First time at a BFO concert? – A few practical information to make your experience complete.

Our orchestral concerts are held at Müpa Budapest or the Liszt Academy. We have our Cocoa Concerts and chamber concerts at the BFO Rehearsal Hall, while the Castle Garden Bazaar is the venue for our Midnight Music concerts.

Each venue is easily accessible by public transport, car or even bike.

Müpa Budapest (H-1095 Budapest, Komor Marcell utca 1.)

• Take tram 1, 2 or 24 to Közvágóhíd or Müpa-Nemzeti Színház.
• Take suburban train H7 to Müpa-Nemzeti Színház.
• Take bus 54 or 15 to Közvágóhíd.

Parking: Parking is free of charge for guests who have a ticket for a public, paid concert on the day concerned. With this ticket, the parking discount provided by Müpa Budapest entitles you to one entry and exit on the day of the performance until the building closes. Parking is available at two locations: the underground garage and the outdoor parking lot of Müpa Budapest. For more information, visit https://mupa.hu/en/contact

Liszt Academy (H-1061 Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 8.)

• Take metro M1 to Oktogon and then a short walk.
• Take tram 4 or 6 to Oktogon.
• Take bus 105 to Oktogon.

Parking is available in nearby streets. Fees apply on business days while parking is free of charge on weekends and certain holidays.

BFO Rehearsal Hall (1034 Budapest, Selmeci utca 14-16.)

• Trams: 17, 19, 41 – Selmeci utca
• Buses: 9, 29, 109, 111 – Tímár utca

Parking is available in nearby streets. Fees apply on business days while parking is free of charge on weekends and certain holidays.

Castle Garden Bazaar (1013 Budapest, Ybl Miklós tér 2–6.)

• Trams: 19, N19, 41 – Várkert Bazár; 56 – Döbrentei tér
• Buses: 5, 178, 956, 8E, 108E, N109, 110, 112, 908 – Döbrentei tér; 105, 16 – Clark Ádám tér
• BKV riverboat: D2 – Várkert Bazár

Parking is available on nearby streets or in the underground parking garage of the Castle Garden Bazaar for a fee. For more information, visit https://varkertbazar.hu/en/parking

If you have never been to a classical music concert before, you may be wondering what to wear. Although dress codes used to be stricter in the past, formal evening dresses and tuxedos are not required at our concerts – we leave them to the musicians. We recommend good-looking, comfortable clothing appropriate for the occasion, which will respect both the event and our musicians.

Due to the informal nature of our Midnight Music events, our musicians swap their high heels and ties for casual streetwear, so we recommend wearing comfortable, everyday clothing to these concerts, in which you can feel relaxed even in beanbag chairs.

It is a good idea to arrive at least 25–30 minutes before the concert starts so that you can find the venue without rushing, leave your coat in the cloakroom, take your seat in time, and get in the mood for the concert experience.

Except for the BFO Rehearsal Hall, concert venues are wheelchair-accessible, and designated areas for people with disabilities are also available in the concert hall. Should you need any special assistance, please arrive earlier and notify the organizers in advance.

• Müpa Budapest is barrier-free for visitors with wheelchairs, those with disabilities or cognitive impairment, the elderly with limited mobility and visitors accompanied by service dogs. (https://mupa.hu/kapcsolat). Designated areas: first and second floor side balconies. We offer free admission for people with disabilities and a 50% discount on tickets for one accompanying person.
• The building of the Liszt Academy is wheelchair-accessible, and the various floors can be reached by elevator from the entrance on Király utca. Areas designated for people with disabilities: ground floor, row 18, left and right sides. We offer free admission for people with disabilities and a 50% discount on tickets for one accompanying person.
• Castle Garden Bazaar: The building is wheelchair-accessible. We offer free admission for people with disabilities and a 50% discount on tickets for one accompanying person.
• BFO Rehearsal Hall: The building is not wheelchair accessible.

If the concert has already started, in most cases, you can only take your original seat during the interval. The hostesses will accompany you to your temporary seat.

• Latecomers at Müpa Budapest are admitted by the hostesses on the third-floor side balcony and can take their seats during the interval.
• Latecomers at the Liszt Academy are admitted on the second-floor central balcony and can take their seats during the interval.
• Latecomers in the BFO Rehearsal Hall are admitted during the applause.
• There is no strict admission policy at the Castle Garden Bazaar – latecomers are welcome to join the Midnight Music concerts at any time.

If you would like to learn more about the pieces performed, visit the Concert Calendar menu of our website, where you will find a detailed description of each event. In the “About the event” section, you can read about the origin of the pieces, how they are related to the orchestra, and, by clicking on their names, you can also learn about the composers, the soloists and the conductor. You can also find a more concise description of each concert in the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s current season brochure. If you want more interesting information, follow our Facebook page and subscribe to our newsletters. How can I spend my time before the concert?

