Cultural fun at Budapest's Spring Fest

One of the cultural highlights of the year for holidaymakers visiting Hungary is Budapest's Spring Festival.

Next year's festival, taking place from March 16th to April 1st 2007, will be the city's 27th, and promises travellers looking for a melting pot of cultural activities plenty to do and see.

As well as being one of the region's biggest music events, the festival features plenty of theatre, dance, art and entertainment from performers, artists and musicians from all over the world.

Britain's very own Nigel Kennedy will be there, performing jazz pieces from his 2006 album on the prestigious Blue Note record label on his violin.

In true Budapest style - the city is known for its epic qualities - there will be a Mozart marathon, with back-to-back performances of the composer's operas at the House of Future Theatre (March 21st to 23rd and 25th).

Also performing during the fortnight-long festival is the Russian National Orchestra.

As well as Europe's big music names the festival is also a showcase for Hungary's most talented, and holidaymakers will be able to see the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Philharmonic.

And if classical symphonies are not your thing, then there will also be performances from Hungary's raucous, 100-strong Gypsy Orchestra.

For more details about the festival see www.festivalcity.hu

If you have not been before, a good way of getting your bearings and seeing some of the main sights is to take the No. 2 tram, which takes in the hills on the Buda side of the city (separated from Pest by the huge Danube), as well as the grand parliament building.

To get a grip on the Pest side of the city you can take a stroll along the embankment.

For more cultural sightseeing then the artists' colony of Szentendre, located in a baroque old town with lots of galleries, museums, cafes and cobbled streets is good fun for a day-trip, and is also accessible as part of a boat trip from Budapest.

For travellers keen on getting the most out of their stay, the city's special offer of a four nights' accommodation for the price of three, known as the Budapest Winter Invasion, will still be on (www.budapestwinterinvasion.com).

Tour operators offering all-inclusive packages to Budapest during the Spring Festival include Travel for the Arts , John Whibley Holidays with Music and Martin Randall XXX