Queen’s legendary Budapest ’86 concert reimagined for special one-day Roundhouse event
- Aug 19
- 6 min read
SONY MUSIC VISION & PLAYBACK LIVE PRESENTS
QUEEN BUDAPEST
EXCLUSIVE CONCERT SCREENING EVENT
LIVE AT THE ROUNDHOUSE ON SATURDAY 3rd OCTOBER 2026
EXPERIENCE THE ICONIC FILM LIKE NEVER BEFORE
AHEAD OF ITS RELEASE IN CINEMAS & IMAX
CELEBRATING THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST WESTERN STADIUM ROCK SHOW BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN & THE FULL RESTORED FINAL FILMED QUEEN LIVE PERFORMANCE
London, UK — 19 August 2026 — Playback Live, in collaboration with Sony Music Vision, present Queen Budapest as a dynamic new event before the film is released to cinemas and IMAX. For one day only, the screening will take place live in an active concert environment for two performances at London’s iconic Roundhouse on 3rd October. Tickets are available from The Roundhouse.
Queen Budapest at The Roundhouse is a groundbreaking new event format to celebrate the final filmed Queen performance, fully restored with remixed audio capturing the band performing iconic hits such as We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, A Kind Of Magic, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Under Pressure, Who Wants To Live Forever, Hammer To Fall and Bohemian Rhapsody as well as an acoustic arrangement of the traditional Hungarian folk song Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt.
For the first time, the extraordinary concert film will be reimagined as a landmark new entertainment experience, where the energy of a stadium concert, the immersion of a live event and the spectacle of an exclusive screening collide.
Fans will be able to witness the official remastered concert screened live at the iconic Roundhouse on a giant LED screen, amplified by full surround sound and synchronised lighting to create a dynamic event where the crowd can stand up, let loose, break free and share the energy of a live gig.
Original band memorabilia from the Queen archive will be displayed in the venue during a pre-film DJ set, providing fans with a rare insight into the 1986 concert, along with photo opportunities, an exclusive merchandise pop-up and bars open throughout.
The music of Queen has soundtracked the lives of hundreds of millions of fans since their reign began more than 50 years ago, defined by an electrifying sense of community at its core. This is London’s ultimate celebration of Queen’s cultural legacy, designed as a new shared experience for today’s audiences.
ABOUT QUEEN BUDAPEST
The film documents the first Western stadium rock show to take place behind the Iron Curtain and the final filmed Queen live performance and will also be presented in cinemas and IMAX worldwide beginning October 7 through Trafalgar Releasing. This release also is Sony Music Vision's first official project with Queen, marking the beginning of Sony Music’s official partnership with the catalogue. Queen Budapest will be also released in cinemas to mark the 40th anniversary of this pivotal moment in the band’s history, and the film has been meticulously restored in 4K from the original filmed 35mm footage by Sir Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production facility in New Zealand, with newly remixed audio from the original multitrack recordings to deliver the most immersive presentation of the performance to date.
Captured on July 27, 1986, at Budapest’s Népstadion, during the band’s ‘The Magic Tour’, the concert was a groundbreaking moment, as Queen became the first Western rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain during a period of profound cultural and political change. In addition to 80,000 tickets selling out, an estimated 45,000 people listened to the group outside, and some fans had travelled from as far away as Russia and Poland to see the concert. With the scale of the achievement, it would have been impossible to imagine that Queen would go on to play only a further 5 shows, ending their touring days forever, with Freddie only one month later, with their final show played at Knebworth Park in England on August 9, 1986.
Queen Budapest will be accompanied by a multi-format package via Legacy Recordings, the catalogue division of Sony Music, October 30. The soundtrack, newly remixed from the original multitrack by Queen’s studio team, will be released alongside the Blu-Ray, DVD, CD & Digital editions as a 3LP vinyl set for the very first time. Pre-order here.
Media Contact Information:
Ali Payne / Sam Brace / Jasmine Koolhoven / Charlène Tavares
ABOUT QUEEN
Queen are one of the most iconic bands in history, a group whose music has soundtracked the lives of hundreds of millions of fans since their reign began more than 50 years ago.
