We invite our audience to prepare and celebrate together with us again this year. Join us now at the beginning of Advent for our festive fair and put some BFO concert experiences under the Christmas tree that will bring joy until the end of March.
Winter Afternoons and Winter Evenings
We’re offering two new season passes to warm up the chilly months of December, January and February. Winter Afternoons includes four concerts starting at 3:30 p.m., while the four concerts of Winter Evenings will start at 7:45 p.m. Both feature a selection of the best programs of the season. The concerts in the winter season passes are available at a 20% discount compared to the original ticket price!
Discount concert tickets: buy them this year and enjoy them until March!
If you buy at least four tickets to any of our orchestral concerts listed below this year, you will receive a 15% discount.
The discount applies to tickets purchased both in-person and online. Either way, all you need to do when making your purchase is book your ticket as usual. Our system will apply the discount automatically, and the final total will be the reduced amount.
Our holiday offer applies to tickets for the following performances:
Let’s start the Advent season together in the BFO’s rehearsal room
This year, we will be holding our festive market in the Selmeci utca rehearsal room at the start of Advent, on December 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Those looking for high-quality gifts can choose from a wide range of products from our partners joining the fair. At the stalls in the lobby, you will be able to shop collections of Andrea Nacsa's leather jewelry and Veró Lázár's elegant jewelry offering, hand-woven Mulberry Leaf scarves, Zsuzsi Szabó's handmade textiles, scented candles by Arvai, summer flavors of Sicily hidden in jars from Miceli Farm, organic delicacies from Molnár Beekeeping, and the products of Pannonhalma Abbey from beers to cosmetics. By purchasing SZUNO embroideries from the Igazgyöngy Foundation, our customers can also contribute to the success of a community-focused enterprise.
We will also spice up the day with some graceful music. In the morning, our clarinetist, Ákos Ács, will lead the BFO's Advent Opening Chamber Concert, with solo, duo and trio performances of pieces by Fauré, Saint-Saëns and Beethoven. In the evening, you are invited to a baroque chamber concert entitled Back to Nature, with exciting pieces and instruments that are rarely seen or played in public. In keeping with the festive occasion, the dress rehearsal of the performance on period instruments will be open to the public and free of charge, so that our guests can enjoy the baroque experience even if they were unable to buy tickets for the concert.
What should we put under the Christmas tree?
In addition to our partners joining the fair, the BFO's own offers can also be inspiring Christmas gift ideas.
Our spring season passes
A gift of a season pass can be a good choice even in December, as the concerts included with the Classy Concerts Spring season pass for people under 35 and the Széll season pass will start only in 2025.
BFO gift card
With our gift cards, you can give your loved ones the opportunity to select the concerts they most want to attend. Gift cards may be used to purchase Budapest Festival Orchestra season passes and tickets for any concert, up to the value indicated on the card, and remain valid for 365 days from the date of purchase. You can purchase gift cards for HUF 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000 in person at the BFO’s ticket office on Bécsi út or online at this link. Please note that gift cards may only be paid for by bank card or in cash. Should the price of the season pass or ticket selected exceed the value available on the gift card, the difference may be paid in cash, by bank card or SZÉP card.
Festival Orchestra under the tree
The BFO SHOP has a range of gifts to bring joy to young and old alike. We are pleased to recommend, among other things, the musical cookie cutters, which are some of our most popular Christmas items. They come in a cotton bag decorated with a violin or a French horn motif. Our special jewelry pieces include silver instrument pendants and specially designed jewelry, such as earrings in the shape of the BFO’s iconic paper stools by Marcell Égi. A BFO CD always makes the perfect gift for music lovers. Just pick one of our orchestra’s legendary award winning recordings. Available in two different sizes, our mugs featuring the silhouette of Mahler – a composer who plays a key role in the life of the orchestra – will be a favorite of coffee and tea aficionados; we also have canvas tote bags and vanity cases with the same design. Water bottles are rightfully popular these days, and environmentally friendly. We offer them in two different sizes. For children, choose the lighter bottles with a fun design; for adults, pick the refined, metal bottles featuring musical instruments. In addition to socks with the BFO’s fun dots, you can also choose from our other popular products with dots or instruments: we offer a selection of notebooks (with a French horn and cello design), tea towels (with a trumpet and black and white design), as well as mugs and Christmas ornaments in our webshop. Take the BFO with you wherever you go!
Ticket to our fundraising ball
Surprise your loved ones with a BFO experience unlike any other, incorporating the joy of music, dance, the arts, fun and entertainment. Join the musicians and the music director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra for dinner and an evening of fun in the ballroom of the Corinthia Hotel on February 8, 2025. Our fundraising ball will be all about sparkles and bubbles, and we'll also have a guest star. This could be a surprise gift that is sure to have everyone dancing.
The happiest club in the country is ready to welcome its new members
How about the gift of a priceless experience, beyond music? The BFO Patrons club is an open and welcoming community and, as Iván Fischer puts it, the “happiest family in Hungary.” Regular tours with the orchestra, exclusive meetings, early-bird season pass and ticket sales, musical events – membership comes with all these benefits, while also allowing you to support the BFO in making our innovative concerts a reality.
Click here to find out more about the benefits of being a member of the club and hereto learn how to join. After entering the name of the person you wish to receive membership, you can immediately pay their membership fee by bank card. The first 50 patrons to renew their membership or join the club will receive a free gift. Please contact our colleague, Zsuzsanna Deák, at the email address tamogatoiklub@bfz.hu or by telephone at +36 1 882 7671 or +36 70 425 3599.