Budapest’s legendary Capital Circus of Budapest (Fővárosi Nagycirkusz) is back with a packed 2025–2026 season designed to delight every age. Expect immersive storytelling, international star turns alongside homegrown talent, and that big-top electricity that turns a night out into a memory. See the spectacle yourself at 1146 Budapest, Állatkerti krt. 12/A. Online ticketing is available, with a special date noted for Wednesday, 2025.12.24.
Mother Hulda (Holle anyó)
From October 18 to December 31, 2025, the circus conjures one of the most beloved Grimm tales: Mother Hulda (Holle anyó), a vivid coming‑of‑age quest about two girls, their trials beyond the ordinary, and the choices that shape them. This new version is more intimate and modern, recasting the story as two sisters learning what it truly means to be siblings—accepting each other, differences and all—through daring tests staged as spectacular circus choreography.
The message is clear and timely: be open to another’s truth, observe it, understand it, find the good in it, build it into yourself, then stand up for your own. That mutual openness, acceptance, and love make the world better.
Director Péter Fekete’s staging is more than a children’s fable: it carries deep initiation symbolism—growing up, making independent moral choices, and recognizing the cosmic order of justice.
The lead roles are performed by a Brazilian and a Russian female acrobat, with three Hungarian clowns adding mischief and heart. Sharing the ring: artists from China, Uzbekistan, Germany, Hungary, Russia, and Ukraine; plus horses, farm animals, and exotic creatures. Expect dazzling scenes and soul-stirring songs performed by Jászai Mari and Kossuth Prize–winning actors.
16th Budapest International Circus Festival
January 7–12, 2026, turns Budapest into the global capital of circus. From four continents, more than 200 world-famous artists light up five different shows at the Capital Circus of Budapest (Fővárosi Nagycirkusz) all week. The festival salutes not only soaring human achievement, but also the visionaries who launched this celebration 30 years ago, helping it become one of the world’s most respected circus arts gatherings. Let’s mark the milestone anniversary together.
RED Show: Wed, Jan 7, 19:00; Sun, Jan 11, 11:00 and 15:00
GREEN Show: Thu, Jan 8, 19:00; Fri, Jan 9, 15:00; Sat, Jan 10, 11:00
Lyrical Late‑Night Show: Fri, Jan 9, 22:00
Hungarian Show: Sat, Jan 10, 20:00
Gala Show: Mon, Jan 12, 19:00
Festival Plus
Winners’ Gala runs January 17–March 15, 2026.
Stars Collide
Stars Collide (Csillagok találkozása), a grand joint evening by the Capital Circus of Budapest (Fővárosi Nagycirkusz) and the Budapest Operetta Theatre (Budapesti Operettszínház), plays Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 19:00.
2025.12.24. Budapest
