Sziget Festival returns in 2022!
Sziget Festival, one of the largest annual music and cultural festivals in Europe, will return between August 10 and 15 next year, the organisers said.
“We’re already involved in talks with performers and chances are good that some big stars will make the festival’s long-awaited return even more memorable,” the event’s chief organiser, Tamás Kádár, said on Tuesday.
After the cancellation of the 2020 Sziget Festival, the organisers decided this May to cancel the 2021 event too because of the uncertainties linked to star performers’ travel, accommodation and catering services and immunity certificates.
They said the cancellation allowed them to focus better on preparing next year’s event.
Kádár said at the time that the two cancelled festivals made the lives of the organisers, the companies and workers linked to the events, as well as many in the industry, including musicians, catering services and technical support, very difficult.
This year’s two other large annual music festivals, Telekom VOLT in Sopron and Balaton Sound in Zamárdi, were cancelled in March.
Read alsoHungarian festival guide: which are cancelled and which will be held in 2021?
Tourists not to come to Hungary even this year?
The actual recovery of tourism cannot come before the following spring. Last year, tourists barely made it to Budapest, and domestic tourism cannot expect much growth this year either. In the countryside, especially on Lake Balaton, the accommodations expect high attendance, but without an international audience, it might not be worth it reopening in Budapest.
The coronavirus pandemic overturned tourism not only globally but also within Hungary last season. According to CSO data, the number of nights spent by foreigners in accommodation fell by 71.3 per cent in August compared to the previous year.
Last season was hurting Budapest the most, as foreigners could not visit and Hungarians mostly vacationed outside of the capital. Although the world is now on the verge of a slow reopening, Budapest’s accommodations, which rely mainly on international tourism, is not expecting to see many foreigners this year, nor will life in the party district be thriving in the summer.
“Roughly the same thing can be expected as last summer: foreigners will be absent, from Budapest completely,”
Tamás Flesch, president of the Association of Hungarian Hotels and Restaurants, told Telex.
According to Flesch, most rural hotels will open this year, but the situation is different in the capital, “there is no traffic yet worth reopening for”. Last season, the smaller hotels in the capital were clearly too big of a hassle to keep open, but so was the Hilton, apparently.
Flesch foresees the recovery of tourism in Budapest at best next spring.
“Once again, last summer, we were optimistic that tourism would restart in the fall, and then everyone closed.”
However, there is an important difference between last year and this year: the vaccine.
It depends largely on vaccination rates when people can go on holiday with crowds. In the EU, the immunity card will play a significant role, even though the EU card will only be valid for ‘western’ vaccines. These are currently defined to be the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines.
According to Flesch, it would be an excellent solution to reach as many bilateral agreements as possible, for example, with Ukraine, Poland, Austria or even Germany.
“there would be an opportunity for some of them to choose Hungary during their summer holidays”.
The party district is an unavoidable part of tourism and hospitality in Budapest. Most of the services were closed last year, and the owner of Szimpla, Ábel Zsendovits, does not see a brighter future for this season either.
“We expect zero domestic tourism in the party district.”
He told Telex.
Although it is still a question of whether the summer and the summer school holidays will rearrange the situation slightly, he also says that tourism in the capital will not start earlier than autumn.
The lack of tourism in Budapest also has a strong impact on restaurants. Restaurant owner Zsidai Roy says, that “the coming months will not be uncertain, but will certainly be very painful until tourism opens”.
Meanwhile, the Hungarian Tourism Agency is trying to “inspire hope and confidence” for those working in tourism and hospitality with an image film.
While Budapest expects general devastation again this year, the countryside can be revived in the summer. According to a survey by the Hungarian Tourism Agency, seven out of ten Hungarians will travel inland this year, and most would go by some form of water or to a place close to nature, mainly to Lake Balaton, the Mátra-Bükk region or around Budapest.
The bookings placed on Szallas.hu also show that Lake Balaton is a hit with Hungarians this year as well. Spokesperson Lili Kelemen wrote to Telex that a third of their summer bookings are for Lake Balaton.
According to the spokesperson, their accommodations in Hungary are mainly popular among Hungarians. If, on the other hand, the borders could be reopened as early as the summer, “due to medical tourism, popular spa towns can count on guests from the surrounding countries, while the capital will remain slower to return to the map of international travellers”.
Read alsoHungarian govt proposes anti-paedophile law with stricter measures, public list
Hungarian festival guide: which are cancelled and which will be held in 2021?
The festival season of 2020 was like no other. With the exception of some smaller festivals under 500 participants towards the end of the season, almost all festivals were cancelled after the novel coronavirus has hit the world.
