Best of Budapest & Hungary

On 29 March, renowned pianists and young talents will play the pianos located at Ferenc Liszt International Airport throughout the day. Budapest Airport, part of the VINCI Airports network, joins the Piano Day initiative for the first time in 2025, as part of a series of events celebrating the airport’s 75th birthday.

    Every hour, well-known artists will perform half-hour concerts in classical, pop and jazz styles on 29 March at Terminal 2 of Ferenc Liszt International Airport on Piano Day. The event will feature performances by world-renowned pianist Gergely Bogányi, Fonogram Award-winning pianist Szandra Iván, Cziffra Award-winning pianist and singer Lili Fehér, Artisjus Award-winning Hungarian pianist Norbert Kardos and Richárd Révész, a prominent figure of jazz and Latin jazz. The program will also include students from the Kis Virtuózok (Young Virtuosos) Foundation, which aims to preserve the values of classical music traditions and support disadvantaged outstanding musical talents, as well as László Borbély, a pianist teaching at the Liszt Academy and his students. Travelers will be able to listen to one of Ferenc Liszt’s most famous pieces, Liebesträume (Dreams of Love), which also celebrates its 175th anniversary this year. In between concerts, passengers will also have the opportunity to take a seat at the pianos and play a piece of music they like, for which Budapest Airport will provide sheet music.

    The airport’s new program aims to start a tradition and celebrate the legacy of Ferenc Liszt and the power of music and travel, by offering passengers a unique experience with a full-day piano concert series on Piano Day every year. Passengers can check the concert times on the airport information displays.

    “It is of paramount importance to us to provide an environment and services for our passengers that make them feel like their journey already starts at the airport. On this day, a special cultural and musical program will complement this experience, making their time at the airport even more memorable. With Piano Day, we pay tribute to the legacy of the eponymous composer-legend Ferenc Liszt and kick off the celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the opening of the airport,” said Francois Berisot, the chief executive officer of Budapest Airport.

     Piano Day was first organized in 2015, based on an idea by the German pianist and composer Nils Frahm, to celebrate this extraordinary instrument, its makers and the artists who gift people unique musical experiences through their playing. Since then, Piano Day has grown into an annual, worldwide event organized around the globe. It is held on the 88th day of the year, referring to the 88 keys of the celebrated instrument. To mark the tenth anniversary of Piano Day this year, Budapest Airport will make the works performed at the terminal available on its Spotify channel on 29 March, and will also go live on its Instagram page several times, so that those not traveling on this day can also enjoy the artists’ performances, including the inspiring music of Ferenc Liszt.

    This year is not only a special anniversary in the history of Piano Day, but also in the life of the airport; it marks the 75th anniversary of the opening of the capital’s airport, then referred to as “Ferihegy”. The idea to rename the airport arose more than half a century after it opened. Like many other airports, the name chosen does not relate to aviation, but to the culture of the country where the airport is located, and thus promotes Hungary’s gateway to a wide audience in a worthy manner. Throughout the year, a number of special events and activities organized at the terminals and online will accompany the anniversary.