Size matters…
The week-long Sziget Festival (pronounced see-get) has grown from a grass-roots, low-profile 1993 student bash – originally called Diáksziget (Students’ Island) – into one of the continent’s (and recently, the world’s) biggest music and cultural events. Each year, over 1,000 acts from across the globe perform, and 2008 saw a 385,000 strong crowd… that’s a lot of lángos!
Location, location, location
The festival’s held every August in Budapest, on Óbudai-sziget (Old-Buda Island), a large, leafy island on the Danube – Sziget stands for Island.
The hippy, hippy shakes
The second event (in 1994), was labeled Eurowoodstock and headlined by performers from the original festival 25 years earlier.
Go East!
In 2002, the Sziget brand branched out to Transylvania, when organizers co-created the annual event, Félsziget Fesztivál (Peninsula Festival). It soon became the largest of its kind in Romania.
Commie chameleon
Along with the end of the communist era, in 1989, came the end of lovely organized camps for musicians to meet up and play. So, a music festival was proposed as a way to fill a gap. The result was the first festival in 1993. From 1996 to 2001 it was sponsored by Pepsi and renamed Pepsi Sziget. It’s been called Sziget Fesztivál since 2002.
International lovin’
Around 50 per cent of Sziget-goers come from outside Hungary – predominantly France, the UK, Germany, Italy and The Netherlands. Get chatting!
Inflation desperation
As it’s set on an island, some cheeky, thrifty little festival-heads have tried to enter by swimming across the Danube or by paddling across in an inflatable raft in the past. Tut, tut.
Shut up, just shut up, shut up!
The mayor of Újpest, Budapest’s 4th district, has sued the Festival, claiming it’s so loud locals can’t get a good night’s sleep… that may have something to do with them raving in the grass, though, no!?
Tickets, please!
Camping Ticket
188 Euro (46,900 HUF)
From 10th August 10.00 a.m. to 17th August 8.00 a.m. A Camping Ticket entitles you to sleep in the camping area in a tent or caravan (you’ll have to buy a Caravan Camping Ticket for your vehicle – 125 Euro/ 31,250 HUF).
Non-Camping Ticket
156 Euro (39,000 HUF)
From 12th August 06.00 a.m. to 17th August 8.00 a.m. You won’t be allowed to sleep in the festival ground or use the camping facilities.
Daily Tickets
42 Euro (10,500 HUF)
From 2.00 a.m.-8.00 a.m. on the day after they were purchased. You’ll have to leave the festival ground or buy another daily ticket after it expires. Camping’s only possible if you buy (and wear) two or more daily tickets for consecutive days.
Take me there!
From the city centre
The local HÉV train from Batthyány tér will get you there. Get off at the Filatorigát stop.
From Budapest Ferihegy Airport
Take the airport shuttle bus 200 to Kőbánya-Kispest terminal, then the subway M3 to the Árpád híd stop. Take Tram 1 or 1A to Szentlélek tér (2 stops towards Bécsi út) and then get on the local HÉV train to Filatorigát (1 stop towards Szentendre/Békásmegyer).
From Déli pályaudvar (Southern Railway Station)
Subway M2 to Batthyány tér. Then local HÉV train to Filatorigát.
From Nyugati pályaudvar (Western Railway Station)
Tram 4 or 6 to the Buda side of Margit híd (3 stops towards Moszkva tér). Then the local HÉV train to Filatorigát (4 stops towards Szentendre/Békásmegyer).
From Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station)
Subway M2 to Batthyány tér (towards Déli pályaudvar). Then the local HÉV train to Filatorigát.
From Népliget or Stadionok Coach Terminals
Tram 1 or 1A to Szentlélek tér. Then the local HÉV train to Filatorigát (1 stop towards Szentendre/Békásmegyer).
Check out where we’ll be shaking our festival-booty, here! And for where to get your hands on some books (yep, we said books) at the festival, as well as copies of FUNZINE, check here. Oh, and for how to beat the munchies in style, you’ll find our festie-food guide, here.
For full lineup and more, see www.sziget.hu/fesztival/