Thanks to the rapid development of the coronavirus vaccines, 2021 may be a bit better than 2020 was, but it will still not be as busy as 2019 and before. Szeretlekmagyarország have created a really detailed guide about this year’s festival season which can shed some light on this Summer’s music scene in Hungary. The government has not said anything about easing the measures concerning large events, but many hope that once Hungary vaccinates 5 million people, those measures will be eased.
Sziget, VOLT, Balaton Sound
Unfortunately, all of them are cancelled for the second time in a row. The latter two were already cancelled in March and Sziget was cancelled early May. Szeretlekmagyarország reports that the reasons mainly were uncertainties concerning travel, catering and the role of the immunity certificate. These uncertainties not only make inviting large names to such festivals hard, fans can also have a hard time reaching their destination. Complying with the current epidemiological measures and inspecting certificates and test results at such a large scale is also very demanding and the time seems to have been not enough.
Fishing on Orfű
The organisers have marked two possible dates for the festival and let their fans decide which would it be. The majority of fans decided that the later August date was more appropriate than the early and formerly usual June one.
As all of the performers have accepted the later date as well, the current program will not be changed and it is possible that the festival will be held, unless the fourth wave hits Hungary. If you already have a ticket, you have nothing to do, Szeretlekmagyarország reported.
EFOTT
According to current plans, this festival will be held, but at a different date than usual. If everything goes well, it will be held between the 11th and 15th of August, at the date of the Sziget festival. Although be prepared to comply with possible coronavirus measures, such as wearing masks.
Valley of Arts (Művészetek Völgye)
Szeretlekmagyarország reports that it will be held between the 23rd of July and the 1st of August. Natália Oszkó-Jakab, the director of the festival said that the size of the festival depends on vaccination drive. It will certainly not reach numbers like in 2019, but she said that even a small, 500 participant festival was a salvation.
Bánkitó
This will be held, even though it will be smaller than it was before the pandemic. The organisers aim to establish a small, home party-like festival. There will only be Hungarian bands this year. As usual, visitors will have opportunities to immerse themselves in the current Hungarian culture as well as theatre and fine arts.
Campus Festival
The organisers have informed the fans on their official Facebook page that the final decision will be made at the end of May. Whether Campus Festival will be held depends on the decision of the Hungarian government concerning large events. For those who already have a ticket can decide after the announcement of the full programme, whether to ask for a refund in the first half of June, use their ticket this year, or postpone it and use their tickets in 2022.
This year, only Hungarian bands will perform.
Fezen
The organisers officially cancelled it on the 4th of May, but according to Szeretlekmagyarország, the organisers will launch a concert series called LIGET with the participation of Hungarian bands.
Kolorádó
As with many other festivals, the date is postponed much later than usual. The festival will be held between the 11th and 14 of August, but contrary to other festivals, they are planning on inviting foreign bands as well.
Alterába
Just like many other organisers, the uncertainty of the exact regulations remains an uncertainty, but they plan to held the festival in the first half of July, between the 13th and the 17th. Szeretlekmagyarország reported that if the Hungarian epidemiological measures make the festival possible, the organisers will be ready.
Ördögkatlan
If the Hungarian restrictions allow it, the festival will be held between the 3rd and 7th of August with Hungarian bands, such as the 21-year-old 30Y, reported Szeretlekmagyarország.
SZIN
Their official announcement will be given in the second half of May, but it seems that, just like many other organisers, that they are hopeful about this year’s returning festival season. According to Szeretlekmagyarország, the lead organiser said that they have agreed with the bands, suppliers and subcontractors, so if they get a green light, everything will be ready for visitors.
Read alsoEverything you need to know about travelling to and from Hungary
New two-storey bridge to be built in Budapest at the scene of Sziget Festival
According to recent news, Budapest might receive one or even two new bridges. The former mayor of Óbuda has posted some of the concept images of the new bridge on his Facebook profile on the 26th of April. This is great news as both the commercial bridges leading to Hajógyári Island are in urgent need of an upgrade.
The Hajógyári Island has been home to the Sziget Festival, one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe. Currently, there are two possibilities to get to the island. One of them is the K-híd or K bridge, which is probably more known as it is used as the main entrance to Sziget Festival. Between the two bridges, this is the older one and was built in 1955 from the sections of a rapidly deployable military bridge. It was supposed to connect the shipyard, from which the island gets its name, via railway. You can see the track that has since been covered in asphalt. The bridge is a single-lane vehicular and footbridge.
The other bridge is the Hajógyári Híd (bridge) or H bridge for short. This is the second bridge leading to the Hajógyári Island and is the younger of the two; it is a reinforced concrete bridge built in 1968. It has a larger capacity than the K bridge and has an important role in executing the Sziget Festival as this is how all the equipment, gear, and anything else gets on the island. Both of the bridges could really use some modernisation or at least some way of taking some of the load off them. It is exactly what the new plans seem to achieve.