Müpa Budapest

At Müpa Budapest, you can enjoy the magnificent panorama of the Danube from the terraces, or have a bite at P'Art Café and Bistro, the snack bars in the first floor foyer or the mobile carts on the upper floors. If you want to avoid waiting in line, you can place your order in advance at Átrium Snack Bar before the concert, and your selected snacks and drinks will be waiting for you at the beginning of the interval. The terrace of Panorama Bar on the top floor of the building offers views of the city from Lágymányosi Bay to the Chain Bridge; here you can chat with friends in elegant surroundings. Located in the foyer, in front of the entrance to the Ludwig Museum, Vince Bookshop offers visitors a wide selection of products, including countless gifts, publications, and catalogs.

You can also admire the grandiose interior of the concert venue, Béla Bartók National Concert Hall: its interior spaces reminiscent of Gothic cathedrals, the reliefs by György Jovánovics decorating the walls, and the spectacular, dignified presence of the huge organ pipes all contribute to the special atmosphere.

Liszt Academy

In the beautiful Art Nouveau building of the Liszt Academy, you can admire the foyer with its extremely complex system of symbols. The lead-framed glass windows designed by Miska Róth, the patterns depicting reeds and insects and the greenish twilight create an almost dreamlike effect. The walls are adorned with rich murals and finely crafted reliefs, which are worth exploring in detail either before the concert or during the quiet moments of the interval. The Grand Hall, which serves as the concert venue, offers a truly memorable experience with its granite and polished copper décor. In the Liszt Academy Museum, you can see the personal objects of Franz Liszt and relics from the history of Hungarian music. While visiting the snack bar, you can also explore a model of the Liszt Academy built from Lego bricks.

If you want to take your seat, the hostesses at the entrance will show you the easiest way to get to the floor where you can find your spot. Before entering the auditorium, please have your ticket ready. If you purchased your ticket online, simply show the QR code on your mobile phone.

There are cloakrooms available at the concert venues where you can safely leave your coat during the event. The cloakroom at Müpa Budapest is free, however, there is only one, so you should arrive early to avoid long lines. At the Liszt Academy, there are two cloakrooms on the first floor available for a fee. The cloakroom at the Castle Garden Bazaar and the BFO Rehearsal Hall are available free of charge.

If you have lost your ticket, contact our audience relations representatives at the venue, who will help you validate your ticket after you provide the relevant information.

At classical music concerts, audiences are usually expected to applaud after the entire work has been performed, rather than between individual movements. On the one hand, this is a tradition respecting the unity of the work, and on the other hand, it helps to maintain the continuity and atmosphere of the performance. A symphony, for example, consists of several movements, which together create a complete musical arc, so it is worth saving your applause for the end.

There are program leaflets available at the concerts where you can find the most important information about the pieces performed. The QR code on the leaflet leads to our website's program page, where you can find more information about the pieces and their connection to the orchestra, as well as about the composers, soloists and conductor, which is worth browsing through in advance. To ensure the smooth running of the performance, please refrain from using your cell phone during the concert.

Video and audio recording is prohibited during our performances, in order to ensure the smooth running of the concert and comply with copyright regulations. There is an exception, the Midnight Music concerts, where you are welcome to take photos or record videos and share content on social media.

Classical music concerts require a quiet, focused atmosphere, where all attention is on the music. The noises of eating or drinking could be disturbing for other members of the audience and the musicians. Eating or drinking in the auditorium is forbidden in most concert halls. In exceptional cases, if someone absolutely needs fluids or food for health reasons, they may do so discreetly without disturbing others.

Again, our Midnight Music concerts are an exception, where our audiences are free to sit with a glass of wine from the snack bar.

First, you can indicate with a short glance or turning your head slightly that their behavior is disturbing. If they continue, you can ask them in a quiet and polite manner to stop the disruptive activity. In an extreme case, please speak to the usher or hall supervisor during the interval and ask for assistance. They are authorized to take action.

Our concerts are usually about two and a half hours long, including the interval. The exact duration depends on the length of the pieces in the program, as well as whether there will be an encore and, if so, how long it will be. Our Cocoa Concerts and Midnight Music events are approximately 60 and 70 minutes long, respectively. You can find the expected duration of individual events on our website.

Yes, there are snack bars at the concert venues, where you can buy food and drink. There are several snack bars available both in Müpa Budapest and the Liszt Academy, on the first and second floors, so you don’t have to spend the entire interval waiting in line. The Castle Garden Bazaar, the venue for the Midnight Music concerts, has a snack bar available to visitors as well. Guests can even take the drinks they have bought to the concert hall. The BFO Rehearsal Hall, which hosts chamber concerts, does not offer food or drink for purchase.

This is the encore, when musicians respond to the enthusiastic reception of the audience by presenting them with a shorter additional piece. Sometimes, the persistent applause brings the artist back on stage several times, and each time they treat the audience to another piece.

We will try to provide this information on our Facebook page among the comments to the post about the concert. You can also put your questions to our colleagues at info@bfz.hu.

In the traditional arrangement of symphonic orchestras, the conductor stands nearest to the audience. In the past, for example during the Baroque period, there was no separate conductor: the orchestra was usually led by the concertmaster or the keyboard player (harpsichordist or organist), who played the continuo, the continuous accompaniment to the music. You can still see this kind of performance in our Baroque and Concertino concerts.

