Sauna on the banks of the Danube

There is something special about not wanting to shut yourself inside the city in mid-February, but instead heading out to the banks of the Danube. About not sitting in a heated room, but breathing between the cold air and the heat of the sauna. This winter, the PLACCC Festival and the SVUNG Research Group make exactly this possible: for five days, a mobile sauna moves to the Bert promenade, directly on the Danube riverbank, behind Dürer Kert.

This is not a classic wellness program. It is a public-space experiment, a mini-festival, a performance, a discussion series and a cold-water challenge at the same time. The shared idea: the Danube should remain a public space in winter as well.

Between February 18–22, a mobile sauna with a capacity of 20 people will operate on the Bert promenade. The project builds on the memory of the former Valyo Mobile Sauna Bus and now returns as a focused mini sauna festival accompanied by strong conceptual content.

The programs address:

• city and river
• ecology and art
• bodily experience and boundaries
• collective use of public space

🔥 Programs

SaunaTalks – the sauna as a space for conversation

📅 February 18, 19, 20 (Wednesday–Friday)
🕡 18:30–20:00

The weekday evening sauna blocks transform into expert discussions. Together with invited guests, topics include:

Swimmable cities
Activating the Bert promenade
The relationship between city and river
Hydrofeminism
Ecology and art

Specific evenings:

🌊 February 18 – VALYO: Swimmable Cities – Miklós Tömör
🌊 February 19 – VALYO on the Waters of Újbuda – Kata Balogh, Dániel Győrfi
🌊 February 20 – Beyond Humans – water-centered ecofeminism – Napsugár Trömböczky and Éva Bubla

💰 Ticket price: 5,000 HUF / 3,500 HUF (discounted)

🧊 ColdComfort – cold-water performance

📅 February 21 (Saturday)
🕒 15:00 and 18:00

The SVUNG research group’s public experiential performance builds on the temperature contrast between sauna and cold-water immersion. The question: what does facing discomfort teach us? How can extreme cold become our teacher?

This is not simply a dip – it is a guided, reflective experience.

💰 Ticket price: 6,500 HUF / 4,500 HUF (discounted)

🧝 Oó Klára: Sauna Troll – reading séance

📅 February 22 (Sunday)
🕒 15:30

What happens when poetry enters the sauna – and doesn’t want to leave?

Contemporary texts about heat, body, boundaries and ritual.
The sauna as sanctuary.
The troll as narrator.
Art while sweating.

The storyteller: Oó Klára.

💰 Ticket price: 5,000 HUF / 3,500 HUF (discounted)

♨️ Classic sauna session – every day

Throughout the festival, the mobile sauna can also be enjoyed as a classic sauna experience with a 1.5-hour “session ticket” – with the special addition that all this takes place outdoors, with the possibility of plunging into the Danube.

💰 Ticket price: 4,000 HUF / 3,000 HUF (discounted)

🎟 Ticket types

Discounted (student, pensioner): 3,500 HUF

Full price: 5,000 HUF

Supporter: 8,000 HUF

Tickets are available online via the PLACCC ticket platform, and – subject to availability – also on site.
⚠️ Important: card payment is not available on site.

In the case of discounted tickets, a valid ID must be presented on site.

If paying for the ticket causes difficulty, you may request an individual discount at:
📧 placcc.organiser@gmail.com

🌫 Practical information

Arrive earlier so that you are already in swimwear by the start of the program.

Bring: swimwear, towel, slippers or water shoes.

The riverbank is rocky, closed shoes/slippers are recommended.

Easily removable layers are practical.

Washing is only possible in the Danube – the use of shower gel and shampoo is not permitted.

Everyone participates at their own responsibility.

Photo and audio recordings may be made at the events.

🌍 Sustainability and access

PLACCC is committed to environmentally conscious event organization. If possible, arrive by public transport or bicycle.

🚌 Bus 133E and 33 – Hengermalom út stop (approx. 5-minute walk)
🚋 Tram 1 – Hengermalom út / Szerémi út stop (approx. 8-minute walk)

Date: February 18–22, 2026
Location: Bert promenade, behind Dürer Kert
Access from the Dürer side:
1117 Budapest, Öböl utca 1.

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