Sziget isn’t just a music festival, it has never been since it’s first edition in 1993 and has always strived to be something more than just a fancy line-up.
The Island of Freedom of Obudai-Sziget established itself once again as a village where different cultures, races, traditions and communities gather together under the banner of freedom and equality, with over 53 venues and 488 artists, this 2022 edition of Sziget brought in over 450.000 Szitizen from 100 different countries during it’s 6-days long party.
Trying to get back on its feet after the pandemic hyatus, Sziget emerged after 2 years with a very dim scenario on it’s hands: Hungary is going into a strong recession, with inflation over 14% and their forint losing more and more value each month, this brought in more challenges, whereas the organizer had to cut some extras in order to deliver the same experience. Less fancy decorations, less extra accomodations in the deluxe campings, less infrastructures compared to the pre-pandemic years, but still preserving the communitarian spirit that made Sziget special.
This didn’t tarnished the performances and the live set of the artists on the line-up, tough: starting from the mainstage where Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber, Arctic Monkeys, Stromae, Calvin Harris and Kings Of Leon delivered arguably the best performances of the festival in terms of spectales; the Ticketswap Arena hosted some of the best mainstream djs out there like Steve Aoki, NGHTMRE, Alan Walker, Ofenbach and a special Elrow party headlined by Solardo and Claptone; just behind you’ll hear the kicks and drums from the Samsung Colosseum, home of techno, where Nina Kraviz, Kolsch, Seth Troxler, Ben Klock and Honey Dijon dropped tunes until the morning. Lastly, the circus-looking tent of Freedome by Mastercard hosted some of the best live performances of the festival, with Princess Nokia, slowthai, Fontaines D.C., Caribou, John Hopkins and Folamour just to name a few.
Every other act and venue that made Sziget special is back too! The Magic Mirror stage returns for its 20° edition at Sziget, a unique space where the LGBTQ communiy can gather around to attend vogueing spectacles and queer dj set and performances. The Sziget Circus is back too, an entire carnival with acrobats and clown, paired with a juggling and aerialist workshop, with acts every hour until night. Tent Without Borders is another safe space where people can meet with refugees and immigrants to share and learn stories about their story and escape from the warzones, sided with the Global Village where international artists brought unique sounds from different folklores from all around the world.
Despite this year’s adversities, Sziget 2022 came back once again as one of the most unique event and experience in the world, more than just a “simple” music festival. While we wait for the next edition, already confirmed for the next year’s 9-14 August, check out on their official website for the next early bird tickets; you surely don’t want to miss it out!
