Bridging Europe Festival Brings Stars To Budapest

Hey there, have you heard about the Bridging Europe festival in Budapest? It’s a pretty cool event that brings together the best of Hungarian and European culture. This year, the festival is focusing on building a cultural bridge between Budapest and Brussels, as Hungary is set to take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union from Belgium this summer.

The festival, which is a joint effort by Müpa Budapest and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, always kicks off the new season with an exciting mix of classical concerts, jazz, pop, world music, and even film screenings. It’s a great way to explore the rich and diverse musical traditions of different European countries.

This year’s lineup is pretty impressive, with some of the biggest names in Belgian jazz taking the stage, including the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and soloists like guitarist Philip Catherine, trumpeter Bert Joris, and vocalist David Linx. But that’s not all – there’s also singer-songwriter Selah Sue, who blends pop, reggae, R&B, and funk in her music, and Belgian-Moroccan artist Aïcha Haskal, who brings a unique flavor to the festival with her band Gaïsha, which mixes Arab music with psychedelic elements.

Of course, no Bridging Europe festival would be complete without the Budapest Festival Orchestra and its conductor, Iván Fischer. They’ll be joining forces with the European Union Youth Orchestra for three spectacular concerts that showcase the best of European music, from Spanish dance to Hungarian rhapsody. And get this – Fischer will even be premiering his own composition, a playful homage to Bach called “Dance Suite.”

But the festival isn’t just about music – there are also some great films being screened, like “The Brand New Testament,” a bittersweet tale about God’s daughter searching for followers in Belgium, and “King of the Belgians,” a mockumentary about an imaginary Belgian ruler’s odyssey across the continent.

All in all, the Bridging Europe festival is a fantastic way to experience the cultural richness of Europe right here in Budapest. So why not check it out and see what all the fuss is about?