Budapest’s first “experience theatre” loads its 2025–2026 calendar with buzzy premieres, family hits, and big-band sparkle. RaM-ArT Theatre, a welcoming home for guest productions, hosts Budapest and regional companies throughout the year, plus a slate of classical and pop concerts and kids’ shows. Expect an all-ages program that hops from Neil LaBute’s sharp-tongued comedy to waltz-drenched holiday concerts and a whirlwind Nutcracker dance show. The venue is at 1133 Budapest, Kárpát utca 23–25. A highlighted weekend runs December 20–21, 2025, but the festivities begin even earlier.
LaBute’s Satire Lands in Hungarian Premiere
Friday, December 19, 2025, 19:00 — A two-act comedy arrives, shining a harsh light on beauty standards and careerism. Tom, an ambitious corporate striver, falls for Helen, a brilliant, foul-mouthed, irresistibly funny woman who defies the current beauty ideal with her fuller figure. As their relationship deepens, office snipes and body-shaming jokes start to poison their lives, testing Tom’s loyalty and convictions.
The play skewers a success-obsessed, appearance-driven culture, asking: Where’s our own happiness compared to the image we show? How much of what others say about us do we internalize? Can we keep faith in ourselves? How does physical appearance shape our fate? Written by Neil LaBute, the piece examines how far someone will alter themselves for validation and advancement. First staged Off-Broadway in 2004 and Olivier-nominated for Best Comedy, it’s now staged in Hungary for the first time.
Cast: Helen — Balázs Andrea; Tom — Pásztor Tibor; Carter — Réti Barnabás; Jeannie — Tóth Szilvia Lilla. Translation by Réti Barnabás; dramaturgy by Varsányi Anna; visuals by Iványi Árpád; costumes/makeup/hair by Katona Bálint; set/props by Nyitrai Zoltán; lighting by Pálmai Melinda; sound mix by Csutorás Bánk; prompter — Csizmadia Gabriella; assistant director — Tóth Zsófia; directed by Iványi Árpád. Balázs Andrea reunites with director Iványi and Réti Barnabás, reviving the magic of their Tortúra (Misery) success, with Helen tailor-made for Balázs’s comic timing and dramatic power.
Christmas Waltz Magic With Budapest Strauss Orchestra
Saturday, December 20, 2025, 19:00 — Kiskarácsony, nagykarácsony… The resident Budapest Strauss Orchestra continues its Four Seasons concert thread with a “Christmas Waltz Magic” program, promising melody-rich bliss without booking fees. Expect pine-scented ambience and a hall glowing with anticipation. Chief conductor: András Deák; artistic director and concertmaster: Rita Csáky-Bogár.
Program highlights: Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus Overture, Tik-Tak Polka, Figaro-Polka, Treasure Waltz, Champagne Polka, Vienna Blood – Waltz, Par Force! – Quick Polka; Julius Fučík: Entry of the Gladiators; Josef Strauss: Fireproof – French Polka, Without a Care – Quick Polka; Émile Waldteufel: The Skaters’ Waltz; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers; Johann Strauss I: Sighs Galop; plus Imre Kálmán: Countess Maritza – Overture; Franz Lehár: Wild Roses – Waltz. Buy early—this one screams sold out.
Menta Orchestra’s Charity Christmas Concert
Sunday, December 21, 2025, 19:00 — After last year’s hit, Menta Orchestra is back with an uplifting concert spanning intimate acoustic sets to full-band swells. The night is about shared moments and doing good together. Proceeds support the Veled Vagyok Foundation, which helps young people living in children’s homes with steady, caring connections and individually tailored programs to spark talents and future goals.
Last Christmas, thanks to Menta Orchestra, the foundation staged a true celebration for the kids in a magical wooden cottage—cooking stuffed cabbage together, piling gifts under the tree, and filling the day with laughter. While donations come often, personal attention is rarer. This year’s funds aim to recreate that real Christmas and assist three more children’s homes and one aftercare apartment—whether building a sandbox or providing essential equipment, depending on needs.
Grincs (The Grinch) Steals the Stage
Monday, December 22, 2025, 11:00 and 14:00 — The Pesti Művész Színház – Fogi Színház brings Grincs, aki elrabolta a karácsonyt! (How the Grinch Stole Christmas!). The Grinch lives alone on Mount Kobak with his loyal dog Max, surrounded by quirky gadgets. Down in Whoville (Kifalva), the Whos dial up Christmas year after year; when they vow to triple the festivities, the Grinch plots peace and quiet by posing as Santa and roping in a whiny reindeer to haul his sleigh. Meanwhile, Cindy-Lou Who (Cindy-Lou Ki), brimming with holiday cheer, schemes to trap Santa to thank him for helping her overwhelmed mom. As Christmas nears, her sweet plan collides with the Grinch’s mischief.
Cast includes: Grincs — Bánhidi Krisztián / Borbíró András; Brikettbaum bácsi — Fogarassy András / Borbíró András; Ikk-Mikk-Fikk — Pintér Dorina; Ikk-Mikk-Fikk’s mother — Dóka Andrea; Vendor/Townsman — Fogarassy Gergő / Decsi Milán; Max the dog — Tóth Bálint.
Symphonic Christmas Concert Show with Gábriel
Tuesday, December 23, 2025, 19:00 — A joint holiday concert by the Gödöllő Symphony Orchestra (Gödöllői Szimfonikus Zenekar) and the Farkas Gábriel Band. Conducted by Márton Rácz. Vocals: Gábriel Farkas. Piano: Attila Juhász. Drums: Tamás Berdisz. Bass: Péter “Bubu” Farkas.
Gábriel launched his first holiday show in 2002 at the Budapest Moulin Rouge and has kept the tradition, often across four sold-out nights. Continuing for the second year at RaM-ArT, he unveils a fresh setlist with his jazz trio, joined by the symphony and a mesmerizing female voice. Expect Sinatra classics, season-warming standards, and singalongs from the Hungarian Light Music Classics. The audience annually turns Piramis’s Ajándék into a full-chorus glow. Think hot cocoa, pine, sparkling ornaments—Gábriel threads stories between songs, from teary to hilarious, sending everyone out humming into the winter night.
Nutcracker: A Whirl of Dance and Wonder
December 27, 2025: 14:30 and 18:00; December 28: 10:30 and 14:30; December 29: 14:30 and 18:00; December 30: 14:30 and 18:00 — A “fabulous dance show” (mesés tánc-show) takes the Nutcracker myth into a new frame. We meet Masa, Mása, and Lujza, three siblings who slip out of their children’s home at Christmas and watch the city prepare. When the street empties, angels led by Archangel Drosselmeyer gather gifts for the home and conjure a dazzling tree in the great hall. Drosselmeyer then enchants with a magical performance… and the story sweeps into festive fantasy across eight performances, perfect for families seeking post-Christmas sparkle.
Get tickets early—no handling fees sweeten the deal—and meet at RaM-ArT for a season steeped in music, theater, and shared joy.
