Organized for 29 years on an island in the heart of the Hungarian capital, the Sziget Festival in Budapest attracts nearly 600,000 spectators each year. It is the biggest musical event in Europe, with 500 international artists on 52 stages. Among the stars: Justin Bieber, Arctic Monkeys, Stromae or the British singer of Kosovo origin Dua Lipa who opened the dance on Wednesday August 10. Beyond the concerts, it is the unique atmosphere of the festival that has made its reputation.
With our special correspondent in Budapest, Jose Marinho
A bucolic setting, a giant 79-hectare campsite, a beach and 700,000 liters of beer… Sziget, more than just a music festival, is a real collective experience with young people from all over the world. ” I come ofIsrael », Launches a festival-goer, while another continues: ” I’m from Nigeria! “. The audience is mainly made up of foreigners. Violette comes from Paris, she is very impressed by the atmosphere of the festival: ” It’s super hot and it’s seriously hot because in fact, we have fun, we speak all languages, it’s the Tower of Babel here. »
” The Island of Peaceful Coexistence »
The atmosphere is one of love, peace and freedom, for Tamás Kádár, the director of Sziget: “‘Get’ means “island” in Hungarian and today is the island of freedom. This was the goal when we created the festival, in 1993, to defend freedom in Hungary which has suffered greatly from communism. Our philosophy has not changed in 29 years. We have become the Woodstock of Europe, the island of peaceful coexistence. This year, defending the values of our Ukrainian neighbors is our goal. We share them with festival goers over 100 nationalities. The Sziget Festival is not just another festival, but a city within a city where everything is possible.
►Also read: The Sziget Festival, a mix of cultures in a closed Hungary