Sziget Festival
The Sziget Festival (Hungarian: Sziget Fesztivál, pronounced [ˈsiɡɛt ˈfɛstivaːl]; "Sziget" for "Island") is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in northern Budapest, Hungary, on Óbudai-sziget ("Old Buda Island"), a leafy 108-hectare (266-acre) island on the Danube. More than 1,000 performances take place each year.
Sziget Festival
Rock · alternative rock · psychedelic rock · punk rock · heavy metal · pop · synthpop · reggae · hip hop · indie · world · electronic
Seven days, usually starting in the first week of August
1993–present
Müller Péter Sziámi, Károly Gerendai and others
530,000 (2019)[1]
92,000[2]
The week-long festival has grown from a relatively low-profile student event in 1993 to become one of the prominent European rock festivals, with about half of all visitors coming from outside Hungary, especially from Western Europe.[3] It also has a dedicated "party train" service (with resident DJs) that transports festival-goers from all over Europe.[4] The second event (1994), labelled Eurowoodstock, was headlined by performers from the original Woodstock festival. By 1997, total attendance surpassed the 250,000 mark, and by 2001 reached the 360,000 mark.[5] In 2018 that record was broken when 565,000 visitors attended the festival.[6] Since the mid-2000s, Sziget Festival has been increasingly labelled as a European alternative to the Burning Man festival due to its unique features ("an electronically amplified, warped amusement park that has nothing to do with reality").[7]
In 2011, Sziget was ranked one of the 5 best festivals in Europe by The Independent.[8] The festival is a two-time winner at the European Festivals Awards in the category Best Major European Festival, in 2011 and 2014.[9]
In 2002, Sziget branched out to Transylvania when its organisers co-created a new annual festival there titled Félsziget Fesztivál (Romanian: Festivalul Peninsula) that soon became the largest of its kind in Romania.[10] In 2007, the organisers co-created Balaton Sound, an electronic music festival held on the southern bank of Lake Balaton that quickly gained popularity.
Sziget 2009 was 10–17 August 2009. The festival had a 5+2 day schedule again. The "zeroeth day" had a Rock Against Racism concert, featuring mostly Hungarian bands. The "minus first day" had one major gig again, this time the 20th anniversary concert of Hungarian rock band Tankcsapda.
The Lineup:
Main Stage
IAMX,
Nouvelle Vague,
Ska-P,
Snow Patrol,
Lily Allen,
Miss Platnum,
The Ting Tings,
Die Toten Hosen,
Bloc Party,
Fatboy Slim,
Haydamaky,
Jet,
Primal Scream,
Pendulum,
The Prodigy,
The Subways,
Editors,
Klaxons,
Manic Street Preachers,
Placebo,
Disco Ensemble,
Danko Jones,
Maxïmo Park,
The Offspring,
Faith No More
World Music Main Stage
So Kalmery,
Napra,
Oi Va Voi,
Calexico,
08001,
Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club,
Figli Di Madre Ignota,
Zamballarana,
Amadou & Mariam
Speed Caravan,
Woven Hand & Muzsikás,
N&SK,
Khaled,
Vieux Farka Touré,
Tiken Jah Fakoly,
Brotherhood of Brass: Boban Marković Orkestar + Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars
A38-WAN2 Stage:
Blasted Mechanism,
De Staat,
La Troba Kung-Fú,
Matatu,
Miloopa,
Muchachito Bombo Infierno,
Squarepusher,
Tricky,
White Lies,
Babylon Circus
Rock Stage:
Backyard Babies,
Brujeria,
Deathstars,
Donots,
Expatriate,
Life of Agony,
Satyricon,
Turbonegro,
Turisas
Party Arena:
Armin van Buuren,
Birdy Nam Nam,
Coldcut,
Dillinja,
Eric Prydz,
Grooverider,
Jose Padilla,
Paul Oakenfold,
Pete Tong,
808 State
2011[edit]
Mainstage[edit]
Prince, Thirty Seconds to Mars, The Prodigy, Pulp, Chemical Brothers, White Lies, Kasabian, Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers, Dizzee Rascal, Interpol, Flogging Molly, Kate Nash, British Sea Power, Skunk Anansie, Gogol Bordello, La Roux, Rise Against, The National, Hadouken!, Good Charlotte, Batucada Sound Machine.
Worldmusic Stage[edit]
AfroCubism, Rotfront, Ojos de Brujo, Gotan Project, Eliades Ochoa, Hurlements d’Leo, Debout Sur Le Zinc, Goran Bregovic Wedding & Funeral Band and Shtetl Super Stars.
Party Arena[edit]
Crystal Castles, 2 Many DJ's, Empire of the Sun, Goose (Belgian band) and Zombie Nation.
Europe Stage[edit]
Söhne Mannheims, Verdena, Go Back to the Zoo and Triggerfinger.
A38/Wan2 Stage[edit]
De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig, Baskerville, DeWolff, Kees van Hondt, Selah Sue, Marina and the Diamonds, Bloody Beetroots, Death Crew 77 and Hurts.
Metal Mainstage[edit]
Deftones, Lostprophets, Within Temptation, Sonata Arctica, Judas Priest and Motörhead.
2014[edit]
Mainstage[edit]
Monday, August 11:
Ivan & The Parazol, Leningrad, The 1975, Tankcsapda, Blink-182
Tuesday, August 12:
Anti-Flag, Ska-P, Queens of the Stone Age, Deadmau5
Wednesday, August 13:
Jake Bugg, Imagine Dragons, Placebo, Skrillex
Thursday, August 14:
Mary PopKids, Bastille, Lily Allen, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Friday, August 15:
Die Fantastischen Vier, CeeLo Green, Manic Street Preachers, Korn
Saturday, August 16:
Bombay Bicycle Club, Punnany Massif, Madness, The Prodigy
Sunday, August 17:
Triggerfinger, The Kooks, Outkast, Calvin Harris
A38 Stage[edit]
Tuesday, August 12:
Brody Dalle, A Day to Remember, Casper, Jimmy Eat World, The Bloody Beetroots, Deniz Koyu, Thomas Gold (DJ), Sikztah
Wednesday, August 13:
Girls in Hawaii, The Big Pink, Tom Odell, Miles Kane, Clean Bandit, R3hab, Madeon, Andro
Thursday, August 14:
Michael Kiwanuka, Fink, Irie Maffia, Bonobo (musician), Stromae, Kavinsky (Outrun Live), Axwell, Muzzaik
Friday, August 15:
Palma Violets, Band of Skulls, Angel Haze, Kelis, Klaxons, Sandro Silva, Laidback Luke, Dave Martin
Saturday, August 16:
Starlight Girls, The BossHoss, Jagwar Ma, Wild Beasts, Crystal Fighters, Quentin Mosimann, Fedde le Grand, Julia Carpenter
Sunday, August 17:
INVSN, Mount Kimbie, NOFX, La Roux, Darkside, DJAIKOVSKI ft. TK Wonder & MC Wasp, Ian Autorun, Borgore, Black Sun Empire, Jade
Other activities[edit]
In addition to music, the festival offers a plethora of other activities including cinema, dance, theatre, tattooing, Internet access, volleyball, tennis, football, indoor rowing, rock climbing, bungee jumping and a life-sized foosball.
The island is located in the city of Budapest allowing trips to the city centre during the day.