Sziget Festival 2022 — The Island of Freedom.
A term like ‘experience’ is often used to describe an occurrence that is cognizant, a memorable event that cannot soon be forgotten. In spite of this, if you were lucky enough to attend one of Europe’s largest and most important gatherings – Sziget Festival – it too, would easily qualify as quite the example.
PHOTO CREDIT: Main Stage and Freedome Stage – Sziget Festival 2022.
Established in 1993, amidst the aftermath of the Soviet collapse, Sziget Festival found itself flourishing in a revolutionary milieu, in the wake of political turmoil and socialism. In some ways, one could liken the annual celebration as rather reminiscent of the summer of love, though juxtaposed with the countercultural hippie movement.
Located in the heart of Budapest, Hungary, Sziget continues to maintain its prestige as immutable. Nestled in the cosiness of the Danube River, atop Obuda-Island – a picturesque island imbued with relic – the festival re-opened its doors after a three-year absence. Sziget’s comeback was slick and unhindered, almost impossible for us to ever imagine a global pandemic could have once thwarted its plans.
PHOTO CREDIT: Main Stage at Sziget Festival 2022.
Instilled with a sense of intimacy, Sziget evokes the true essence of a celebration. As this year’s festival embraced the spirit of fun, friendship, frenzy, and freedom (dubbed after its namesake island), it conceptualized experimental activations and enveloped goers in a summery utopia, complemented by some of the greatest musicians the world has ever seen.
Music and festival fans galore encompassed a magisterial spectacle – a stark contrast to the crushing silence and scarcity that formerly preceded it. With its impressive structure, Samsung’s colosseum electronic music programme was as electrifying as the countless and spontaneous activations that took place, from the Queer House Party to a Vogue Ballroom. In addition to VIP sections and breath-taking viewing decks, there were art exhibits that promoted love, unity, and joy throughout the event too.
Marking its 28th edition, Sziget Festival attracted over 450,000 spectators worldwide. Featuring a stellar line up of A-listers, including Dua Lipa, Kings of Leon, Justin Bieber and Tame Impala – the festival welcomed a formidable line up of non-headlining artists who too, displayed their extensive discographies, in an impressive fashion.
PHOTO CREDIT: Varying activations at Sziget Festival 2022.
Cali-born singer Remi Wolf opened the festival, ushering the audience into a pleasant atmosphere beneath the shimmering afternoon sun. Possessing a stage presence that has been finely honed after quick succession, encapsulating her own sonic ethos, Remi’s soundscape is somewhat evocative of a lo-fi beat meets tropical funk vibe. “All my music is so upbeat and crazy – I’m hopeful that people today will be ready for a lot of energy” she tells PAUSE exclusively ahead of her performance. “I’m all about living life and keeping myself extremely stimulated”.
As the first night of the event drew to a close following a swift exchange of artists, Dua Lipa took to the panoramic main stage with an euphoric and effortless headline performance. If this wasn’t enough for the hundreds of huddled revellers, besides her captivating execution of hits ‘Love Again’, ‘One Kiss’, and her unyielding track ‘New Rules’, we were able to appreciate her mezzo-soprano vocal range with hair-raising confidence.
The second day saw synth-fuelled pop-rock band Bastille break out their scintillating set as sundown approached. With their boisterous, rousing hit track ‘Pompeii,’ they delighted the crowds until Kings of Leon provided the perfect finish to the evening with their trademark, harmony-laden rock ballads.
PHOTO CREDIT: Caribou, among some of the bands performing at Sziget Festival 2022.
Ironically, on day three, all that mattered was Justin Bieber’s set, despite any slight bias. (Number one Belieber here). While JB’s set fused his current, more laid-back approach to music with his iconic formative soundscapes, the 28-year-old managed to uphold a thoughtful connection to his material stimulated by justice.
There was an overall sense of inner peace on stage, a feeling that was both affirming and lasting. During his tour set list that included old-time classics such as ‘Baby’ and ‘Boyfriend’, JB sliced into his live band’s riffs and bass with showmanship ease, even giving us an exclusive acoustic rendition of ‘Peaches’ before his 20-minute piano interval left listeners feeling empowered and stripped back.
PHOTO CREDIT: Justin Bieber performs at Sziget Festival 2022.
The fourth day was marked by a stark contrast. The heart-breaking narratives of Lewis Capaldi’s love life captivated us in an instant, often underpinned by sarcastic wit that only a handful of viewers could comprehend. Whereas, in another breath, the evening saw Calvin Harris, the musical embodiment of collaborative cupid, display his pop vision with pyro-lit bangers and skittering tempos.
The fifth day saw Anne Marie indulge in her enviable catalogue of self-love and brassy pop jingles before Tame Impala transported us into a psychedelic limbo, filled with peaking rhythms and floating vocals over a 70’s-style disco-grooving haze. Let’s just say the rest of that night was history…
PHOTO CREDIT: Tame Impala performs at Sziget Festival 2022.
After a whirlwind of live music, day six owed its precedence to the Arctic Monkeys, who concluded the festival in style. It was almost a foregone conclusion that anyone in attendance of the festival would feel a sense of emptiness without the vibes of Sziget. Particularly, as the six-day celebration superseded any musical void we had previously experienced.
But hey, on the brighter side… there’s always next year to look forward to!
Sziget festival will come back to the Island of Freedom, Budapest between the 9th and the 14th of August 2023.
Brilliant article , I had the best time and the article described it perfectly
Great festival