Massive transformation coming to Budapest’s island: New sports fields, cultural hubs, and even a dog beach!

A large-scale development encompassing sports and cultural facilities is being planned for the southern end of the Óbuda Island in Budapest.

The development to be carried out in conjunction with the Sziget festival will include an 10,000sqm open-air area, including sports fields for young children, a multi-functional area with 5,000sqm of indoor space, including two halls, the latter to be opened “within six to ten months”, and a dog beach, the developer Multikulti chief executive Krisztián Kiss said. Meanwhile, a Light Museum is scheduled to open in December, timed to coincide with the 3rd district municipality’s Advent market, he added.

The project’s precise costs will be calculated within the next half year, he said. “The assessment of public utilities and the bridges is underway, and that will determine the exact nature of the investment.”

The project’s chief architect, István Bényei of B13 Épitőművész, said a former machine shop built in the 1870s would be restored, with the 150-year-old exterior walls kept in place and the interior filled with “new functions and airy constructions”.