Public Holidays in Hungary
Holidays Observed in Hungary
January 1 – New Year's Day
March 15 – National Holiday, commemorating the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Easter – Easter Sunday and Easter Monday in March or April
May 1 – Labor Day
Whit Monday – May or June
August 20 – St. Stephen's Day, commemorating the first king of Hungary
October 23 – Day of the Republic, commemorating the revolution of 1956
November 1 – All Saints' Day
December 25-26 – Christmas
Good to know: On national holidays and on all public holidays most businesses, including shops and restaurants, are closed in Hungary. Also, the metro, buses, streetcars, trolley buses, ect. are on holiday schedule and run less frequently.
New Year's Day
In Hungary New Year’s Day is celebrated with eating lentil soup and pork, visiting family and friends and wishing everyone a Happy New Year. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations are all about bringing luck, fortune, health, wealth and happiness for the coming year.
March 15th
The main event of the March 15th celebrations is held at the Hungarian National Museum where young Hungarian revolutionaries held a mass demonstration on the first day of the revolution in 1848. Festivities include ceremonial speeches and a traditional Hussars procession.
Easter
In the Christian calendar Easter (Húsvét in Hungarian) celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Both, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are public holidays in Hungary. The many customs and traditions surrounding Easter are about celebrating spring and rebirth.
May 1st
May 1st or May Day marks Labor Day in Europe.
Whit Monday
The Monday following Whitsun or Pentecost (Pünkösd) is a public holiday in Hungary (and in many European countries). Pentecost is a Christian feast, celebrated seven weeks after Easter, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit.
August 20th
August 20th or St. Stephen's Day marks the greatest national holiday for Hungarians. It commemorates the foundation of the Hungarian state, it's like Hungary's 4th of July. Day-long festivities end with fireworks in the eveПing.
October 23rd
October 23rd commemorates the revolution of 1956, Hungary’s uprising against communism. It also commemorates the day Hungary was declared a republic in 1989.
November 1st
'All Saint's Day' is a traditional day of honoring the memory of the deceased. It's a custom to light candles and visit the graves of passed relatives. Budapest's famous final resting ground is Kerepesi Cemetery. which gets many visitors on and around November 1st.