The violinist sitting to the left of the conductor is the concertmaster, who has a special leading role: they are the conductor’s right-hand person, who helps to convey the conductor’s musical decisions and coordinates, primarily, the string sections.

The string players, the first and second violinists, the violists and the cellists, who form the basis of the orchestra, are seated right next to the conductor. In Baroque concerts, a harpsichord is sometimes added to the orchestra.

Behind the strings are the woodwind players, usually playing the following instruments: piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and contrabassoon.

The brass section consists of the horn, trumpet, tenor trombone, bass trombone, and tuba. In the BFO, in most cases, horn players sit on the left side behind the violinists and cellists, at the same level as the woodwinds, while the trumpeters, and the trombone and tuba players are seated opposite them, on the right side.

The percussion instruments are placed in the back row of the orchestra, but according to the Festival Orchestra's special seating arrangement, the double bass players also play in the back row. Percussion instruments include, among others, the snare drum, timpani, bass drum and glockenspiel. Sometimes, albeit rarely, a piano, organ or celeste may also be added to the orchestra.

This structure gives the symphony orchestra its well-known, rich sound and varied timbre.

When the concert has ended, we ask all patrons to exit the concert hall in an orderly fashion. This may take some time due to the large crowd. If you are not in a hurry, you may also stay for a while and chat until the hostesses politely indicate that it is time to leave the building.

You may want to browse the press after the concert: recent reviews and expert articles can add new perspectives to your experience. In the “About the event” section of the concert calendar on our website, you can read more about the pieces and the history of their composition, and also find the biography of the performing musicians in the “Featuring” section. Follow us on social media too. There we often show moments from behind the scenes, parts of the rehearsal process and many other interesting things.

You can read about upcoming events by subscribing to our newsletter on the Budapest Festival Orchestra official website and following us on social media, where you can also find information about purchasing tickets and season passes.

On social media, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. We share lots of behind-the-scenes moments, interesting facts and educational content on these platforms.

Season passes and tickets for the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s events may be purchased through the website www.bfz.hu by bank card or SZÉP card. There is no handling fee for online purchases. When purchasing your season pass or ticket online, you will receive an e-season pass or e-ticket (in PDF format). E-season passes are fully valid electronic season passes that give you access to all the performances included in your season pass. E-tickets are fully valid electronic tickets.

You can also purchase tickets or season passes in person at the nationwide network of Interticket offices, and from the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s special vendors.

Further information: Season pass and ticket information

We offer several types of season passes in each season so that everyone can find what suits them best. Season passes for our orchestral concerts (Doráti, Solti, Ormándy) are valid for the whole season at Müpa Budapest and the Liszt Academy. The afternoon concert series are included in the Reiner and Fricsay passes. The Kertész and Széll season passes are for two venues, Müpa Budapest and the Liszt Academy. Families and young people can choose from two kinds of Cocoa season passes (beginning at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.), while the Menuhin season pass is for those under 35. For lovers of special programs, we offer the Storytime with Iván season pass, where Iván Fischer not only conducts the orchestra, but also enriches the concert with interesting facts about music history and answers questions submitted via text message.

There are several special offers and package discounts available when purchasing season passes. Season passes can be purchased with a discount of up to 25% compared to individual tickets. You can save 50% off the price of tickets for children under 18 by purchasing the Fricsay family season pass. The discount is available on season pass purchases for one adult and at least one child. To receive the discount, please visit the BFO ticket office and present the child(ren)’s ID card(s).

Starting on the day the single ticket sales begin, we will also offer flexible season passes, allowing you to make a selection of 5-10 orchestral performances to be included in the pass. The discount on the price of single tickets depends on how many concerts are included in your season pass: 15% in the case of 5-6 concerts, 17% in the case of 7-8 concerts and 20% in the case of 9 or more concerts. The flexible season pass discount applies when purchasing your tickets for all selected performances in the same transaction.

Subject to the availability of seats, visitors in wheelchairs may request a free ticket up to one week before the concert by sending an email to rendeles@bfz.hu. One companion will be eligible for a 50% discount.

Further information: Season pass and ticket information

You can support the orchestra in several ways. You can donate for specific projects with one-time donations or on a monthly basis, or you can join our BFO Patrons. We offer numerous benefits to our patrons. For example, they are entitled to early-bird purchase of single tickets, they may meet orchestra members at dress rehearsals, and patrons at the gold level and above also have the opportunity to join the BFO on international tours.

Further information: BFO Patrons

BFO fans living abroad also have the opportunity to support us: we warmly welcome them into our international circle of friends in various parts of the world.

You can also help the orchestra by volunteering, for example by taking on office tasks, providing translations, teaching, or even by sending cakes and gifts to community concerts.

In addition, you can also support us by donating 1% of your income tax, which will be used for our musical education programs. And, beyond all this, you can support our orchestra by purchasing entrance and dinner tickets for the BFO’s annual fundraising ball.