Sziget Festival to address social issues with record budget

The budget of this year’s Sziget Festival, to be held between August 7 and 13 in Budapest, will surpass 10 billion forints (EUR 31m), organisers told a press conference on Thursday.

The festival will feature headliners like Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, the National, the Franz Ferdinand, Richard Ashcroft, Florence + The Machine, Johnny Marr, Twenty One Pilots and the Foo Fighters, they said.

The line up in the A38 tent includes Frank Turner, Razorlight, CHVRCHES, Xavier Rudd, James Blake, Richie Hawtin and Broken Social Scene whereas Petofi Radio-Telekom VOLT will offer on its stage for the first time foreign acts next to Hungarians, programme director Jozsef Kardos told the press conference. These include Gili Yalo, Shake Shake Go, Stella Donnelly and Inspector Cluzo.

Sziget will continue its “Love Revolution” campaign addressing issues such as environment protection and human rights.

Under the campaign performances and short speeches will be given for the first time on the Main Stage between acts to draw attention to social changes around the world and society’s collective responsibility.

Speakers to give addresses include renowned environmentalist and UN Peace Envoy Jane Goodall, and poet, activist Emi Mahmoud, an UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and former refugee. Former US Vice President Al Gore, founder of The Climate Reality Project civil group, will deliver a video-message to Sziget-goers, Kardos said.

He highlighted programmes addressing issues around migration and cultural diversity at the Civil Island, one of which will allow live discussions with 40 spots around the world including Iraq, the Gaza Strip and North Africa about tolerance and social integration in a studio set up in a container.

The Sziget festival in 2018 attracted a record 565,000 visitors.

For the full programme and details of this year’s event visit https://szigetfestival.com/en

Featured image: www.facebook.com/SzigetFestivalOfficial

Source: MTI