AIf you think you've seen it after Lowlands, Pinkpop, Werchter and Glastonbury when it comes to summer festivals, guess again! The Sziget Festival in Hungary has been one of the leading music festivals in the world for years and is now the festival of Europe. Where else can you see hundreds of bands and artists – pop, rock, electronica, dance, folk, you name it! – perform on no less than 60 stages? Seven days of music, theatre, surprising circus acts, quirky exhibitions and of course unforgettable parties on the green island of Óbudai, located in the middle of the Danube and just north of the lively city center of Budapest. Are you a music fan, do you like to party and do you like to travel across the border? Now is the perfect time to get acquainted with the bands & beats of Sziget!
Student friendly get-together
So sziget. Now huge, but once started in 1993 as a student get-together. Hungarian youngsters traveled to the island to party together and listen to Hungarian artists. Nice weather, pitching a tent, having a drink and enjoying live music, that was really all the young people wanted. At the time, the festival was still called Diáksziget, which means 'student island'. Because the event attracted the attention of large companies and sponsors, the music festival grew to an unprecedented size. Shortened to Sziget (island), the festival broke through national borders to become world famous. The event now attracts almost 400.000 visitors from all over the world every year and every band of any renown would love to show their tricks.
From Sziget to Budapest
Last year, about 18.000 music lovers traveled from the Netherlands alone to the small island in the middle of the capital Budapest. The location of the festival makes the Sziget Festival even more special. If you feel like going out after a few days of music and partying, all you have to do is walk across the bridge to the mainland. Once on the other side, you can catch metros, buses and trams to enter Budapest, a city full of pleasant surprises and sights. Budapest is best known for its Turkish baths, the ideal place to recharge before a few more days of endless partying. But the old center of Buda is also an excellent area to relax.
World acts, then and now
The number of top bands that have played Sziget in recent years is absolutely impressive. Do you have a minute?
Foo Fighters, Iggy Pop, Prodigy, Faith No More, Slash, Faithless, Suede, Kool & The Gang, Oasis, Lou Reed, Muse, Pulp, Massive Attack, Shaggy, Sugababes, Basement Jaxx, Freestylers, Underworld, Nick Cave, Buena Vista Social Club, Placebo, Radiohead, Robert Plant, Chemical Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, The Killers, Tool, Empire Of The Sun, Mika, Crystal Fighters, Snoop Dogg, Hurts, The Ting Tings, Kaiser Chiefs, Skunk Anansie, Dizzee Rascal , Kasabian, Interpol and much, much, much more….
This year the main acts are once again the cream of the crop of contemporary music. How about Queens Of The Stone Age, Outkast, Macklemore, The Prodigy, Manic Street Preachers, Skrillex and Korn? If you want to check the entire laundry list of bands, check out the Sziget .'s website† The music styles range from rock, pop, punk, dance and jazz to electronica, blues, world music and even classical. Whatever musical preference you have, you will always enjoy yourself. One minute you get the chance to see a world class band or artist, the next you're dancing to the beats of an unknown DJ who is about to break through. Small or large, it is this diversity of acts that makes the festival so successful.
special atmosphere
The special thing about Sziget is not only the wide range of bands and acts, the location and the atmosphere also make the festival unique. The island of Óbudai is located on the river Danube and even has its own beach where you can relax from the musical violence and the thumping beats. The festival is known for its tolerant attitude towards gays, something that unfortunately is not a given in Eastern Europe. The atmosphere during the festival is therefore very open and friendly. Everyone respects each other's opinion and is mainly on Sziget to enjoy. You can feel that when you walk around the site and you can see it in the way festival-goers interact with each other.
Party 24/7
On the island there are not only stages but also dazzling attractions and all kinds of eateries with their own tasty food. All cultures pass by. Local Hungarian dishes, Italian pasta and pizzas, Asian delights, super organic dishes or just a nice greasy hamburger, the choice is yours. The island is very green due to the many trees and afforestation. Everywhere you will find relaxed places to chill out and have a bite to eat. Colored balloons, cool light shows, people dancing everywhere, jugglers and costumed artists on towering stilts, Sziget has something magical and adventurous. Non-stop party with banging DJs and hip dance acts, on Sziget you dance around the clock, from sunset to sunrise. The parties on the island are legendary.
Sziget, here I come!
Now the journey to Sziget. There are several options. Of course you can get in the car and drive on to Budapest in one piece. Other options are the plane or the bus. But the most ideal option is the Sziget Express train. This runs from Utrecht directly to Sziget. So no hassle with transfers or stopovers. Once you have arrived in Budapest you can choose a cheap hostel such as the Maverick Hostel or Budapest Budget Hostel. If you want to sleep a little more luxuriously, you can book a hotel. Think, for example, of the Eurostars Hotel or the Roombach Hotel, which are affordable and comfortable. But to be honest, you only really experience Sziget as it should be when you take your tent and go camping on the island itself, together with all those other festival goers and music fanatics!
Tickets come in different shapes and sizes. For example, a week pass costs €229,00, weekpass + train ticket is €379,00 and a 5-day pass without camping is again €199,00. Be quick, the tickets are flying out the door! The festival always starts at the beginning of August. In 2014, Sziget is from 11 to 18 August.
