When I first started mentioning Sziget Festival to people, many individuals had no idea what I was talking about. This may have been because I was actually pronouncing it wrong for the first few months after buying my ticket, or because it's simply not mentioned enough among the festival scene.
Sziget (pronounced ziget), takes place in Budapest, Hungary every year at the start of August. It lasts an incredible seven days, which may terrify many people. Luckily, for the less hardcore, there's day, three-day and five-day passes available. Sziget translates in English as Island, which is pretty fitting as the festival takes place on an Island. As soon as you enter the festival, you feel cut off from the rest of the world, let alone the rest of Budapest itself.
Sziget festival has everything a music lover could ask for. There's indie and alternative bands, club remixes in the Barcadi Arena, house DJs, jazz artists and so much more.
Get There Early
We ended up buying the early day access tickets, which we didn't know existed until a Monday flight was a lot cheaper than the Tuesday one. The early day pass lets you enter the festival on the Sunday, which may feel like a long time to camp down, but definitely worth it. You get the chance to get the best spot, preferably under the shade and away from the paths, and you get to map out the festival before thousands of people arrive. Not everything is open yet, but many bars and eating places are still available. Getting there early gives you the opportunity to find your bearings, especially if it's your first time there.
Bring Rainy Day Clothes
Although the weather was predicted to be hot, and above 27 degrees every day, it still rained twice. You need to bring clothes that are suitable for both hot and rainy weather conditions. Although welly boots aren't a necessity, shoes you don't mind getting ruined and a rain mac definitely are.
Consider a Face Mask
A couple days into the festival, I saw people walking around with face masks and bandannas around their mouths. At first, I thought this was a fashion statement...turns out it's actually an important precaution. After a while, the dust from the floors starts to migrate into the air and it's especially bad around the main stage. By the end of the night, after all the acts have finished, you start to have a terrible cough and dry throat. You may find your nose snot has changed colour too. Although, it's not the end of the world, if you suffer from asthma or have any breathing problems, it's best to take a face mask just in case.
To Forint or Not to Forint
Money is useless at Sziget. The festival uses a cashless system, which trust me, is miles better. A lot of other festivals I've been to have long and dreary queues to get drinks. You'll rarely be waiting longer than a few minutes for a beverage at any of the stands at Sziget. When you arrive you exchange your e-ticket for a wristband, which comes with a MasterCard attachment. All you have to do is top it up at one of the top-up points, or use the app to add money to it from your own card. Then you can simply go around the festival tapping your wrist on the machine to pay. Alternatively, MasterCards are accepted too, so if you have that type of contactless card you won't even need to use the wristbands.
Beware the Sun
Before I went, I had read somewhere to buy an emergency blanket and gorilla clips and attach it to the top of the tent. For some reason, I ignored this advice and on the second day, immediately regretted it. If you do not manage to get a camping space in the shade, the sun will 100% wake you up in the early hours of the morning. Without fail, I was awoken at 8:30am every day, even if I went to bed at half four in the morning.
Lots of people brought gazebos and used their inflatable mattresses as outside beds. While, others brought hammocks and attached them to trees in the shade. It's kind of a free for all to get out of the sun. There's some comfortable seats down by the chill area and, if worst comes to worst, you can take a dip in the sea.
Take a Look Around
After a few too many pálinkas the night before, you may be dreading moving the following morning. However, dedicate at least one or two days to exploring the rest of the festival. There's cool art displays, labyrinths and so much stuff to do to broaden your mind. There's even a love chapel if you want to get 'festival' married. The certificate simply states 'I will be loyal for the rest of life...or at least until the end of this festival'.
We found an area where you could learn Hungarian, be taught sign language, create your own t-shirts and experience a different way of looking at the world. At every corner, there's something new to discover, so you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.
Try New Food
There are lots of different cuisines to try at Sziget. You can go traditional with a Hungarian flatbread, called a Lángos, which can be served with garlic butter, sour cream and grated cheese. Alternatively, there's pizza, burgers, pasta and vegan dishes that are all delicious too!