According to Index, the concept of the new bridge next to the current H bridge is an unusual design as it will be a two-storey pedestrian and cyclist bridge.
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It is aimed to directly connect the dreamed pop-cultural centre of the island with the Fő tér (Main square) of Óboda, while the street level of the bridge would lead to the Eszterházy embankment. This is the concept you can see in the rendered images.
Besides the fact that it is going to be a two-storey bridge, the other interesting thing about this concept is that it is going to utilise a piece of the old Összekötő vasúti híd (Southern Connecting Railway Bridge) which is located right next to Rákóczi Bridge and recently underwent some modernisation.
“We investigated the reusability of the elements of the Southern Connecting Railway Bridge […]. First, we looked at whether the elements can be used for pedestrian and cyclist loads and the answer is yes. The second question was where could the elements be used […],” Dávid Vitézy, the executive officer of the Budapest Development Center, told Index.
The other aim is to look into the possibility to completely replace the older, single-lane K bridge with a similar reused element and thus upgrading it to a two-lane bridge that would be able to multiply the bridge’s capacity.
Reusing the elements of another bridge is not only environmentally friendly, but it is also 20-30% cheaper than building an entirely new bridge.
Read alsoNudist beach to be built in Budapest?!
Featured image: Facebook
Drug trafficking at Sziget festival: Appeals court reduces Dutch men’s sentence
Budapest’s Municipal Appeals Court has in a binding ruling lowered the prison terms from five years to four for two Dutch men for selling drugs at the Sziget music festival in 2019, the court’s press department said on Tuesday.
The two 23-year-olds were arrested at the festival on Budapest’s Hajógyári Island. Large amounts of marijuana and MDMA pills were seized from them, along with evidence of trafficking and cash, the court said.
A Budapest court sentenced the two Dutch men to five years in prison and expelled them from Hungary for four years in June 2020.
The appeals court said the facts that the two men had both sincerely regretted their acts, pleaded guilty in the primary procedure and waived their right to a trial had been considered in lowering their sentences in a final ruling.
The court has submitted the two convicts’ application for serving their term in the Netherlands to the justice ministry for consideration.
Read alsoStabbing at Budapest Grand Boulevard – Police arrests four men – VIDEO
Opposition protests planned investments on Budapest’s Hajógyári Island
Politicians of the opposition Párbeszéd and Democratic Coalition (DK) parties on Tuesday protested against reported plans by the government to set up a levy system and a kayak-canoe academy on Budapest’s Hajógyári Island on the Danube.
Citing an impact study, the daily Népszava reported that the plans would involve felling up to 1,000 trees on the island, which hosts the Sziget Festival, and would likely lead to raised water levels between the island and the city’s 3rd district.
Párbeszéd group leader Tímea Szabó told an online press conference:
“Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his team … have cast their sights again on the island … knowing they are about to further destroy the environment.”
The levy system would put Budapest’s 3rd district at risk of flooding, she said.
Szabó called the planned kayak and canoe academy “a step in Orbán’s stealthy preparation for an Olympic bid”.
László Kiss, the DK-party mayor of the 3rd district, said
the island was visited by thousands wishing to relax.
He asked for support from “those who love the island” and pledged to do everything in his power to “preserve it for families and the community”.
Read alsoSziget festival’s island in Budapest taken off World Heritage recommended list
Two Dutch men sentenced to five years in prison for drug trafficking in Hungary
Two Dutch men were sentenced to five years in prison on Monday for selling drugs at the Sziget music festival in 2019, the Budapest Municipal Court said on Monday.
The two 23-year-olds were arrested at the 2019 festival on Budapest’s Hajógyári Island.
Large amounts of marijuana and MDMA pills were seized from them, along with evidence of trafficking and cash, the court said.
After the two men pleaded guilty at the Monday hearing, the court sentenced them to five years in prison and expelled them from Hungary for four years.
The ruling is not binding. The prosecution has appealed for a harsher sentence, the court said.
Two Dutch men sentenced to five years in prison for drug trafficking in Hungary. Photo: MTI
Czech people smuggler arrested in W Hungary
A Czech national believed to have attempted to help six Syrians cross the Hungary-Austria border has been arrested, the western Hungarian chief prosecutor’s office reported on Monday.
The man was apprehended near the Hungary-Slovenia-Austria border after he had picked up the six illegal migrants into his car.
The suspect had charged the Syrians 1,000 euros each under promise of helping them reach Vienna.
All major Hungarian summer festivals cancelled!
