Szimpla Mozi Kert, Budapest

Roughly translated, ‘kert’ is Hungarian for ‘garden’. In nightlife terms, however, it refers to a bar that occupies a condemned or dilapidated building. Some stay put until the building gets too unsafe; others move from summer to summer, squatting before having to leave.
Szimpla Mozi is one of those kerts that stays put. It offers a ‘mozi’, or ‘cinema’ – outdoor screenings of independent films. The proprietors encourage installations from artists and its walls are splattered with graffiti and etchings. Seating is a mish-mash of garden furniture and cinema seats; the cinema screen is a massive white piece of material. And because of the transient décor, you know there’s nowhere else in the world like this.

Many a day has been spent in this particular kert. This is where we learned about ‘diesel’ – red wine plus coke in a glass.

www.szimpla.hu