What would you say to an entire week of non-stop music in the beautiful Hungarian capital, in the center of Europe? And what if there was also the chance to visit the city? Impossible? Not at all. Sziget Festival in Budapest makes it a reality! One of the largest cultural music festivals in Europe, the festival takes place every year in August on Óbuda-island where you can enjoy camping on site. To participate you must buy a ticket in advance, sometimes even one year beforehand, due to popularity. The pandemic situation made it difficult to organize a proper and safe 2021 edition, but 2022 will be the year of the great Sziget reopening. In the meanwhile, let’s learn more about it!
1. History
Sziget was born in 1993 when a program called Diáksziget with the motto “We need a week together” created a big festival called Pepsi Sziget. This named was used from 1996 to 2001, then in 2002, it became Sziget Festival. There is no music genre discrimination in Sziget. If at first it was almost all alternative rock, throughout the years it has gathered almost all genres; non-stop hard rock, world music, electric dance music, alternative style, blues, and jazz as well!
2. What you can do?
Visitors, or better Szitizens, are provided with a bracelet that allows entrance and exit from Obuda island without restriction. There are a lot of services like banks, pubs, restaurants, shops, but also many youth programs and activities like theatre plays, modern dance, exhibitions, literature, classical concerts, opera, circus. also sports programs. It is not just a festival, it is a community. In this non-stop week of music, you can grow in a multicultural experience where difference is not a wall but a source of new ideas and collaboration.
3. Not just a festival
The message behind Sziget is that despite the different backgrounds we come from, we are all connected to the world we live in. For this reason, our differences do not separate us, but make us stronger to create a better place to live. A lot of initiatives such as the love revolution are embedded into the Festival Days, like those promoting sustainability and energy revolution
4. Visiting the city during the Festival
Do you feel split between visiting and enjoying the concert? There’s no need! You can easily do both by deciding not to participate in the concerts you are not so interested in and benefitting from visiting the fascinating city of Budapest in your free time. The Danube divides the old ‘Buda’ from the new part of the city, ‘Pest’ making the city unique. Both are breathtaking and you mustn’t miss them!
- Castle Hill: Buda is charming and it is not only famous for its beautiful castle but also for Matthias Church and the Fisherman Bastion along the way. These are perfect spots for Instagram lovers.
- Parliament: This is the biggest and most famous building in Budapest. You can visit its 691 rooms in a 45 minutes tour
- Széchenyi Thermal Baths: If you want to relax from concerts of the night before, thermal baths are for you. It is one of the most famous places in Hungary and calls people from all over Europe. These baths are not only extremely beautiful from an architectural point of view, but also really fun to visit. You can choose your pool depending on which temperature you prefer. Pay attention at the weekends as it can reach full capacity!
- Climb to Liberty Statue: It’s not just Americans who have their statue! Budapest has its own on Cittadella Hill, where you can enjoy a stunning upper view of the city.