Gergely Gulyás, the Head of the Prime Minister’s Office, announced on Thursday that until 15 August, events larger than 500 people cannot be held in Hungary. Today, the government clarified that all large-scale events are banned, even those with less than 500 people. All major festivals are cancelled.
The restriction affects the summer festival season the most.
It has become clear that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will last long after restrictions cease. Even though several major festivals were already cancelled in Europe, the organisers of the beloved Sziget Festival kept hope alive that they do not need to cancel. Unfortunately, they do, 444 reports.
It is official that the Hungarian government has extended a ban on all large-scale events in Hungary until 15 August 2020, hvg reports.
One could also understand that statement as a group cancellation of all major festivals that are usually held in the summer. Unfortunately, that is true. After 27 consecutive years, 2020 will be the first year without Sziget Festival in August. Sziget organisers are currently working on how to compensate people who already purchased their festival tickets. They will most likely be able to use them for next year’s event or get a refund, said Tamás Kádár, Lead Organiser of Sziget.
Sziget is not the only festival being affected. Balaton Sound and Volt Festival will be cancelled as well.
Kádár also pointed out that cancelling these major events also means that many people will be out of jobs for the summer. Whether they will get some kind of aid from the government is not clear yet. However, people from the industry have started negotiations.
The organisers of Sziget, VOLT, and Balaton Sound issued official press releases informing festival-goers about the cancellation. They are all devastated and ask for patience whilst they prepare the arrangements for ticket buyers. All details will be shared via email.
Massive first lineup announcement for Sziget 2020
Sziget makes its first 2020 announcement as one of the world’s biggest and most diverse festival line-ups to date with Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa, Kings Of Leon, Major Lazer and The Strokes plus over seventy-five more massive names across the seven day celebration on The Island of Freedom. Sziget is the fifth largest festival in the world and takes place on 5-11 August 2020, in the heart of Budapest on Óbuda Island.
Other artists locked to play include A$AP Rocky, Anna Calvi, Denzel Curry, Diplo, FKA twigs, Foals, Kaytranada, Khalid, Lewis Capaldi, Mabel, slowthai, Stormzy and more.
Over the years Sziget has played host to some of the most prestigious names in music, including the likes of David Bowie, Oasis, The Stone Roses, Iggy Pop, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, Sex Pistols and Kendrick Lamar.
The massive 80 act announcement showcases a wide variety of musical genres that Sziget has always been beloved and well known for.
Ranging from stadium rock to trap, from singer-songwriter to folktronica, from funk to psychedelic pop providing the hottest names for each style. The party literally never stops across the 7 days. The festival even has a beach within the festival where you can relax and cool down under Budapest’s hot summer sun.
Returning to Sziget for 2020 is certified hit-maker Calvin Harris who boasts hit collaborations with some of the world’s biggest stars. The BRIT Award and GRAMMY recognised Scottish DJ, producer and song-writer needs no introduction having been famed for bringing a massive atmosphere to his live performances. Some of Calvin Harris’s modern dance classics include songs like Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’, Dua Lipa’s ‘One Kiss’ and Sam Smith’s ‘Promises’ amongst an abundance of others.
Sziget will open their arms with a wide welcome back for multi-award winning Kosovo-born Londoner, Dua Lipa, after her debut in 2018.
As one of the most streamed female artists in the world and now dubbed the Madonna of Generation Z, the pop sensation colossus has a multitude of futuristic disco bangers that she accompanies with jazzercise-style dance routines bringing a standout live performance. With a stack of floor-filling hits including ‘One Kiss’, ‘New Rules’ and ‘Electricity’ Dua Lipa already has two UK No.1’s at the age of 24 with no signs of slowing down that chart rulings.
Kings Of Leon are another act preparing to take to the Sziget stage for the second time after their crowd-wowing performance in 2015. Having emerged onto the scene early in the new millenium, the Nashville band have gone on to build an enormous global fan base releasing multiple-platinum selling albums and becoming undeniably one of the biggest bands in the world. After achieving critical acclaim for their first two albums (Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak), Kings of Leon have bounded to stadium status with further breakthrough albums, and cult hits such as – ‘Use Somebody’, ‘Sex On Fire’ and ‘The Bucket’.
Sziget will be graced with two performances from three-time GRAMMY winner Diplo – one solo show and one as part of the infamous Jamaican-American electronic dance trio, Major Lazer who are also set to light up the Hungarian-stage ahead of their upcoming final studio album. The genre-blending, party-starting collaborators have given the world a decade of some of the most iconic beats across music today with enormous influence on electronic acts such as Justin Bieber and Ellie Goulding. Major Lazer are famed for their highly energetic and entertaining performances – expect dancers!
