celebration.
The month begins with
Oktoberfest when
Felvonulási tér becomes the capital of beer. Popular breweries, as well as small microbreweries and craft breweries, will line up the stalls at the City Park. This is the fourth year when festival participants can experience the celebration in the Bavarian Paulaner Oktoberfest tent. A 40-meter high Ferris wheel will offer visitors the opportunity to see the city from up high. The festival begins the last weekend of September, on the 29th, and lasts till the second day of October.
Café Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival is the second festival of the month, brightening the city with a wide range of events, from contemporary classical music to theatre premieres, from popular music to contemporary circus, from dance to visual art and beyond. The venues of 2016 include Müpa Budapest, Liszt Academy, A38 Ship, Budapest Music Center, Castle Garden Bazaar, Vigadó, Akvárium, Millenáris, and Bálna Budapest.

Who could miss the Budapest Pálinka and Sausage Festival, which takes place at the iconic
Buda Castle on Castle Hill in the first two days of October? There will be several types of palinka available for tastings and purchase. Palinka is usually paired with sausages, so visitors will also enjoy such regional specialties. Music and live entertainment make this event even more appealing.
Kürtőskalács, the Chimney Cake Festival, is another interesting event that you shouldn't miss. It takes place in the second weekend of October at the City Park, Vajdahunyad Castle. This festival celebrates the Hungarian kürtőskalács pastries and will present various technique of preparing chimney cakes, over charcoal or fried in oil, in many sizes, and different flavors.The highlight of the festival is the great chimney cake bake-off.
Art Market Budapest will take place from October 13 until October 16 this year. The international art fair at Millenáris will feature a variety of art and crafts objects for purchase. There will also be an exhibition, CHIM: Children of the War, and other interesting events.
The
Budapest Restaurant Week ends this list of festivals with an invitation to gourmet cuisine. It takes place from October 10 until October 16 in several participant restaurants, including our own
La Perle Noire Restaurant and Lounge at
Mamaison Hotel Andrassy. If you plan your vacation in Budapest during the restaurant week, we invite you to check out our
Joy of Autumn City special offer, which is available throughout the season, until December 1st, 2016. Booking directly on our official site you can save 15 % of the usual rate when staying 2 nights, and 20 % when staying 3 nights or more. See you there!

Mihaela Lica-Butler is travel writer and travel public relations consultant by profession, lover of cultures and cuisine. She has built a fun career while chiming in on many topics, from relating the trials and tribulations of the people of Kosovo, to experiencing, first hand, the heroics of the Romanian soldiers serving for the UN. But she thrives in conveying her love for travel and places in written word, and she is happy to be a constant contributor for some of the world's best travel sites.