Their musical achievements alone are unmatched thanks to album sales in excess of 300 million worldwide and such era-defining hits as ‘Killer Queen’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ and the history-making ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which has twice reached No.1 in the UK and is the most streamed song of the 20th century with a record-breaking 2.6 billion streams. In the US, Queen now has 8 songs with at least 1 billion streams on Spotify. Their 26x platinum 1981 Greatest Hits collection is the UK’s biggest-selling album ever, exceeding 7.9 million in sales and spending a staggering 1,137 weeks on the UK chart. They remain the only band in history where every member has individually written one or more Top 5 hit singles.
Yet Queen are more than just a musical powerhouse – they are a cultural force. Legendary performances at such historic events as 1985’s Live Aid concert and their own headlining appearances at London’s Wembley Stadium in 1986 cemented their status as the greatest band to ever set foot on a stage, with the irreplaceable Freddie Mercury regularly voted music’s greatest frontman. Their incredible story was immortalised in the acclaimed 2018 movie ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which saw actor Rami Malek win an Oscar for his stunning performance as Freddie Mercury, while the film itself became the highest-grossing musical biopic ever. Queen themselves have continued to inspire generations of musicians who have followed, from George Michael and Guns N’ Roses to Lady Gaga and the Foo Fighters.
Queen’s greatness can be measured in the recognition that has come with their musical accomplishments, from their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame to the prestigious Brit, Grammy and Ivor Novello Awards they have amassed, among others. But arguably their most important achievement is the enduring appeal the group and their music under the guardianship of Brian May and Roger Taylor continues to have. More than half a century after they started, this most regal of bands are as beloved now as they have ever been, their music still central to the lives of so many people. Long may they rule.
ABOUT THE ROUNDHOUSE
The Roundhouse is a youth charity and independent multi-arts venue based in Camden, London. Set within a Grade II* listed performance space, it is the UK’s leading creative centre for young people, engaging more than 10,000 young people annually through its creative youth programme.
The Roundhouse offers affordable opportunities across music, performance, broadcasting, film, spoken word, dance and entrepreneurship, alongside access to professional studios for creatives aged 13–25 from as little as £1 an hour. Youth voice is embedded across the organisation, with young people shaping decision-making and governance at every level.
In February 2026, 20 years after reopening as a youth charity, the Roundhouse marked reaching 100,000 young people. The Roundhouse also launched the Young Creatives Commission, a major independent initiative delivered in partnership with the Centre for Young Lives, developing a national strategy to expand creative spaces and opportunities for young people, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.
Beyond its youth work, the Roundhouse has spent the past 20 years shaping the UK’s cultural landscape as a home for world-class music, boundary-breaking theatre, circus, poetry and immersive installations. Over that time, it has cemented its position as one of the UK’s most influential cultural institutions, reaching audiences of more than 400,000 people each year.
Every ticket and drink purchased at the Roundhouse directly supports its vital creative youth programme. More information and donations: www.roundhouse.org.uk
The Roundhouse is a registered charity, the Roundhouse Trust, with charity number 1071487.
ROUNDHOUSE TICKET INFORMATION
Ticket prices start from £35.00 (excluding venue ticket fee) and rise according to standing / seat location.
A limited number of VIP tickets are available for both matinee and evening events. Enjoy an elevated experience in the VIP area on level 2 where guests can freely move between their premium seat and exclusive dancing space throughout, all with direct access to a dedicated bar and merchandise desk. VIP tickets include drinks tokens and a bespoke merchandise package including a tote bag, laminate, lanyard, poster, commemorative ticket and a Freddie-style sweatband – the perfect keepsake to mark the official remastered concert.
ABOUT PLAYBACK LIVE
Playback Live produce bespoke screening events for fans to experience and relive iconic concerts presented in professional music venues with quality production values and a standing audience energy of a live gig.
They provide the official concert-screening experience by proudly collaborating directly with the relative band and music label, underpinned by a carefully curated production quality at every stage of the event creation and delivery.
The event format amplifies and heightens a dynamic shared experience for fans.
ABOUT NIBBS EVENTS
Nibbs Events are delivering the event production on behalf of Playback Live. Nibbs Events has been producing stand out events for over 25 years, from red carpet premieres for major film releases, including the last eight James Bond World premieres; iconic annual events such as Pride of Britain Awards, the BAFTA Film Awards and The Fashion Awards, to international touring fan activations for Sony Music and AC/DC. To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the James Bond franchise, in collaboration with Eon Productions, Nibbs Events produced The Sound of 007 in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, which was broadcast by Amazon Prime.
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