Coinciding with a brand new album in 2020, New York indie legends The Strokes will be grabbing their guitars for a hit-guaranteed appearance at this year’s Sziget. Having laid low for the last decade the new album will be The Strokes’ first LP since their 2013 smash, Comedown Machine. Often credited with having spearheaded a revival of 1960s-style garage rock during the early 2000’s, The Strokes will return with a bang this year, blessing the Sziget mainstage in the process.
More than just its massive host of musicians, Sziget brings together a programme of theatre, cabaret, installations, performances and art.
Set in the heart of Budapest on Óbuda Island, Sziget is a true city within the city with its 500,000+ Szitizens attending from over 100 countries each year. Sziget invites you to explore, get lost and find yourself again on The Island of Freedom.
Sziget takes place 5-11 August 2020, on Óbuda Island, Budapest. Tickets available now and on sale here: szigetfestival.com.
FIRST ARTISTS ANNOUNCED:
Calvin Harris
Dua Lipa
Kings Of Leon
Major Lazer
The Strokes
Alice Merton
Alison Wonderland
Altin Gün
Amyl and the Sniffers
Anna Calvi
A$AP Rocky
ATLiens
Bakermat
Bikini Kill
Black Honey
blackbear
Bob Moses club set
Briston Maroney
Camelphat
Caribou
Chris Liebing
Claptone
Clutch
Daughter
Denzel Curry
Diplo
Dixon
Droeloe
Ezra Collective
Fever 333
FKA twigs
Floating Points live
Foals
Foster The People
Gerd Janson
Giant Rooks
Glass Animals
I Hate Models
Jade Bird
Jamie Jones b2b Joseph Capriati
Jeremy Loops
Jon Hopkins live
Joris Voorn
Kaytranada
Keane
Kensington
Khalid
Kokoroko
Kölsch
Lewis Capaldi
Little Dragon
Little Simz
Lola Marsh
Loyle Carner
Mabel
Mark Ronson
Matador
METZ
Miles Kane
NGHTMRE
Of Monsters And Men
Parquet Courts
R3hab
Rilés
Sam Feldt live
Sasha
Seasick Steve
Sevdaliza
Sigrid
Slowthai
Solardo
Stanton Warriors
Stormzy
Tom Walker
Tourist
TroyBoi
Viagra Boys
Volac
What So Not live
Sziget takes place 5-11 August 2020, on Óbuda Island, Budapest. Tickets available now and on sale here: szigetfestival.com.
Sziget Festival fetches international green award
Budapest’s Sziget Festival has received the international Greener Festival Award.
The European Festivals Association said the objectives and the programmes of the Sziget Festival had more of a green focus than on average,
the organisers of Sziget said in a statement on Tuesday.
This year’s awardees include festival of 15 countries that are committed to sustainability while seeking to take the environment into consideration in key areas such as water consumption, transport and the protection of the ecosystem.
“Environmental awareness has been a priority for the Sziget Festival since the start,”
the festival’s chief organiser, Tamás Kádár, said in a statement. “In the past few years, we have put a premium on creating conditions on the broadest possible scale for a sustainable festival,” he added.
The award was presented in Groningen on Sunday.
Read alsoMalaysia to send 110 more containers of plastic waste back to source countries, Hungary is affected!
Police concludes probe into Dutch drug suspects at Sziget Festival
Police have concluded an investigation into two Dutch citizens who were arrested for selling drugs at Sziget Festival in Budapest last summer, the head of the criminal department of the Budapest police headquarters said on Wednesday. Police have raised charges against two aged 21 and 22 for dealing a significant volume of drugs.
Read alsoThe largest catch of drugs at Sziget festival – EUR 15.4 thousand worth of drugs were found
Security staff reported that the two were handing out drugs in exchange for cash on the first day of the festival on August 6, Gábor Obbagy told a press conference. One of the Dutch citizens later told a court hearing that they were a member of the Dutch national athletics team.
Head of the investigation department Péter Sipos said that a total of 20,000 drug portions with a street value estimated at 100 million forints (EUR 300,000) were found in their car located with the help of foreign police working at the festival.
Sziget wins ‘Best Overseas Festival’ at UK Festival Awards for the second year running
One of the world’s biggest and most celebrated music and art festivals, Sziget, took home the award for ‘Best overseas festival’’ at the UK Festival Awards 2019 last night for the second year running. Sziget stood out among six of its contemporaries including Altitude Comedy Festival, Afro Nation, Pol’and’Rock Festival, Snowbombing and Tomorrowland in the category compiled by experts and voted for by the public.
Following in high anticipation, Sziget will announce the first wave of the 2020 line up in January 2020.
