Sziget 2011
Festival season is upon us and there is much to choose from both at home and abroad. The Guardian online has a useful guide giving you a complete line up of everything that’s happening over the summer in the UK and across Europe. Out of all the selections though, one of the best has to be the Sziget festival being held in Budapest from the 8th to the 15th August.
Sziget has become one of the largest international music festivals in the world. Since it’s humble origins as a low profile student event it has grown and grown to achieve recognition from the music industry around the world and over half of all visitors to Sziget come from outside of Hungary. Situated on Obudai-sziget which translates as ‘Old Buda Island’ on the river Danube between Buda and Pest, the festival attracts many high profile acts including bands and DJs like Muse (who closed the main stage last year), Motorhead, The Killers, The Chemical Brothers, and The Prodigy. Smaller bands and home grown talent are also a huge part of the festival and visitors will be treated to a great mix of Hungarian rock and alternative music.
This year the Sziget is due to host Lemmy, Motorhead, Skunk Anansie, Radiohead and many more high profile acts. Day tickets cost around £40 with a camping stay for the duration coming in at £178 which compared to many UK festivals including Glastonbury is an absolute bargain.
Having your phone camera handy is also well advised as you will want to take many pictures and videos (if your phone has that capacity). It is therefore essential that you ensure your service provider has a decent roaming charge in place for you. If they don’t then you would be well advised to get another sim card for the trip. Doing a quick search online can produce the best roaming prices available for Europe and the rest of the world. It is worth investigating as the last thing you want when returning home is to be hit with a large phone bill.
Sziget has become so popular with the international music community that it is now ranked as one of the 5 best festivals in Europe by The Independent and one of the 10 best by the European Festival Awards. Some Hungarians have complained that the festival has lost some of its local flavour the past few years, but organisers are quick to point out that a large percentage of its content still caters to the home crowd. Hungarian bands and acts dominate a lot of the tents and the main stage on several days, so it is hard to understand the sceptics view point.
Getting to Budapest is easy with flights available from Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow in London. Ticket prices vary however and you should expect some fairly high prices in the summer season. That said, the festival experience is worth it and once you’re there, accommodation and food are both reasonable.
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