Christmas market opens on Vörösmarty tér

The spirit of Christmas has arrived at Vörösmarty tér: the 13^th Budapest Christmas Fair set sail last week, with some 130 vendors in 66 booths waiting for visitors.

If one approaches Vörösmarty tér in downtown Budapest during the advent period, they can smell a mixture of spiced hot wine and fried sausages, a sure indicator of the annual Christmas fair. But this year, on the 13^th Budapest Christmas Fair, traditional Hungarian dishes, such as töltött káposzta (stuffed cabbage), beigli (strudel), and halászlé (fish soup) are also on the menu.

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This year’s market has seen other novelties, too. Young craftsmen who won a tender issued by organizer BTDM Nonprofit Kft have a chance to introduce their artworks in a separate booth; the entire area of the fair has free WiFi access; and Budapest card holders receive 10% discount for every goods offered in the market.

The event also welcomes a special guest: Belgium is only the first in the row of countries who will be invited in the coming years, the organizer said.

The fair attracts some 600,000 visitors each year, nearly half of them are foreigners, and in spite of the worsening economic environment, BTDM expects the same number of people to attend it this year.