The European Festival Awards is the most prestigious ceremony of the continent’s best festivals. Sziget has twice been awarded Europe’s Best Festival, and won the award for the Line-Up of the Year, the Artist’s Favourite European Festival.
At this year’s ceremony, Sziget were awarded ‘Best Overseas Festival’ for the second time, recognised for its immersive and celebratory ethos.
Tamás Kádár (CEO) said: ’We’re truly honoured to win this prestigious award, and really excited to unveil what we have in store for 2020 ’
Tipped as the continent’s answer to Glastonbury, the globally renowned seven day music & arts experience brings together over 530,000 people for Europe’s largest cultural encounter of its kind. Taking place on Budapest’s Óbudai-sziget – appropriately transformed into the ‘Island of Freedom’ every August – the festival welcomes ‘Szitizens’ from over 100 nations to come together and celebrate all forms of different culture, race, tastes and interests in one place.
The first wave of the line up for 2020 will be revealed in January.
Seven day passes for Sziget are now on sale. Prices start at €299. For more information and tickets, visit szigetfestival.com.
“Wheels of Madness” – A fan’s inspirational story to the main stage at Sziget Festival
Striving to continually stretch it’s arms widely across inclusivity, Sziget invite you to cast your mind back to the closing moments of this year’s festival instalment. Triumphant and ecstatic scenes were transmitted around the globe, as fireworks erupted through the sky as the legendary Foo Fighters played a storming set to a packed crowd of adoring fans.
Prior to launching into an unforgettable rendition of their classic track “Everlong” FF frontman Dave Grohl points out one lucky fan, imploring the crowd to bring him to the stage. Between choruses Dave Grohl shouted across the sea of people
“He’s the fucking star of the show, right there!”.
The overjoyed fan (and his wheelchair in tow) were lifted into the hands of the audience, as he made his way to the stage to end the set with a guitar-smashing finale.
Prior to news of this unforgettable moment travelling around the world, an independent film crew had journeyed to Sziget to find out more about the star of the show, creating this heart-warming mini- documentary “Wheels Of Madness”.
As it turns out, our crowd surfing, guitar smashing protagonist is 33 year old Gal Mizrachi (AKA Gal Festival).
A multimedia teacher from Tel Aviv, he has been attending Sziget every year for the past five years and intends to continue to do so. We discover more about his festival experience and how it has changed his life for the better:
Gal explains: “Sziget has changed my life. It’s my favourite festival and my favourite place on earth. It has taught me a lot about myself and about humanity, kindness, friendships and extended my music awareness to different artists from all over the world. It has proved to me that limitations only exist inside our minds. I’m a better person and a better friend because of Sziget. Thank you! “
Sziget continue to prioritise their inclusive focused approach, ensuring that “Szitizens” from all backgrounds can enjoy all that the festival has to offer
During the festival’s seven day duration, set on the Island of Freedom, 530,000 festival goers internationally united from all over the world from New Zealand to Brazil experienced music, theatre, comedy and workshops from performers, artists and speakers from over 62 different countries.
With top charting `z`artists appearing across the week including Ed Sheeran, The 1975, Martin Garrix, Richard Ashcroft, 6LACK, Macklemore, James Blake, The National, Mura Masa, Post Malone, Years & Years, Jungle, Florence & The Machine, Catfish & The Bottlemen and the Foo Fighters (to name but a few).
Sziget Festival to release first wave of tickets for 2020
In 2019, Sziget, the fifth biggest festival in the world, welcomed over 530,000 people from over 100 different countries for seven days, to watch more than 1000 artists, performers and activists from Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters and Post Malone to Dr Jane Goodall and Emtithal Mahmoud.
With preparations well underway for the 2020 instalment of Sziget Festival, the first release of tickets will be available on Thursday 14 November at €299 (€599 VIP) for 24 hours only, for those eager to secure their place at The Island of Freedom next year.
A 24 hour “Szitizen Prime” special ticket release will run from 12pm (CET) on 14 November 2019 until 12pm (CET) on 15 November 2019. Any customers that purchase their seven day passes during this time will receive a limited edition goodie bag which will contain a T-shirt, socks, a paper textile gym bag + stickers.
After the sale is over, seven day passes will be available for the same price, but there will be no goodie bag with the purchase. So make sure you move quick in order to secure one!
More info is available here:
https://szigetfestival.com/en/
With information on next year’s line up still to come, one thing is for sure – you won’t want to miss out on this incredible technicolour week-long celebration, featuring some of the biggest names in modern music (and beyond).
Freedom, diversity, entertainment – Sziget Festival in 8 photos
Similarly to previous years, Sziget Festival did not disappoint. With over 500,000 visitors, the flagship of Love Revolution remains one of the leading festivals in Central Europe. We collected some images that demonstrate the characteristic atmosphere of the Óbuda Island’s annual village cavalcade.
