New College Society's European Weekend

This year’s New College Society European Weekend saw Old Members and their guests, from a range of matriculation years, visit the beautiful Hungarian city of Budapest. The weekend which ran from the 10th-12th April 2026, started with guided tours of the Jewish Quarter on the Friday morning followed by a welcome drinks reception, that evening, at the British Ambassador’s Residence, a magnificent historic villa built in 1925, originally as the home of Hanna Hódosi and her husband, Tibor Scitovszky, who were prominent figures in early 20th century Hungary. 

On Saturday morning there was a tour of the magnificent Hungarian Parliament building situated on Kossuth Square on the Pest side of the city followed by a tour in the afternoon of the Hungarian National Gallery. Situated in Buda Castle, the Gallery houses collections covering Hungarian art in all genres, including the works of numerous nineteenth and twentieth-century Hungarian artists who worked in Paris and other locations in the West. 

On Saturday evening, the main gala dinner was held in the impressive and beautiful setting of the Renaissance Hall in the Hungarian Museum of Fine Arts, the largest fine arts museum in Hungary. The New College Society were delighted to have former Prime Minister of Hungary, Gordon Bajnai, as guest of honour. Which was  particularly apt as it was a historically significant time to be in Budapest that weekend as the country went to elections which saw Péter Magyar and his Tisza party victorious over Viktor Orbán, ending 16 years of rule. 

The weekend ended on Sunday morning with a 2-hour Boat Trip and Brunch on the river Danube.