
If you haven’t heard of Sziget Festival (pronounced Zi-get) buckle up, because this is one festival you definitely don’t want to miss. Sziget music festival, held every August in Budapest, is one of the largest music festivals in all of Europe. And that’s saying something, because Europe is home to some pretty big festivals. For non-Europeans, it’s a little hard to comprehend exactly how outrageous European music festivals are. I thought Coachella was big, but that’s nothing compared to Sziget festival. This week long festival held on a island in the middle of the Danube river is jam packed with some of today’s hottest bands. And if the Sziget lineup isn’t enough to convince you, there is so much more to do, see and experience at Sziget music festival than you can imagine. For a little more inspiration, here are 19 reasons you can’t miss Sziget Music Festival! Because what is a music festival without music? This is really the number one reason you should go to the festival this year: the 2019 Sziget lineup. The headliners for Sziget festival 2019 are Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran, Florence and the Machine, Post Malone, Macklemore, 21 Pilots and the 1975! Just listing the headliners makes me want to buy tickets to Budapest from the States right now. Not to mention other artists like The National, Martin Garrix, Chvrches, Franz Ferdinand, Tove Lo and more acts from around the world. Here is a (mostly) complete list of the Sziget festival lineup 2019. The thing about a week long festival is that there is just SO much music. From rock to hip hop to EDM, there’s pretty much something for everyone. Sure, the mainstage is going to be pretty mainstream, but there’s plenty of smaller acts to please more eclectic palates. Sziget festival has, get this, 23 different stages and performing areas packed full of musical and entertaining acts throughout the week. Sziget’s nickname is “the island of freedom” and it’s not hard to see why. The minute you enter the festival gates you feel like you’ve been transported to another universe. With so many people in costumes, music in the air and art everywhere, you have a feeling of complete acceptance. You can truly be anything or anyone you want here! Sziget is it’s own little world. The organizers have dubbed attendees as “szitizens” and you can even get a Sziget festival passport. Take your passport to all the different parts of the festival and have them stamp your Sziget passport. More than half of the festival guests come from outside of Hungary, so this is perfect for all the travelers! The theme for Sziget Festival 2018 was The Love Revolution and they’re bringing the revolution back to Sizget Festival 2019! The Love Revolution is all about bringing people together despite differences in nationality, language, faith, skin color, sexually identity, etc. The founders of Sziget say that the idea of the festival was to create a “‘dream nation’, celebrating and sharing the best from cultures and people across the globe.’’ The Love Revolution is all about bringing people from all walks of life together for one incredible week. There’s something pretty amazing about almost half a million visitors from over 100 countries coming together for a week of music and art. One of the reasons Sziget has such a great vibe is that it’s a completely self-contained festival. You can camp on the festival grounds, meaning you can spend the entire week at Sziget without leaving! This really gives the venue a feeling of community. The best part is that a basic camping pass comes free with your festival pass! You can also upgrade to VIP camping, caravan camping, family camping or a variety of other outdoor accommodation options! Jump to the accommodation section for details on each camping area. If you’ve ever been to a poorly organized music festival, you know how important it is that they are managed correctly! The Sziget organizers absolutely knock their’s out of the park. They’ve seriously thought of everything. From “party train” services that transport festival goers from all over Europe, to Festival “credit cards” that you can add money to and avoid carrying around cash, they’ve thought of everything! You could argue that you find amazing people at every music festival, but Sziget just seems to be different. Maybe it’s because people come from all over the world to attend, but everyone is just so stoked to be there. It really feels like one big community where you’ll be making new friends all week. Cause every music festival needs a couple of good parties! Every evening at the main stage there is a “theme” party. Organizers pass out certain items depending on the theme night. At the “color party” guests received colored powder to throw in the air, at the “flag” party guests were invited to wave their country’s flag proudly in the air and the confetti party had guests throw