The journey to and from Sziget included:
4 airplane journeys
3 bus trips (one of which broke down so technically there was 4 buses )
2 taxis
1 car ride
1 metro
1 -packed to the gills- train
But holy God, would I do it again in the morning!
If you follow the blog, you might know that I set out in January with an idea of attending 3 festivals; 1 in Ireland (complete), 1 abroad (also now complete) and 1 in the UK (Reading, you're looking well!). While the Irish and British festivals were pretty easy to choose, the search for the perfect overseas festival was an extensive search. When I asked for recommendations from friends who'd been abroad I got so many back; Melt! in Germany, Dour in Belgium, Solidays in France, Benicassim in Spain etc... But none of them felt 'right'. I happened across Sziget while reading the Irish magazine Stellar and it just seemed to tick all the boxes; *no money allowed on site - you get a wristband you top up via your debit/credit card, *a festival built on the concept of a love revolution, *Alcohol and food were A LOT cheaper than what you'd pay in other festivals and last, but certainly not least, *the LINEUP!!! Kendrick Lamar, Cigarettes After Sex, Clean Bandit, Lana Del Ray - and those were just on the three days we went!
I could easily say it is my best summer moment and the whole experience will be hard to top! Anyways, I thought I'd do a blog post explaining how we got there, the costs involved, our experiences and everything in between!
Before Sziget:
In terms of ticket prices, 3 days came to €179 each (early bird) but you wont pay more than €200. 7 days came to €275 (early bird) with a final pricing of €325 so, if you can, get early bird. Although we missed some really good acts because we didn't do the full 7, I'm glad we just did 3 days as I was KO'd by then! Therefore, opted for 3 day if you're a newbie but if you're a pro, there's so much to do and see that the 7 days will be jam-packed with fun! If you do the long haul, I'd suggest paying that bit extra for Upgrade Camping. For €89 p/person you get assess to things like Wifi, have better kept showers and actual toilets! There's also storage areas for personal items or even whole suitcases! Also, there are some insane glamping options that can cost up to €850 but we found the €89 pre-pitched tent did just fine!
In terms of flights, we booked incredibly late - A BIG MISTAKE. We ended up having to fly from Dublin > Oslo > layover for 6 hours > Budapest. And on the way home it was Budapest > Dusseldorf > layover for 1 hour > Dublin. Ryanair do direct flights for roughly €450 return(depending on how early you book) BUT friends who travelled there did say the flight got delayed going and coming from Budapest so bear that in mind! We paid about €370 return for our flights with Norwegian Air Shuttle and Eurowings. From the Keleti train station we got the City Pass - searched the Festival Info page to get info on how to pay for your passes - which brought us to the festival. City Pass have a stall at the festival and a one way to the airport for the way home cost €28 - they do deals though if you're staying longer than 3 days!
In terms of packing, I would highly recommend investing in a traveller's backpack - and NOT suitcases, like we did. It's going to be a trek to the festival no matter what, so lugging suitcases in the heat is a big no-no.
At Sziget:
The first thing I noticed, there was barely any "festival huns" AKA those with space buns, face glitter and Insta-worthy festival outfits. The dress sense for the masses was a lot more casual, although there were many groups of people dressed in themes - my highlight would have to be the half dozen fried eggs running about! By day three I flat out decided to not wear any makeup - it simply doesn't stay on your face.
SZIGET 2018 Lookbook
You should top up your Festipay card once you get there - it comes attached to your wristband. We put 60,000HUF on ours which is just over €200 and that lasted us the duration of our stay but then again, I'm a cider and pizza kinda gal so if you have more expensive taste, consider that! Regarding food, I was wholly unimpressed with almost everything I ate; from what I could see most things were reheated so all the food ended up tasting bland and mushy. There is a Lidl just outside the festival so it wouldn't be a bad idea to stock up on fresh fruit and snacks. I will say the orange juice, which cost about 900HUF (€3), was easily the most delicious I've ever tasted; make sure to have a cup when you're there!
The main acts start at around 3/4pm so use the time in the mornings to explore the festival - especially the beach. Its a trek as it's pretty much at the opposite side of the official entrance but its worth it; you can hang out on the actual beach or find some comfortable seating close to the bar. And make sure to spend some time at the stalls; if not for the shopping then for the art performances that take places throughout the day. They're all incredibly interesting and beautiful; my heart melted at the elderly couples doing the Csárdás; a traditional Hungarian dance.
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| The official Sziget festival map (Image provided by Reddit.comReddit.com |
After Sziget:
My first thought as we got on the bus heading to the airport was that I wished I'd done the 7 days, despite how tired I was. The energy and life and love at the festival was addictive; everyone was there to have a good time and to get along, and not to get hammered or get their Insta photos; which I found with Longitude.
I cannot recommend Sziget highly enough and I'm feeling homesick for the place as I write this blog post.
Anyways, I hope you found this blog post informative and make sure to catch me on my socials @ohhheyitsAimee
Until next time...
Aimee♥
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