Diversity
The event always attracts visitors from all over the world, hence the diversity is guaranteed. This year visitors came from some 100 countries, with most foreigners arriving from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy.
Love Revolution
Sziget aims to use its power of community and togetherness, guided by love, to support causes that could help the planet become a better place. With this kept in mind, there was a special appearance and speech each day on the main stage delivered by iconic figures such as Dr Jane Goodall, Al Gore etc. The powerful thoughts brought a whole new colour into the palette of the festival.
Gastronomy
One must refill once or twice a day in order to keep the energy level needed to dance through the festival and endure the crowd. Luckily, the food and drink scene is similarly diverse and versatile, offering delicious creations from all types of cuisines. Check out how Szitizens reacted to traditional Hungarian gastronomic wonders.
Music above all
The organisers managed to put together a schedule which satisfies most needs, the music selection couldn’t really be wider. Among the headliners at this year’s festival were Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, The National, Post Malone, Florence + The Machine, Twenty One Pilots and Foo Fighters.
Entertainment
Those looking for entertainment beyond the concerts can easily pick and choose between the circus shows, dance performances and different workshops. Similarly to visitors, the artists come from all over the world, bringing a taste of their cultural heritage.
Organisation
Needless to say, a festival like Sziget needs to be organised as if Queen Elizabeth could arrive any minute. The Óbuda Island turns into a functioning village or small town for the time of the festival and you have the impression that the mayor could actually welcome the queen.
Energy
All of the abovementioned create a unique energy combo that keeps you going for seven days.
Civil corner
Sziget Festival continued to pay special attention to sustainability and the environment, and giving voice to civil initiations targeting either one, or further social issues.
Charity gets equipment, clothing left by Sziget festival-goers
The local charity of the Order of Malta is getting three truckloads of camping equipment and clothing left behind by visitors to Budapest’s Sziget Festival, the charity’s communications director told MTI on Saturday.
Over a period of two days, 150 volunteers sorted through what festival-goers left behind and collected some 600 tents, 500 camping chairs, 400 air and foam mattresses, 17 cubic metres of sleeping bags, blankets and towels, and a large volume of clothing, shoes and sandals, all in good condition.
It is the second time the charity has been allowed to pick through the discarded items from the festival.
The items will go to families who have fallen on hard times, the homeless and, through partner organisations, Hungarian families in other countries.
This year’s Sziget Festival, a week-long musical extravaganza on an island in the Danube, drew around 530,000 visitors, the organisers said.
Sziget festival draws 530,000 visitors – UPDATE
The week-long Sziget festival in northern Budapest’s Óbuda Island drew an estimated 530,000 visitors this year, the organisers said.
That means this year’s attendance will fall short of last year’s record of 565,000 visitors, chief organiser Tamás Kádár said on Tuesday.
The festival’s budget exceeded 10 billion forints (EUR 30.8m), with organisers spending 500 million forints more on headliners than last year, he said.
Among the headliners at this year’s festival were Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, The National, Post Malone, Florence + The Machine, Twenty One Pilots and Foo Fighters.
Overall, the festival featured more than 1,000 artists from 62 countries.
The event attracted visitors from some 100 countries, with most foreigners arriving from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy.
- Sziget Citizens tasted the highest achievements of the Hungarians – VIDEO
- Jane Goodall gives powerful speech at Sziget Festival then plants native trees in Hungary
- The largest catch of drugs at Sziget festival – EUR 15.4 thousand worth of drugs were found
A Love Revolution, Sziget uses its power of our community, guided by love, to support causes that could help the planet become a better place. Each day on the mainstage, appearances from the likes of Dr Jane Goodall (UN peace envoy and environmentalist) Emtithal Mahmoud (poet, activist and UNHCR goodwill ambassador) and Al Gore, (former US Vice President, founder of the Climate Reality Project and NGO) whose thoughts were shared through a video message.
With artists appearing across the week including Ed Sheeran, The 1975, Martin Garrix, Richard Ashcroft, 6LACK, Macklemore, James Blake, The National, Mura Masa, Post Malone, Years & Years, Jungle, Florence & The Machine, Catfish & The Bottlemen and the Foo Fighters (to name but a few).
On Instagram after his mainstage set, Macklemore wrote: “75,000 tonight in Budapest at Sziget. THIS IS LIFE & I LOVE YALL. Thank you for giving me this platform to be on stage & do what I’ve always loved. Grateful beyond words.” On twitter, Martin Garrix said: “One of the craziest shows of my life.. thank you @szigetofficial that was magical!”
