Celebrate the new year at Müpa Budapest, where tradition meets surprise and classical brilliance rubs shoulders with folk fire and global flair. From Haydn’s world-forging oratorio to a soul-deep folk gala and a grand Chinese New Year spectacular, the halls at 1095 Budapest, Komor Marcell u. 1. promise goosebump moments and family-friendly magic—plus easy online ticketing to lock in your seat.
New Year’s Concert for Young Audiences: Haydn’s The Creation (Highlights)
Thursday, January 1, 2026, 16:00
How do you draw light out of chaos with sound? What does a score do when birds arrive or the sea swells? Haydn’s The Creation is loaded with musical sleight of hand, and conductor Ádám Fischer is your guide in Müpa’s traditional New Year’s afternoon concert designed for school-age listeners. This shorter, vivid program strips away visuals to focus purely on listening, stirring the imagination while keeping things lively and accessible—an ideal plan for families who want a quieter yet special start to the year.
The excerpts are sung in Hungarian by soprano Rita Rácz, tenor Zoltán Megyesi, and bass István Kovács. They’re joined by the Arnold Schoenberg Choir (artistic director Erwin Ortner) and the Danish Chamber Orchestra, the same high-caliber forces heard in the evening’s full-scale performance. Recommended for ages 12–16.
Conducted by Ádám Fischer
Performers: soprano Rita Rácz; tenor Zoltán Megyesi; bass István Kovács; Arnold Schoenberg Choir; Danish Chamber Orchestra
Haydn: The Creation – New Year’s Concert
Thursday, January 1, 2026, 19:30
Haydn’s monumental oratorio doesn’t just glow with the Enlightenment’s calm, balanced worldview—it paints the entire universe in sound. Across the six days of creation, The Creation gives us heaven and Earth, sun and moon, stars, plants, animals, and finally humankind, with Haydn’s wit and scene-painting illuminating every turn. There’s no better moment to marvel at the cosmos than Müpa’s traditional New Year’s concert, once again helmed by Ádám Fischer in 2026.
Fischer’s partners are the Danish Chamber Orchestra—longtime artistic friends—and Vienna’s Arnold Schoenberg Choir, an ensemble whose history is intertwined with Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s legendary projects. The solo lineup is stellar: soprano Nikola Hillebrand, tenor Mauro Peter, and bass Andreas Bauer Kanabas. Expect grandeur, intimacy, and that unmistakable Haydn sparkle.
Conducted by Ádám Fischer
Performers: soprano Nikola Hillebrand; tenor Mauro Peter; bass Andreas Bauer Kanabas; Danish Chamber Orchestra; Arnold Schoenberg Choir (artistic director Erwin Ortner)
House of Traditions (Hagyományok Háza) New Year’s Greeting 2026
Sunday, January 4, 2026, 19:30
The New Year’s Greeting is back with its signature blend of preservation and reinvention—an intimate yet ceremonial celebration designed to send the audience into the year with real spiritual nourishment. The gala, now more than a decade strong, showcases the richness and festive power of Carpathian Basin folk culture, and for fans of folk music and dance it has become as essential as the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert is to classical diehards.
In 2026, the program gets a fresh curatorial spark from Miklós Both, the current director of the House of Traditions (Hagyományok Háza), who reframes Hungarian folk heritage in a new light. The theme is profound: the Word became flesh and stepped into human time—beginning and end converge; birth carries the shadow of death, death glows with resurrection. Standing on the threshold of a new year, the evening meditates on this threefold mystery: every beginning holds fulfillment, every passing opens toward resurrection, and time brushes the eternal.
The two-part gala, rooted in Carpathian traditions, is choreographed by Gábor Mihályi, Kossuth Prize–winning artistic director of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, who delivers striking movement and stage imagery. Dancing and playing are the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble’s artists, joined by prominent guests: the Kárpátalja Folk Dance Ensemble, the Debrecen Hajdú Folk Dance Ensemble, young talents from the Örökség National Children’s and Youth Folk Art Association, tradition-bearers from Kalotaszeg (Transylvanian Kalotaszeg), Hanu’ cu Braga, StEFREM, and acclaimed folk musicians including Andrea Navratil, Anna Sőregi, József Versendi Kovács and his students, and organist László Fassang. Visual design is by György Árvai, costumes by Edit Szűcs, and animations by Zsolt Korai. Running time: about 130 minutes, in two parts.
New Year’s Concert Encore 2026
Sunday, January 11, 2026, 11:30
A bonus New Year’s celebration returns to keep the glow going. Details remain a surprise—expect a spirited, audience-pleasing coda to the season’s opening festivities.
New Year’s Concert 2026
Sunday, January 11, 2026, 19:30
The Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra brings its beloved New Year’s tradition to Müpa with a surprise program under conductor Gábor Hollerung. Expect sharp playing, clever programming, and a few curveballs to toast 2026 in style.
Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra
Conducted by Gábor Hollerung
Grand Chinese New Year Concert
Friday, February 27, 2026, 19:30
With the lunar calendar ushering in the Year of the Horse on February 17, Müpa once again hosts the global crowd-pleaser that has toured the world since 1998. The aim: bring the richness of a three-thousand-year Chinese musical tradition closer to audiences, and do it with flair. In Chinese astrology, the Year of the Horse favors relaxation and unbridled fun. True to that spirit, the concert gallops from folk tunes and opera arrangements to dazzling percussion showcases and adventurous fusion, all heard on distinctive traditional instruments.
The program bridges East and West to create an experience that’s simultaneously exotic and familiar, sleek and welcoming—music as a universal language telling the story of China’s many-hued culture.
Dates and location: January 1, January 4, January 11, and February 27, 2026 – Budapest. Online tickets available.
