The Craziness of The Sziget Festival

The Sziget festival has been held since 1993 in Budapest, Hungary, and is one of the biggest European festivals. The festival combines music, art, and culture — all that on Obuda Island. Indeed, the word Sziget means island in Hungarian.

Last year (2018) I went for one week to the Sziget Festival. Around 500,000 people from more than 90 countries attended for a wide variety of concerts, attractions, and performances.

2018 line-up

Sziget is something you have to experience to truly understand. It’s a place to meet people with the interest of experiencing a world, a micro-society, where the culture is living, and each person is part of making the experience real. It has an atmosphere that is almost impossible to describe because it has so many different personal aspects.

It was hard work; totally exhausting and a complete annihilation on my body, but a brilliant week all the same.

To join this fabulous atmosphere of this multicultural event, here are 10 survival tips that could be very useful for your first time:

1. Upgrade to a campsite.

You have two options for staying on the island: find a free spot to sleep on the island or go to a campsite. If you stay the seven days, I strongly recommend you to book your camping. Because all the great free spots get taken quickly,  you may spend your whole week with little comfort if you don’t get a good one - things like waiting 30 minutes to take a shower or go to the toilet could be exhausting. Moreover, some people get their stuff stolen (like shoes, camping chairs, or other small items). In a campsite, you’ll have everything you need to enjoy the festival without the hassle.

I was in “Apero Camping,” a campsite with many features, a unique atmosphere, and French hospitality! You can choose between 8 campsites - each one has its own unique vibe and particularities. There is also the option to get an apartment outside the festival grounds, which will have more comforts, but you won’t be as deep into the festival action. 

Nevertheless, there are a lot of cheap accommodations available in Budapest, so if you really don’t want to put yourself through a full week camping, it could be a better option for you.

2. Dress for a wide range of weather conditions.

The temperature suddenly drops in the evening, and you’re going to want something warm, no matter what the weather was like in the day. During the week I was at Sziget, it rained torrentially, was scorching hot (don’t forget your suncream), freezing cold, and at times just ‘nice.’ (Actually, it was a lot like being in England.) Make sure you bring some spare clothes to keep you warm at night. Even if you’re not cold at the festival, I can guarantee you’ll want it for walking home and hanging out at camp. 

3. Take trainers or boots.

Even when it was raining, it was too hot for wellies, so I ended up wearing trainers every day, despite taking an array of planned flip flops. I wore my comfy and protective trainers for a few reasons: Too many people in an enclosed space is not a suitable environment for open-toed shoes, some areas were really muddy, you’re standing around a lot, and it was cold at night. If you’re camping at the Sziget Festival, you can be a bit more relaxed with your footwear, as you can keep spares at the tent. If you’re staying in the city, then you’ll only want to bring one pair of shoes to the festival - I’d recommend hiking boots in that case.

4. Eat inside the festival.

The food at Sziget is plentiful and cheap - try to taste everything. If you want some cereals or your favorite chocolate, the nearest supermarket is about a 10-minute walk away. There’s one on-site too, although it’s more expensive. PS: Don’t try and eat at the festival stalls between 6-8 PM, it all gets a bit crazy at feeding time. Tell your stomach it can wait another few hours.

5. Be friendly !

As I said, it is really a friendly festival. People are here from all over the world (It’s not uncommon to see people with their patriotic flag across their back) and everyone just wants to have fun. I went there all by myself, I never felt alone once ! Chat to people, be kind, make friends, don’t get angry with pushing people at the main stage and you’ll have a grand old time. The key to this Sziget festival guide, as in any festival, is don’t be a dick. We’re all here to have a good time, so don’t spoil it for anyone!

6. Smuggle your booze in.

You are allowed to bring in food and soft drinks; basically, any amount since you are camping at the festival, and limiting you to only what is sold on-site would be too cruel. This opens up a great and exciting opportunity to test out your smuggling skills. Classics include rolling a bottle up in your sleeping bag or tent and vodka-infused watermelons, but the only real limit is your imagination. It’s a delicate cat and mouse game: security checks all stuff at the gates, but they also don’t want to hold up the crowds for too long. They often sniff into bottles and have a trained eye for these tricks. BUT it is far from impossible, I smuggled in a bottle of vodka every day to the festival last year, only spending money on beers and drunk snacks!

7. Buy the Sziget-Budapest Citypass.

You can buy the pass for 2, 5, or 13 days and it covers all transport, discounted spa and beach entrance, free shuttle passes, free boat passes, and other discounts throughout Budapest as well. The Sziget-Budapest Citypass starts from 19€. It’s a must-have during your festival. 

8. Visit Budapest. Obviously !

You must take some time to visit Budapest (one or two days), it’s a wonderful capital with a lot of things to do. Thanks to your Citypass, you can take a thermal bath which is a typical attraction of Budapest. Be sure to not party too hard all night before your visit, as you can enjoy fully and fresh. 

The Széchenyi thermal bath

9. Take some naps.

A full week in the Sziget is exhausting, there are special spots to take a nap: near to the beach, in the forest, in big tents with pillow… Don’t miss your chance to have some rest, you will need it. If you want to be on top, bring your earplugs and a hammock!

The chill zone next to the beach

10. Learning some Hungarian.

Just knowing a few words seemed to work wonders with the bar staff. They’ve got a tough job behind the bar trying to work out what all the people of different nationalities are saying to them. Showing some sort of effort to communicate in their language was appreciated (or at least the probable mispronunciation made them smile).

Please – kérem

Thank you –  köszönöm

Cheers – Egészségedre!

Two beers – két sört

Goodbye – búcsú

Bonus tips : Bring ridiculous clothes, and you could have a chance to be filmed and appears on the after-movie! Also, there is a tattoo artist inside the festival, so get your Sziget tattoo memory while you’re there!