punk rock devotees

[Guest guest]

Juggling acts

Budapest Times - Hungary

There are not too many festivals where a punk-rock Hare Krishna band can vie

with world-famous rock bands in the popularity stakes, but this week’s Sziget

....

 

 

http://www.budapesttimes.hu/index.php?art=1981

Juggling acts

There are not too many festivals where a punk-rock Hare Krishna band can vie

with world-famous rock bands in the popularity stakes, but this week’s Sziget

festival, starting on Wednesday, has been offering such a bizarre showdown for

years. Admittedly, a thirty-minute epic in which the only lyrics are “Hare

Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama” and the

musicians do not stray from the same three chords may not sound terribly

appealing. However, at last year’s festival the Krishna tent was often packed

with pogoers, although heavy alcohol consumption and free vegetarian food may

also have had something to do with the attraction. It is quirky events such as

this and the international feel of the Sziget festival, with merry makers from

all over Europe mixing with the locals, that make it such a special event.

“At the festival you can find German rockers, Serb punks, Dutch students and

French car mechanics all peacefully mixing together,” said Viktória Vetõ, the

festival’s press chief. “The varied programme means that everybody can always

find something to suit them.”

The annual festival, now in its 14th year, is held on Óbuda Island in north

Budapest, and party animals will soak up the sun - or if the current break in

the heatwave holds, get soaked by the rain - and dance along the tree-lined

banks of the Danube.

In common with most festivals, there are countless different stages and a

thousand acts, encompassing world music, rock, dance and other genres, but

there are also some very interesting diversions that add extra spice to the

event. This year the organisers have introduced a Silent Disco, where people

can don headphones and choose between two different DJs, which should lead to

some interestingly different dancing styles.

Another highlight from last year was the Cinetrip tent. Not even rain deterred

people from attending this open top tent, donning rain ponchos to enjoy the

laser show and images projected 360 degrees around the walls until the early

hours of the morning.

This year the Cinetrip tent has been replaced with the Meduza stage, but it

still promises to deliver a week of interesting and high-tempo electronic

music.

Perhaps the only gripe that some people have is the fact that only a handful

of big-name bands have played per year, but more big names are starting to

come as the festival grows. Last year 380,000 people attended over the whole

week – around 70,000 on the site each day – and this year the number is

expected to rise again.

The growing reputation of the festival means that bigger names are starting to

take notice, and joining Radiohead, Franz Ferdinand and Placebo this year are

Iggy Pop, The Prodigy and Scissor Sisters.

The low cost is also noteworthy. A weekly camping ticket costs HUF 30,000 (EUR

110), a weekly ticket without camping HUF 25,000 (EUR 91) and a daily ticket

HUF 6,000 (EUR 22). Considering that Robbie Williams recently charged around

HUF 16,000 (EUR 58) for a one-off concert in Budapest, the cost for a weeklong

glut of music seems remarkably low.

The location of the festival also adds an appeal that other, more-established

venues cannot offer. Óbuda Island sits in the middle of the Danube around five

miles from Budapest city centre, and buses run regularly back and forth until

the early hours of the morning.

The festival itself boasts impressive facilities. The forests of portable loos

clustered across the island are emptied regularly – although you still have to

watch out for the occasional soggy patch where lazy men vent their bladders on

the grass – and even in the last few days of the event it is still possible to

go to the toilet without a clothes peg attached to your nose. The food is also

well above normal festival standards. Many of last year’s attendees had

noticeably piled on a few pounds by the end of the festivities after

over-indulging in curry, enormous Hungarian sausages and lángos (a heart

attack-inducing greasy snack of fried dough often topped with cheese and sour

cream).

Getting there

Take the green HÉV train from the Buda bank of Margaret bridge north to the

Filatorigát stop. Follow the crowds in. There are also special buses (check

website listed below)

Further information and tickets are available online at http:/www.sziget.hu.

Tickets can also be purchased at hundreds of ticket offices across town

Michael Logan