Sziget Budapest Festival Survival Guide
It’s not a European OE without throwing a mega music festival into the mix. Sziget festival in Budapest is a week-long dance festival held on an island in Budapest, hosting incredible music artists and entertainment, and with on-site camping you’ll have no reason to be anywhere else.
This Sziget Festival Survival Guide will help you prepare for and give you as much knowledge as possible about Sziget before stepping foot on Obudai Island. Everything from the Budapest climate, and outfit options to items you should take to give yourself as much of an enjoyable experience as possible! No two music festivals are the same, and Sziget is in a league of its own.
About Sziget Festival in Hungary
The dance music scene in Europe is massive; cities like Berlin, Prague, and Budapest have super clubs of several stories high that usually open at 5 pm on a Friday and don’t close until 5 am Monday. So, it’s only fitting that Europe hosts some of the longest, biggest, and craziest music festivals around the world like Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival. But if you’re looking for a variety European music festival, then Sziget Festival should be on your list!
Sziget (Pronounced Zi-get) is a massive music festival held in Budapest, Hungary every year in August. The Hungarian music festival runs for 7 days on a 108-hectare island on the Danube River. One of the longest electronic dance music festivals in Europe, Szigets hosts over 1000 shows across 60 stages from late morning to the early hours of the next day. Almost every genre of music and every form of entertainment is represented at Sziget; from DJs, R&B artists, Jazz musicians, and Rock bands, to yoga workshops, magic shows, and art tents.
There is no shortage of entertainment on Obudai Island, even if your favourite artist isn’t playing you can find some stilts, balance boards, or art installations to indulge your senses and keep you entertained for hours.
Sziget Ticket Information
7 days is a long time to be partying for anyone (but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done). You can choose from 1 day tickets to multi-day passes so you can pick and choose the days that intrigue you the most. The line up comes out early so you have time to plan and book your adventure.
Tickets also don’t sell out within minute like other festivals, we bought ours only a couple of months out and I think Sziget sold out of all tickets a couple of days before the week started, so no need to set your alarm for a ridiculous hour so you can nab yourself a ticket when they’re released.
Sziget Lineup
Sziget hosts an incredible lineup every year. 2019 saw musicians like Ed Sheeran and Foo Fighters mixing with acts like Post Malone, Florence + the Machine, and Martin Garrix with Macklemore. There is an endless supply of entertainment but not only in the music form; take a stroll through any field opening, nook, or cranny and you might find yourself walking into a magician act, yoga classes, a midsummer Christmas with Santa, and an oversize bubble machine, countless artist areas and creations for you to explore and enjoy, and even a shoe shop where you could purchase canvas white shoes and paint the vision your LSD trip is giving you.
If you need a moment to relax there are plenty of seating areas, bean bags, chairs, and grassy areas to take a moment before jumping back into a sweaty hot mess of a crowd and blowing out your eardrums for the rest of the night.
Sziget Festival Information
Sziget Accommodation
Camping is available on-site; you can choose from the free ‘camp anywhere’ option or pay to camp within certain sections of camping communities. Budapest is relatively cheap when it comes to off site accommodation so don’t forget to check Airbnb, Booking.Com and Trivago for any gems that might pop up within the city centre or close to the Island. We scored an apartment in District V and easily made our way to the festival via taxi.
Budapest to Sziget Island
Uber doesn’t exist in Budapest and unfortunately most taxi services require advanced pre-booking. Szigets official website have a list of taxi agencies to use but make sure you check out the rate and cost a few days out so you aren’t stuck with no way there. Otherwise attempt flagging one down on the side of the street.
Sziget to Budapest
At the entrance to the festival there is a taxi rank easily visible near the main road, taxis line up here towards the end of the night waiting to take anyone back to the city so there is no need to pre-book a taxi to head home.
Sziget Stages
Multiple stages are dotted throughout the island; varying in sizes, themes, and styles, all host an array of different acts and entertainment. Get yourself an island map and familiarise yourself with the layout before nightfall.
The main stage is where all the big acts perform towards the end of the night. Although placed on a large field this area becomes hectic before the last act and crowds spill out towards the food service areas. Don’t feel like you have to be upfront and centre to enjoy the music though, I felt myself getting stepped on, spilled on and smoke blown into my face. If it wasn’t for the layers of dust my body was carrying I could have looked past all these things. We dug our way to the edge of the crowd and enjoyed Martin Garrix with enough space around me I could dance freely like the lunatic I am.
My Sziget Experience
We only attended Sziget for 1 day as we were on a tight schedule for Budapest before we travelled to Prague. And I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to see what else the city had to offer.
We stayed in an apartment in the city, and since we were only attending for one day, we weren’t too bothered about having to catch a taxi to and from the island on the Danube River. We arrived at around 3 pm so we could get a good look around the island before the crowds started getting crazy. The heat had got to us before we even crossed the bridge to Sziget so we bee linedbee-lined for the nearest tent that stocked water bottles and alcohol.
Halfway through the afternoon, we found a spot on the field near mainstage to chill out in the shade before we headed off to any acts we wanted to see. As the afternoon progressed, so did the collection of dust in our hair, sinuses, and,dress-up crevices that I didn’t even know I had. We saw outfits that looked like they belonged at a fantasy dress up party or Anime convention. We found magic shows and juggling acts, a pianist was driving around the island on a mobile piano and small stages of EDM and techno music dotted around the island.
We managed to get a good position at the main stage for Tove Lo, but by the end of the night, we squeezed ourselves out to the outer cordon for Martin Garrix and Macklemore so we could enjoy a bit of dancing space.
We arrived back at our apartment by 2am and headed straight for the shower, and my goodness a shower has never felt so good.