The Mastercard Stage by A38 brought an eclectic array of fresh artists to its tent with a diverse line-up spreading across rock, pop and electronic genres with A-grade musicians such as Pale Wales, Grace Carter, IAMDDB, Superorganism, Idles, Alma, and a very special spellbinding late-night performance from James Blake.
The Bacardi Arena supplied the creme de la creme of electronic music offerings throughout the week’s festivities, with EDM, Techno, Electro and Trance sounds courtesy of the likes of Tini Gessler, Julian Jordan , Blasterjaxx, Kayzo, Sigala and Jax Jones (live).
A programme of learning experiences at Sziget featured predominantly with daily talks held on the mainstage by Dr Jane Goodall (UN peace envoy and environmentalist) Emtithal Mahmoud (poet, activist and UNHCR goodwill ambassador) and Al Gore,(former US Vice President, founder of the Climate Reality Project and NGO) whose thoughts were shared through a video message. There were over 30 talks at the TEDxBudapest Salon, presentations and discussions on human rights, bullying, interculturality at Tent Without Borders.
Sziget’s programme is a celebration of all art forms. All over the site, villages, stages and workshops featured performance art, cabaret, comedy, acrobatics and dancing. Hungarian culture was celebrated in the Hungarikum Village with folk bands and Hungarian folk dance companies. The Cirque Du Sziget featured Mallakhambindia, five of India’s best mallakhamb artists and the very first Ethiopian circus created by Ethiopean artists Bibi and Bichu of Circus Abyssinia. The Magic Mirror spiegeltent programme dedicated to celebrating queer culture was once again one of the most hotly ancitpated and attended programmes on the schedule. Late each night, it featured all male, self proclaimed manufacturers and distributors of evocative, irreverent, political punk performance, The Briefs: The Second Coming for an hour of boylesque, tricks, valiant aerial acrobatics, irreverent interludes and ferocious fanfares.
Known for being one of the most picturesque festivals in Europe, more than 100 different works of art were displayed, including unique sculptures and functional space installations such as the Luminarium, designed by the Architects of Air from England and Before I Die, street art by US artist Candy Chang.
In-keeping with their Love Revolution programme, this year‘s Sziget Festival continued to pay special attention to sustainability and the environment, ensuring visitors can gain insight into the world of climate start-ups at the Green Sziget Center programme. With a goal of maintaining and increasing the 50% recycling rate of 2018 in place, last year’s reusable-cup system continued this year, replacing around 1.5 million disposable plastic cups are replaced by “multi-way” glasses. Continuing last year’s “Don’t Suck” campaign (which encourages festival attendees to avoid drinking with straws), preveted the use of 600,000 straws. Sziget also puts a special emphasis on reducing non-recyclable waste in catering establishments. Further to this, Sziget distributed 50,000 pocket ashtrays at the entrance of the festival. The Festival also launched a new dining block this year, focusing on sustainable nutrition wherein festival attendees can find places to buy low-carbon foods.
Sziget Festival drug bust is even bigger than we thought – over 310,000 Euros worth of drugs discovered
Last Tuesday, police discovered 15,000 Euros worth of drugs on two Dutch boys who were distributing their stash in their tent, while keeping the rest of their supply in their luggage lockers. Police find an additional 17kg of drugs in their car. Their entire stash amounts to 310,000 Euros worth of pills and marijuana.
As we have reported earlier, EUR 15.4 thousand worth of drugs were found in the tent and luggage lockers of two Dutch guys on the first day of Sziget Festival.
The largest catch of drugs at Sziget festival – EUR 15.4 thousand worth of drugs were found
Security guards observed strangely high activity at one of the tents on the Northern part of the island. Police were informed that those who arrived with cash left the campsite with small packages in their hands. The two twenty-year-old Dutch boys even made a price list about the drugs they offered.
In their tent and their luggage lockers, there were
- 2,700 tablets of ecstasy (roughly 1 kg of pills)
- 128 g pre-portioned suspicious plant debris (a.k.a. marijuana)
- Marijuana cigarettes stranded in 451 plastic vials
- Pouches used for drug distribution and drug trade
The story continues. Hvg reports that among the two men’s luggage, police discovered a set of car keys. However, the dealers were not willing to tell where their car was located.
Since last Tuesday, when the operation was busted, police has managed to find the dealers’ car, which contained an additional 17kg of drugs; 15 kg of marijuana cigarettes and almost 4,000 ecstasy pills.
The car was parked in District III. on Reményi Ede street.
Together with the newly find stash inside the car, the two Dutchmen stashed 310,000 Euros worth of drugs, which corresponds to 20,000 doses of drugs.
Jane Goodall gives powerful speech at Sziget Festival then plants native trees in Hungary
Featured image: Facebook.com/SzigetFestival/