Szép: I just had a five minute conversation with a festival organizer from Dubai who would like to have some kind of cooperation with Sziget. And before that we were shooting for a film we're making about Sziget, so I was just with that team. It is a constant coming and going for the next two weeks. Next week i will go for a couple of dayd to the lake Balaton. Just – you know- to look at the water and do nothing and try to eat and to sleep. I just hope my mobile will not ring sixty times per minute!
E&M: For someone who has never been here, how would you describe the festival?
Szép: Its one of the biggest multicultural events in Europe. It is in Budapest which is very rare for such a big festival. It is in the Danube. So you can only enter the festival by boat or a little bridge. Hmm... We have sixty venues, 1000 programms. You can camp wherever you like!
The philosophy is that you need one week of being together with your friends and loved ones and leave your world behind you to step into a totally new world. Because we are building a city here in one week, we are creating a magical world. The program is about 70 per cent Music and 30 per cent circus, dance, theater, installations, acrobats, and clowns.
E&M: You said it is a truly multicultural festival. What are the biggest groups besides the Hungarians?
Szép: This year the Netherlands are definitely number one. We have more than 12 000 Dutch visitors. Than a lot from Spain, Italy, Germany, England, France, Slovakia, Slovenia, Russia, Serbia, Austria.... And we have many people coming from overseas.
SZIGET FESTIVALSziget Festival started in 1993 as a student festival. The ideas was to have one week together after finishing university. Last year 400,000 people from all over Europe came to Budapest to celebrate. The ticket prices have risen every year and this year it costs amost 200 Euros. For this reason many local Hungarians can't afford the ticket prices anymore. But if you do pay the money you can expect a line up this year to include popular bands such as pulp, The National, and Kasier Chiefs. If you would like to read more about Sziget Festival, visit the website here. |
E&M: I was very impressed with the civic Island – a place where NGOs can represent themselves. Who chooses which NGOs can represent themselves at Sziget?
Szép: We have 100 NGOs at Sziget this year. Every year we have an open call for this and wait for the applications. Each NGO can present their idea and the the board decides who gets invited. Each year we try to agree to new applications. For us it is important that aside from all the commercial things, people still feel it is a human festival. It is part of our philosophy to be open minded so that the visitors can feel they are part of the festival.
E&M: I was told right wing extremists are demonstrating in front of the festival. Is that true?
Szép: Yes this is true. Sziget has such a big attention from all over the world and especially in Hungary so I think they want to use it for publicity. I don’t think its a good thing but we can’t do anything about it. I think it remains a responsibility for the police.
E&M: Thank you very much for your time.
Kristin Kruthaup, A co-founder of E&M, is reporting from Sziget Festival in Budapest.