Tickets can be purchased from the Official Website
What to Wear to Sziget
Sziget is called the Island of Freedom for a reason… WEAR WHATEVER YOU WANT! We saw everything from simple shorts and shirts to an alien inspired G-string leotard and full on butterfly winged outfits. If you can’t dress like an absolute maniac at a festival, then where else will you do it?
I went for a simple bralette with fishnet pants and bikini bottoms. The red bandana was a precaution in case the dust got too much and I needed to cover my face, which is a recommendation I had seen from several other people who have been. I wore my comfiest sneakers and didn’t bother taking a jacket because the temperature in Budapest wasn’t going to dip lower than 22 degrees.
Sziget is a Cashless Festival
Like most other festivals these days the Island of Freedom also doesn’t allow for cash to be exchanged. Payments can be made from your wristband which can be topped up at any of the dedicated kiosks within the island. Or you can pay for food and beverages with your contactless Mastercard. This may seem like a lot of admin work, but really who wants to be fumbling with cash when their alcohol consumption has left them with a partially working eyesight and a wobble in their walk?
How to Survive Sziget
Sziget is a very dusty island, pair that with 30-degree heat and you have yourself a very sweaty, sticky and grainy mess in places you never thought dirt could enter.
Water
The heat in Budapest can reach ridiculous temperatures. We suffered through 32 degrees Celsius and I can’t remember how many times I refilled our water bottles. The water on the island is the freshest I have had while in Europe, it’s tapped straight from underground. So don’t be afraid to down some free H2O with your reusable water bottle.
Food and Alcohol
Whatever you feel like there is probably a food outlet for it; popcorn, pizza, hot chips, crepes, burgers you name it, they probably have it! The food is slightly more expensive than in the city so eat a good breakfast and/or lunch before arriving. Or even attempt to smuggle some snacks in if you can. The lines can be a bit crazy, especially between big acts at the main stage, so grab yourself a feed before the sun ducks down below the horizon.
Just like the food, alcohol has been marked up in price. However still much cheaper than any bar I’ve been to back home in New Zealand. Cocktails, beers and mixes are all on offer so there are options for everyone.
Meeting Points
Always have a meeting point for after the festival, even during the festival crowds are crazy and it’s very easy to lose each other. This is usually only handy for when you all have the leave the venue together, so not entirely useful if staying onsite, but in saying that always keep an eye on your friends! Drink spiking still happens and it’s very easy to lose each other in a crowd.
Medic Tent
The only downside I found to Sziget is there was only one medical tent which was at the very far end of the island. We unfortunately required medical attention and I had to sprint for a good couple of minutes in 30-degree heat before I found assistance. Not sure if this is usual procedure in Europe at big events but I know in NZ St Johns are dotted everywhere within stadiums and festivals.
Hand Sanitiser and Wet Wipes
If there is one thing I cannot stand no matter where I am or what the circumstances are, it’s feeling like I have dirty hands or extremely dry skin. Festivals, no matter how big, are notorious for running out of hand soap, sanitiser and toilet paper. But then again by the end of any alcohol driven festival majority of people are utilizing the local fauna as toilets, so toilet paper isn’t really the problem here.
Unfortunately most of my trips to the toilet ended with me rinsing my hands with only cold water. A lot of the hand wash or sanitiser stations had run out before nightfall. The toilets lucky stayed clean throughout the night but that still didn’t stop me from thinking about the bottle of hand sanitiser I had sitting in my bag back at the apartment.
Budapests’ temperature can easily reach over 30 degrees celsius in the summer; pair you’re sweat with fine dust particles sifting through the air and you’ll be feeling like a pig that’s just rolled in mud. They are also great for blowing your nose…sounds grim but from all the cigarette smoke, dust and general dirt in the air you WILL blow your nose at the end of the night to see black snot. Although wet wipes won’t cure the muggy feeling throughout the day they are better than nothing. Double down on some sanitiser wipes and you have yourself sorted if you can’t find soap after using the toilet!
Bandanas
As green as the island is, it is also extremely dusty and sandy. You will notice if flicking through instagram pictures from Sziget a lot of people wearing bandanas around their neck or face; this is simply to save them breathing in any more dust than they need to. This accessory can also add to your outfit if you’re planning some festi-wear
About Budapest
Prior to the 19th century Budapest was two independent cities separated by the Danube river which winds its way through the centre. Buda and Pest were unified in 1873, creating the magical city of Budapest that we know and love today! Budapest is the capital and most populated city of Hungary, filled with architecture from several time periods as far back as 89AD, and with styles like Gothic, Roman and Renaissance. You will never get bored of seeing beautiful buildings and an incredible range of styles.
Things to do in Budapest
Budapest Accommodation
Budapest is relatively cheap when it comes to accommodation in the city so don’t forget to check places like Airbnb, Booking.Com, and Trivago for any places that might pop up within Budapest or close to Sziget Island. Public transport including taxis are super cheap so don’t worry too much about paying for transport around Budapest.
Other European Music Festivals
Ultra Music Festival Croatia
3 days of absolute mayhem. My body hated me after Ultra Music Festival because I had no idea the music would be blasting until 5am the next morning. I had no idea I was in for 12 hours of dancing, but I survived and I would do it again, just with a lot more preparation…so read this survival guide so you don’t go through the same things I did!
Tomorrowland Belgium
If you haven’t heard of Tomorrowland then where have you been living!? Tomorrowland is one of the biggest EDM music festivals in the world, with 400,000 people attending over two weekends you would be crazy not to have this European music festival on your bucket list. Held in Boom, Belgium every year, the electronic music world goes crazy with light shows, fireworks, incredible acts performed at several stages across 3 jam packed days. Check out my survival guides for Tomorrowland to read about just how amazing it is!