colorful confetti into the crowd. It may not sound like the most elaborate theme party, but watching tens of thousands of people collected at the main stage throwing every color of the rainbow into the air is pretty spectacular. The music at the main stages go pretty late, at least compared to American festivals, but the party really never stops. After the headlines finish there’s plenty of DJs playing on smaller stages and after parties erupting throughout the campground. You could spend the entire week partying without a minute of sleep (although we don’t recommend it!) If you have a break between bands you want to see (not likely with the killer lineup, but you never know!) and still want a party, head over to the foam pit. Spitting out old school hip hop beats and tons of foam, the foam pit is the place to party during the day! Plus it gives you an excuse to strip down to your bikini and get some relief from the heat! You may be at Sziget for the music, but there’s SO much else going on that you could literally not see any music and still have an amazing day full of activities. The activity schedule for Sziget festival 2018 is chock full of workshops, from Dance Therapy to Hatha Flow Yoga to Hip Hop, they’ll keep you moving all day long! Love playing sports? Sziget’s got you covered. They have literally every sport under the sun. Want to play a game of pickup bball? No problem. Want to try your hand at wheelchair volleyball?! What about playing soccer while bouncing around in giant inflatable balls? Sziget’s got every sport you’ve heard and even a few that you haven’t. If you’re riding the festival high and feeling invincible, Sziget’s got plenty of activities to push your comfort zone. They literally have a bungee jump at the festival. Swinging out across a crowd of people in the warm Budapest air might just be the best way to finish the festival. What’s better than a summer music festival? A green summer music festival! In 2019 Sziget festival is stepping up their commitment to being environmentally friendly like this festival has never seen! Drinks will be served in reusable cups to cut down on waste, reusable straws will provided upon request and there will be water bottle refill stations around the fest. The new “Green Sziget Center” will have workshops throughout the week to discuss climate change and other important environmental topics. There will also be speakers and performances around the festival, including Dr. Jane Goodall (YES! That Jane Goodall!) speaking on the mainstage on August 8th. You don’t want to miss her! Art and music mix together like peanut butter and jelly (or if you’re Hungarian, palinka and goulash). Art installations seem to be a staple at music festivals now and Sziget has some pretty rad ones. Anyone can apply to have their art displayed at the festival. From light up sculptures to interactive pieces, there’s so much to see during the week. Getting inspired by all the art? You can make some yourself! There’s plenty of arts and crafts booths where you can get creative and take home a DIY souvenir! This year Sziget festival has a ceramics studio, a build your own board game workshop and more. Not all of the art at Sziget festival is made from paint and canvas. There is a ton of performance art taking place throughout the week, including amazing displays of acro-yoga and circus acts. The Cirque de Sziget stage has some incredible performers and groups who will leave you wondering how they did that with their bodies! The Theater and Dance tent will have some groovy dance performances and quirky shows. Location, location, location! This festival has it all! Not only is it located in an awesome European city, it’s also on it’s very own island! How bad ass is that?! One of the great things about Sziget is that you can buy single day tickets to the week long festival. That means that you can skip a day to explore Budapest (which we highly recommend you doing!). The city (technically cities, Budapest is made up of Buda and Pest) is a wonder in itself. From the gorgeous Belle Époque pre-communist architecture to the retro ruin bar scene, Budapest is well worth skipping a day at the festival. Check out Sziget Festival’s City Pass, which gets you discounts to cool spots around the city and free access to public transportation! Yes, the famous spas and baths are a part of Budapest, but they deserve their own special mention. Believe me, you’ll want to take a break from the hot, dusty island of Sziget to cross the Danube river and visit one of these magical baths. Enjoy a refreshing dip in one of the cool outside baths, or soak your weary feet inside in one of the heated baths. We personally recommend Gellert Spa or the famous Széchenyi baths. There are some pretty cool music festival venues out there, but an island in the middle of the Danube river? Only Sziget can claim that. Even though you’re only