Budapest Christmas Fair 2009

Beginning with tomorrow the beautiful Vörösmarty Square (Vörösmarty tér) will be the host of a Budapest tradition again: the 10th edition of the Christmas Fair, known as one of the best of its kind in Europe, will be open every day (except the two days followign the Holy Night) between the 20th of November and the 29th of December, from 10 AM until nightime.
Visited by six hundred thousand tourists from all over the world last year, and considerable numbers in all years before that, the international event invites all who are curious about the unique selection of Hungarian products and would like to enjoy the wonderful setting, the intimate festive atmosphere and the wide range of exciting programs, all reflecting the magic of Christmas.

For more than a month, cottage-style wooden pavilions will be open and will display products manufactured by more than 100 talented artisans and craftsmen: folk and applied art object, decorations made from natural materials and with authentic techniques - all hand-made and with a quality gurantee from the Hungarian Society of Folk Arts.
Beside the festive ornaments and the original holiday season gifts and artifacts, other traditional items like wooden toys, hand-blown glass figures, wrought iron decorations, blue-dye fabrics, reed baskets, clay pots will be available too; also a rich selection of fashionable things will be up for sale: various leather goods, silver and enamel jewellery, books and CDs, candles and bags.

Hungarian gastronomy will be present as well, so tourists interested in local cuisine will be able to check out the food stands and choose from the rich offer of typical Hungarian desserts, snacks and even main courses. There will be grilled sausages and roast ribs too, but one should definitely try something very Hungarian like tejfölös lángos (fried dough with sour cream) or töki pompos (pizza batter bread with onion and bacon topping) served right out the mud oven. Sweets will surely include mákosguba (poppy-seed cake), kürtös kalács (sugar coated cylinder-shaped pastry), almásrétes (apple-strudel), mézeskalács (gingerbread with honey crust), milk loaves and Christmas cookies.
The traditional country food feast should be started off with pálinka (fruit brandy) and can be washed down with a delicious coffe, hot tea or mulled wine – after drinking it, one can take home the specially designed Christmas Fair mug it is served in.

The smell of cinnamon and chestnuts, the sound of silver bells and carols, and the sight of thousands of colourfull lights on fir trees, will be completed with interesting cultural programs: folk music and dances, traditional greetings and short theater performances will be presented on an outdoor stage.
From the 1st until the to 24th of December, accompanied by beautiful chime music and festive wind-instrument pieces as well as an amazing light-show, the windows of the famous Gerbeaud building will open one by one each day at 5 PM, to reveal a huge advent calendar consisting of stunning contemporary paintings.
On the 13th of December a small Betlehem (nativity scene) will appear on the square and for three days beginning with the 21st it will come alive with real animals.

While nostalgic parents make themselves busy with Christmas shopping in the fair, they will find that this can be a real family experience that brings generations together: a heated tent will host a playhouse for children of all ages, where they will have the opportunity to make their own toys and holiday ornaments guided by professionals; craftsmen will introduce ancient games to them, they can get acquainted with old trades, and they can can take part in a Christmas tree decorating competition.
On weekend mornings there will be special children's puppet theatre performances and Santa will visit kids this year too: sitting on his chair at the corner of the Gerbeaud house he will warmly welcome little ones and their wishes on the first weekend of December.

Similar but smaller Christmas markets will also be organized on Liszt Ferenc Square (Liszt Ferenc tér) close to Oktogon and on Nyugati Square (Nyugati tér) near the railway station.