HostelBloggers

Recently, we posted about the EXIT Festival in Serbia. Now, with the dust having barely settled in Novi Sad, it’s time to turn our (loving) attention to another awesome music festival in Central/Eastern Europe: Budapest’s Sziget Festival.

In many ways EXIT’s slightly older sibling, the two events occur within a month of one another (Sziget ‘08 ran from the 12th - 17th of August), which means festival-happy backpackers can get a double dose of musical mayhem. HostelBloggers have been a few times before, and though we found ourselves a bit too out of pocket to go this year, that’s not going to stop us waxing lyrical about it!

As with EXIT, part of Sziget’s schtick is in its setting. The word ’sziget’ means ‘island’ in Hungarian, and, set on a lump of land in the middle of the Danube, this is very definitely the Island Festival. There’s only one way to (and from) the music, and that’s via a bridge that connects Budapest with the island in its midst.

On first sight, this bridge can seem, frankly, pretty terrifying, given the mass of people waiting to landslide through its gates. But never fear! This is where the festival spirit starts, and within five minutes of waiting, you’ll probably already be drunk on all the pumping music and prevalent camaraderie (not to mention the beer that people freely pass around!)

Once on the island, it becomes instantly clear that Sziget is huge. And it’s welcomingly huge too. With a couple of hundred thousand people milling, mushing and moshing about, it’s wonderfully easy to get lost and meet people. Sziget surfs high on a wave of friendliness, and many a happy day can be spent teetering around and chatting to randomers.

Musically, Sziget is known for its wide-spanning coverage of just about every genre imaginable. Wander around the 24 stages, themed villages and camping sites, and you’re more than likely to encounter everything from mainstream rock to operatic thrash metal!

Particular highlights (well, for HostelBloggers, at least) include the ever-lively World Music Stage (pictured above), and the Ambient tent, where you can sip warm cups of chai during the day, and sleep to relaxing beats during the night.

This year headliners included Iron Maiden, R.E.M., The Killers, Lee Scratch Perry, Carl Cox, Pendulum, and, well, yes… many, many more.

Tickets for ‘08 cost €120 for the week (or €150 to camp on the island), while one day passes set you back €32. If you’re thinking about it for 2009 and don’t fancy the camping scrum, hostels in Budapest do tend to fill up pretty quickly, so try to arrange your stay well in advance.

Sziget in a Nutshell:

Food: Good. Expect to spend about €6 a day. There’s a good selection of stall vendors, and a couple of well-stocked grocery stores as well.

Drink: Excellent. About €1 per pint. Check out the bar next to the World Stage for five in the morning ad hoc table dancing. 

Organization: As it should be - no one gets in without paying; tickets are exchanged for wristbands promptly; on-island security presence visible, but not in your face.

Services: Plenty of toilets, which are kept as clean as humanly possible, and showers which occasionally run lukewarm.

Best Moment: Crowd-surfing in a dingy.

Worst Moment: First sight of the bridge.

Most Frequently Broken Law: Swimming in the Danube.

Most Inadvisable Action: Swimming in the Danube (it’s disgusting!)

Survival Tip: If all the music gets too much, head to the Northern or Eastern edges of the island. You’ll find sand, trees, and perfect calm.

Conclusion: Absolutely awesome! Without a doubt, one of the best music festivals in Europe.