Margaret Island Open Air Theatre
The Margaret Island Open Air Theatre is the only one permanent Open Air theatre in the country, which is built close to the feet of the historical water tower. The auditorium holds 3000 visitors. Operas, light operas, classical ballets, lately rock operas, musicals have been produced from the beginnings on this special stage. Not only do native singers and musicians appear here every year, but also several international groups and stars.
You can get to the island by pleasure boat according to the timetable, which is depending on the performances. After the performance, you can return to downtown on the same way. Read more about it in our brochure

The performances start at 20.30 in June and July, and at 20.00 in August.
How to find us?

By public transport:

From the Margit bridge on foot
From the Árpád bridge: from Pest take the bus no. 136; from Buda take the bus no. 106 until the stop of the entrance of the island and then take a walk.

By car:
You can get to the Margaret Island by car from the Árpád bridge, and then you can leave your car in a car park on the tip of the island.

100 years old Water Tower 

The largest historic water tower in the country, designed by Zielinszki Szilárd, stands in the area of the Margaret Island Open Air Theatre. The  Open Air Theatre public benefit company, which organises The Budapest Summer Festival, pays extraordinary attention to the centenary of the tower. Therefore, special events are taken place such as the consecration of the Water Tower, a wedding celebrated for 100 couples, weekly music programmes and jazz evenings. We celebrate the centenary with a series of events cooperating with well-known performers and popular artists. Celebrate with us!
On every week of the summer 2011 we are expecting our guests; for the first the Jazz lovers but everyone else as well who desires for memorable moments of a magical summer night at the foot of the Water Tower. Among the performers, there will be the most famous Hungarian jazz musicians, singers and bands.

How to find us?
In the area of the Margaret Island Open Air Stage.

The ruins of St. Margaret convent
True to the spirit of the place, renaissance mornings will be organised on the spot even in 2011 every Sunday morning 10.30 am. In this program we recall the traditions and music of Hungarian and European courts. The church of St. Michael, which was built by the monks of Premontré in the 13. century, was reconstructed in the modern age, thus its ruins were built in a Roman Catholic chapel. You can find the ruins of the convent, which were excavated in 1923, near the chapel. To the right from the church's front there is the tomb of St. Margaret. All these ruins were being excavated in several periods from 1838, and now they are to be conserved.
Performances start on every Sunday morning 10.30 am from 12 June to 28 August.

How to find us
Near the Margaret Island Open Air Theatre

Stage of Tales
The interactive fairy story stage is arranged as a summer holiday program for children in the spirit of Hungarian fairy tales. We are expecting everybody of the age of 2-102, children and adults who love playing in a common interactive theatre. You can listen to and take part in fairy tales from Hungary and from abroad while the heroes become alive with the help of the audience by music dance and pantomime.
The performances start on every Saturday morning 11 am, from 12 June to 28 August.

How to find us
At the entrance of the Margaret Island Open Air Stage

The Chapel of Premontré
Biblical fables are performed by Tóth Zoltán.
The Premontré monastery of Margaret Island was founded in the 13. century. The exact date of the construction is unknown; in an ancient document of 1235 was not listed, but at the end of the century, it was mentioned as the 'figlia' of the monastery of Váradhegy. The monastery was built on the place of a former church, consecrated to St. Michael Archangel, which was the first ecclesiastical building of the island and was mentioned in a document in 1225 as the church of a little village. The monastery was named after this former church, St. Michael Archangel. During its first decades, the monastery considered to be rich, due to generous royal benefits.
However, the foundation and expansion of the nearby convent caused the decline of the monastery, and several trials on court between the two communities. The greatest defeat of the monastery came with the verdict, which gave all the territory of the island to the convent except for the building of the monastery. All the other farm buildings of the monastery became objects of constant debate, and therefore place of quarrelling between the servants of both sides.
The downfall of the monastery was completed in the Turkish age, when, in 1526, the monks escaped. The walls of the ancient monastery mainly disappeared, but for the Southeast walls of the church. The ruins were excavated by Lux Kálmán, who built the chapel of Premontré using the rests of those. The first steps were urged in 1914 by a mere chance, when a heavy storm twisted out an enormous walnut from the soil with a churchbell within its roots. The Council of the Capital ordered the excavation of the area in 1923. During the process, a church of 12 metres length and 8 metres width was uncovered with an 'apsis' at the back of it. Next to the church was a chapel from the 15. century, which currently serves as a vestry of the present church. The excavation uncovered a former period of the building, and brought a part of the monastery to the surface. Around the building, some skeletons were found sinking in the mud - probably they were warriors fighting against the Tartars. In the inner space a gravestone was found with a Latin epitaph on it "Hic iacet Valentinus" - Bálint rests in peace here.

The performances start every Saturday morning 11 am, from 12. June to 28. August.
How to find us
Next to the Margaret Island Open Air Theatre.

Theatre pleasure boat transfer to the performances of the Margaret Open Air Stage

Comfortable, fast, economical and adventurous
As a cooperation of the Europe Group and the Szabad Tér Színház (Open Air Theatre public benefit company) theatre pleasure boat lines are set up on the summer of 2011. Boats depart from three jetties in the city to the Margitszigeti Nagyszálló (Grand Hotel) and to the Vadaspark (Zoo on the island) jetties from where you can take a little walk to the Margaret Island Open Air Stage. To the beginning of the performances, you can arrive by these lines and then after the performances you can return by them as well. The three jetties from where the pleasure boats start:

on the Pest side: Jászai Mari tér (square)
Dráva utca (street)
on the Buda side: Szilágyi Dezső tér (square)

This theatre pleasure boat transfers circulate regularly to all performances and concerts of the Margaret Island Open Air Stage.

Types of transfers:

There are extra services on some boats: buffet meal, or guided sightseeing pleasure boat. If you would like to know more about the transfers, visit the website of Panorama Deck company; www.pandeck.hu

Information, ticket purchase:
Booking:
Szabadtér Színház Jegyiroda (Open Air Theatre Ticket Office)
(1065 Bp., Nagymező u. 68., opening hours: Monday-Friday: 9-17 h)
Online:
Immediately before the start of the boat: Jászai Mari tér (square), Dráva utca (street) jetties.

There is no possibility of purchasing ticket on the jetties!

The departure of each boat is depending on the start of the performance, so it is different on every jetty. To optimize the selling process, we open ticket selling always for the line, which is near the next performance.

The boats return 20 minutes after the end of each performance, on the base of first come, first serviced. In 40 minutes, everybody who has valid ticket is to be transferred back to the city.