RAKPART 2025 Closing Weekend: Last Chance to Experience Budapest’s Car-Free Riverside
Before winter returns and traffic reclaims the Danube embankment, Budapest offers one final celebration of its beloved RAKPART project. From October 24-26, the Jane Haining riverside on the Pest side transforms into a creative, community-focused space filled with music, workshops, art exhibitions, and farewell festivities. This closing weekend marks the end of a season that began in spring, when the city opened this scenic stretch of the Danube to pedestrians, cyclists, and anyone seeking connection with the river and urban public space.
RAKPART represents Budapest’s vision of reimagining city spaces to bring people closer to nature and each other. Since March 15, 2025, weekends and nearly two months of summer weekdays saw this stretch of the lower embankment become a car-free leisure park where concerts, workshops, sports activities, and casual riverside relaxation replaced exhaust fumes and traffic noise. Now, as autumn gives way to winter, the project closes with a three-day celebration before vehicular traffic returns for the colder months.
What Makes RAKPART Special
The RAKPART project, a collaboration between the Municipality of Budapest and Valyo – City and River Association, creates a temporary public space that demonstrates what’s possible when cities prioritize people over cars. The Jane Haining Quay location offers stunning views of the Danube, easy access from central Budapest, and a relaxed atmosphere that feels worlds away from typical urban hustle despite being minutes from the city center.
Visitors throughout the season have enjoyed yoga sessions at sunrise, concerts at sunset, board game afternoons, creative workshops, food pop-ups, and simply sitting by the river watching boats pass. The closing weekend brings all these elements together one final time before the space hibernates until spring 2026.
Friday, October 24 Program
3:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Valyo Since 2010 retrospective exhibition celebrating 15 years of the association
Location: Dunyi Exhibition Space
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Silk painting workshop
Location: Area next to the Sandbox
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Clothes swap event
Location: Area next to the Sandbox
5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Scientific Picnic with Adaptér: Has a database ever fooled you? Yet you still want to believe it again?
Location: Dunyi Exhibition Space
Best deals of Budapest
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Open Mic night
Sign up by emailing openmicbudapest@gmail.com
Location: Free Stage
Saturday, October 25 Program
2:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Valyo Since 2010 exhibition
Location: Dunyi Exhibition Space
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Re(RAKPART) Coaching
Location: Fortepan Wall
2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Playhouse Project featuring board games by the river
Location: Area next to the Sandbox
2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
DJ Panda live set
Location: Area next to the Sandbox
3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
CapsuleCycle workshop focusing on creative recycling
Location: Area next to the Sandbox
3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
You Design It bead-making workshop
Location: Area next to the Sandbox
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
OneTwoFour live concert
Location: Free Stage
Sunday, October 26 Program
4:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Valyo Since 2010 exhibition
Location: Dunyi Exhibition Space
4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
T-shirt printing with Vörös Réka Studio
Location: Area next to the Sandbox
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Table decoration craft workshop
Pre-registration required via Funkycat Flowers and More Instagram account
Location: Area next to the Sandbox
6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Farewell Dinner
Location: Area next to the Sandbox
6:00 PM to 6:45 PM
Budaörs Wind Orchestra concert
Location: Free Stage
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Mana Mana Records DJ set
Location: Free Stage
The Experience
RAKPART Closing Weekend offers something for everyone regardless of age or interests. Families appreciate the creative workshops where children can make crafts, paint silk scarves, or create jewelry from recycled materials. Young adults gravitate toward the live music performances and DJ sets that extend into the evening. Eco-conscious visitors enjoy the clothes swap and recycling workshops that demonstrate sustainable lifestyle choices.
The atmosphere balances activity with relaxation. You can participate in scheduled workshops or simply find a spot along the embankment to watch the Danube flow past while enjoying Budapest’s iconic skyline. The car-free environment creates a safe space for children to play, cyclists to explore, and everyone to move freely without navigating traffic.
The farewell dinner on Sunday evening provides a communal closing ceremony for the season. Shared food, candlelight, and music create a warm atmosphere as the community that formed throughout the RAKPART season gathers one last time. It’s both celebration and bittersweet goodbye until the riverside reopens next spring.
Practical Information
Dates: Friday, October 24 to Sunday, October 26, 2025
Location: Jane Haining Riverside, Pest side of the Danube, Budapest
Admission: Free entry to all events
Access: Walking, cycling, or other micro-mobility devices
Best Metro Stops: Deák Ferenc tér or Ferenciek tere, then short walk to the embankment
What to Bring: Comfortable clothes for workshops, water bottle, picnic blanket for relaxing riverside
The location runs along the lower Pest embankment with various activity zones clearly marked. The Dunyi Exhibition Space, Free Stage, Fortepan Wall, and Sandbox area all provide different focal points for programs throughout the weekend.
Why Visit RAKPART Closing Weekend
For tourists visiting Budapest, RAKPART Closing Weekend offers an authentic glimpse into the city’s progressive urban planning and strong community culture. Unlike typical tourist attractions, this event showcases how Budapest residents actually engage with their city when given space designed for people rather than vehicles.
The riverside location provides spectacular photo opportunities with the Buda Castle, Chain Bridge, and Parliament Building visible across the Danube. You’ll experience Budapest from a perspective many visitors never discover—at water level, moving at human pace, surrounded by locals enjoying their city.
The diverse programming means you can drop in for an hour or spend the entire day exploring different activities. Whether you’re interested in sustainable fashion through the clothes swap, creative expression at workshops, discovering Hungarian associations at the Valyo exhibition, or simply enjoying live music by the river, RAKPART delivers meaningful experiences beyond standard sightseeing.
This is community culture in action, showing how temporary interventions can dramatically improve urban quality of life. The fact that RAKPART returns each year demonstrates Budapest’s commitment to experimenting with how public spaces serve residents and visitors alike.
Don’t miss this final weekend to experience one of Budapest’s most innovative urban projects before it closes for winter. Come for the workshops, stay for the sunset concerts, and leave with memories of Budapest at its most livable and community-oriented.
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