Sziget feels more like a dream than a festival.
The setting alone is straight out of a festival-lover's fairytale – a leafy island on the Danube River in northern Budapest, dubbed the Island of Freedom.
Cross a big, brown bridge and you'll find a forest filled with over 50 stages, 420,000 fans and some of the biggest artists on the planet. Weave your way through the trees and reach endless soul-cleansing activities, from yoga and art workshops to panel chats and film screenings.
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There I am, deathly hungover on a blazing hot Saturday, when a fiercely energetic European dance troupe pulls us up on stage and gets everybody jumping up and down to their beats. It feels like everyone here is connected by festival euphoria.
Florence and The Machine unleashes her ethereal powers on Thursday night, and she has everybody under her spell. She is like a goddess gliding across the Main Stage and whipping up the crowd with sparkling indie hits like Ship To Wreck and Dog Days Are Over.
Welch reigns supreme as she takes on the role of cult leader, jokingly pleading for a 'human sacrifice' and thanking us for our offerings. She is right at home here at Sziget, treating her set like one big woodland healing ritual.
On Friday, we catch Loyle Carner commanding the FreeDome tent with his lyrical flare before cramming ourselves into the Main Stage crowd for Imagine Dragons. Imagine Dragons brought the fire, and it was only a matter of time before frontman Dan Reynolds ditched his top to reveal his washboard abs.
We get all the hits, from Radioactive and Demons to Believer, but a stand-out moment is an emotional speech from Dan about the importance of taking care of yourself. "Your life is worth living, take care of your mental health," he declares.
It's been two years since I chatted to the guys in a hotel room in London, so it was pretty surreal seeing them up on stage doing what the Dragons do. Back at the FreeDome Stage, DJ Jamie XX delivers enough electronic energy to keep us warm into the early hours.
A quick note on food and drink: Sziget has plenty of it. You've got over 100 catering outlets to choose from and you're never too far away from a €6.5 meal. Sziget is definitely cheaper than your standard UK festival.
Time for the toilet talk. The loos are way better. Lots of them, less queues, and they're actually clean unlike the fever dream portaloos in Britain. In fact, the first thing I noticed about Sziget was just how clean everything was.
Saturday sees David Guetta take his residency on the Main Stage, and while I'm not mad for him, we have a belter of a time. He's a veteran DJ who certainly knows how to headline.
Sunday is a big day for me as I get to interview Arlo Parks as well as frontman Connor from Nothing But Thieves before their respective sets. Arlo's soothing voice is the perfect soundtrack to a sunny afternoon and she breezes through her new record My Soft Machine with confidence; I just wish more people came to see her.
Mumford and Sons haven't had it easy of late but they were back and better than ever. They seemed to be having the time of their life flying through their hits and helped me cross off a section of my musical bucket list when they played The Cave.
Nothing But Thieves were a force to be reckoned with on a packed out FreeDome Stage. Quite frankly, they could have played the Main Stage because they could have blown the roof off this tent, but I had an absolute ball belting out Real Love Song and Amsterdam.
And just when you thought it couldn't get any more rowdy, punk rockers Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes cause nothing but havoc at midnight. Mosh pits erupt and Frank halt everything to ensure the girls get to enjoy their very own pit. Any grim blokes thinking they could ruin it for them would have been rinsed.
We weren't able to catch Billie Eilish or Lorde, but the fact that Sziget can pull pop titans like these onto its bill shows you how huge it is. Sziget says it's Europe's answer to Glasto, but you still get the sense it's like a (somewhat) hidden European gem.
All in all, Sziget gets top marks for me. Great acts, gorgeous woodland scenes, and a real sense of togetherness and joy. There was a stunning drone light show that enchanted the crowd after Imagine Dragons played. Everybody stopped and looked up at the stars to watch in wonder.
For me, that captures what Sziget did for many of us that weekend – bringing people together under the night sky and showing them the power, magic and euphoria of a festival.
And a big shout out to the lovely Izzie Fisher, Clara Pérez and Francesca Cray at Full Fat for putting on a killer press trip. All three are super fun and friendly people as well as being cracking PR professionals.
It's the 30th anniversary of Sziget next year and there will be a flash sale starting at 7pm BST on Thursday 17th of August 2023 until 7pm (BST) on Saturday 19th of August via www.szigetfestival.com/en/tickets.
2024 Ticket Early Bird prices:
- 6 days general admission at 239€
- 6 days VIP at 459€
- 6 days for 21 year olds & under at 179€
- Instalment plans are also available
Sziget festival will come back to the Island of Freedom, Budapest between the 7th – 12th of August 2024.
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