Public holidays: October the 23rd

October the 23rd is a public holiday in Hungary in remembrance of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, when a student demonstration triggered nationwide revolts against the Soviet occupation. Without the much needed international help, after bloody battles on the streets of Budapest and the creation of a short-lived new government, the revolution ended up being suppressed, but it's still considered one of the most important events in Hungarian history as it brought worldwide recognition to the country and managed to prove that the communist ideology was not unshakeable within the Eastern Bloc.

There are always many commemorative events that take place on the 23rd of October throughout Budapest, several political parties and civil society groups organize outdoor festivities and celebrations - during the past years some of these unfortunately turned into street fights between the participants and local police forces. However these weren't half as dangerous as the images transmitted by foreign television stations might have suggested (with the same cars on fire and armed policemen shown each year): they usually took place within a couple of blocks' distance from the specific places where the meetings were held, were contained there by autorities and were quickly dissolved.

What can cause real inconvenience to travellers though is that on public holidays many typical tourist activities have to be put on hold: almost all shops and many museums are closed, exhibitions, thermal baths, etc. have shorter opening hours; also, in most cases these days are extended with extra days and added to weekends, so the entire holiday period can last up to four days.
However, at the end of October the weather is usually still very nice in Hungary (around 10-15 degrees Celsius), plus on days like these locals usually travel to the countryside, so everything is perfect for exploring the empty city and taking great pictures without any strangers in them...