Today, August 6, the renowned Sziget Festival kicks off the greatest party-filled week on the Obudai Island in Budapest. Featuring big names such as Placebo, The Killers or Snoop Dog and an impressive agenda jam-packed with quality music, theater, dance, cabaret, crafts, various sports and many other exciting performances, the festival is ready to welcome over 400,000 visitors from all over the world.
Sziget Festival, Wikipedia
Starting as a local event in 1993, Sziget Festival has grown into one of the largest music and culture festivals in Europe, being named in 2012 “The Best European Major Festival” by the European Festival Awards. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this year’s edition promises to fire up the atmosphere with a marathon of 400 concerts, cultural events and plenty of entertainment taking place in 50 venues along the little island in the Danube.
Visitors have varied opportunities to attend the festival, whether they go for a complete experience or they just prefer to buy a one-day ticket. For those willing to enjoy the entire show however, a Sziget Weekly Pass which includes camping possibilities and tickets for all the festival days can be purchased online for 225 Euro.
Sziget Festival 2012’s line-up includes Hungarian top bands as well as international artists such as: Kraak & Smaak from the Netherlands, the famous Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra, Karmatronic from Italy, US rapper Snoop Dog, Hurts from UK and many many others. Moreover, the huge open-air festival features all kinds of music from classic, blues, jazz, folk, reggae and world music to electronic, rock, pop and hip hop, being one of the most comprehensive events of its kind in the world. In addition to the music delights, the event has lots of interesting things on offer throughout this week of nonstop fun, freedom and good vibes.
This year’s special features include a brand-new ferris wheel especially designed for this event and a Sziget Festival Live Stream on Youtube, so those who are not able to make it to the island this summer, will have the opportunity to watch the main performances live on their computers.
The best way to get to Obudai Island is by using public transportation or the ferry lines that run from Batthyány tér, Jászai tér or Vigadó tér .
For any other information about Sziget Festival, please visit their website via the link at the top.