a stone’s throw from busy Budapest, the island is isolated enough to make it feel like you’re out in the middle of the ocean. Here is a list of useful information to help you best prepare for Sziget Festival this year! If you don’t mind sleeping on the ground, camping at Sziget is definitely the easiest and most convenient form of accommodation for the festival. There are a plethora of camping options. A basic camping pass comes free with your festival pass, which is awesome! The designated camping zones are scattered throughout the festival, sometimes right in the mix. This can be fun, but also a bummer when you’re trying to sleep and people are literally stepping over your tent to get to the exit. If you’d like something a little fancier, you can upgrade to a nicer camping package. Here are your other options: This camping package includes extra services like free wifi, luggage rooms, cell phone charging stations, VIP toilets and showers and, drum roll please, a swimming pool! Trust us, you’ll love being able to go for a dip after a sweaty day of dancing. This Italian themed camping is known for its “Dolce Vita” vibes. Not as many amenities as VIP, but there are Italian and English speaking hosts, as well as Italian food available! This French themed camping spot has French and English speaking hosts, games and endless French hospitality! This is more of a traditional camping set up where you can roll in with your own RV/ van/ automobile camping set up to DIY. They also have private shower and toilet facilities designated for this camping. Sziget works hard to stay sustainable so why not camp sustainability too? The eco camping are has solar powered showers, water efficient toilets, green energy power outlets and eco laundry. Family camping is (you guessed it!) for guests looking for a more family-friendly environment. Free for children under the age of 14! This camping site has a playhouse, nap areas, as well as extra toilets and showers. There are also on site staff who love kids to ensure the campsite is just as fun as the rest of the festival! This campsite has the basics plus free wifi, luggage rooms, snack bar and extra toilets. *There are also some glamping options, in which the festival will set up premium glamping tents with mattresses and your own private area. There is plenty of off-site accommodation if you want to be able to leave the festival behind every night to get some actual rest. But with over 450,000 visitors expected at Sziget 2019, you can bet that Budapest is going to be packed. Definitely plan ahead if you’re looking to secure a hotel or AirBnB. We’ve heard of people pitching a tent in the basic camping area on site, as well as booking a hostel or hotel room in the city so they could decide spur of the moment whether they wanted a good night sleep or to just pass out at the festival. Here are some great options for where to stay for Sziget music festival: Danubius Grand Hotel Margitsziget – Located on Margaret Island in the Danube River, this upscale hotel has 2 pools, a fine dining restaurant on site and a spa. Worth the splurge if you want some luxury TLC during the festival. Ibis Styles Budapest City – A great city hotel with funky style and impeccable cleanliness. Cosmo City Hotel – A good mid-range hotel choice in a prime location for exploring Budapest. Sziget Hostel – This hostel is only 10 minutes from the festival entrance and dorm beds are only 19 euro/ night with a festival ticket. You can also get a private room for 57 euros for 2 people, which may be preferable if you actually want some sleep. Great place to make friends for the festival! Meander Hostel – Located in downtown Budapest, this is a great choice if you want to visit the festival, as well as explore the city. Dorm beds are a bit more expensive, starting at 28 euro. Kodaly Apartment – A cute studio apartment with kitchen, washing machine and of course your own bathroom which is a simple pleasure you won’t get in the festival! Budapest Downtown Apartments– A selection of apartments for a range of guests. Rent a place with your group to keep costs down and have an after-party house! Blue Box Apartment – A one bedroom apartment perfect for couples looking for some privacy after the fest.
The Music
2. The Range of Genres
The Vibe
3. The Island of Freedom
4. The Love Revolution
5. Sziget Camping
6. The Organizing
Sziget Festival Parties
8. Theme Parties
9. After Parties
10. The Foam Pit
Sziget Festival Activities
11. Sports
12. Something for the Adrenaline Junkies
13. Green Sziget
Sziget Festival Art
14. Installations
15. Arts and Crafts
16. Performance Art
Sziget Festival Location
17. Budapest
18. The Baths
19. River Island
Sziget Music Festival: Additional Information
Sziget Festival Camping
Sziget Festival Off-Site Accommodation
Sziget Festival What To Wear
Women’s Sziget Packing List
What to Bring to Sziget Music Festival