Petőfi Csarnok, 1985-2015 exhibition opening

This programme will be held in Hungarian.

Closed in September 1984, the function of the Buda Youth Park, the capital's multi-generational outdoor concert venue, was essentially taken over by the Petőfi Hall, a youth leisure centre opened in Városliget in the spring of 1985. Known colloquially as PeCsa, it was not only a popular concert venue, but also hosted hundreds of cultural events and exhibitions every year. The building also hosted several community clubs and was famous for its weekly flea market.

According to the decision of the Municipal Council, the new youth leisure centre was built on the foundations of the Industrial Hall, destroyed in the Second World War, and rebuilt in 1947, and enjoyed its heyday in its first fifteen years. During this period, the most famous foreign and domestic stars, who could not fill the 12,000-seat Budapest Sports Hall, were the stars of the day. Among others, Alice In Chains, Björk, Joe Bonamassa, James Brown, Black Sabbath, Nick Cave, Sheryl Crow, Cult, Dream Theater, Faith No More, Iron Maiden, Jethro Tull, among others, performed here (in alphabetical order), Judas Priest, Kiss, Yngwie Malmsteen, Manu Chao, John Mayall, Megadeath, Motörhead, Nazareth, Placebo, Iggy Pop, Prodigy, Lou Reed, Henry Rollins, Slayer, Status Quo, Uriah Heep, Johnny Winter and ZZ Top. On 21 November 1989, the then unknown Nirvana played their only concert in Hungary here.