Sziget Festival 2026: punk, pop and pure joy on Budapest’s Island of Freedom

I’ve been waiting a whole year to be back at Sziget Festival, and I can’t put into words how amazing it feels to be here again! Stepping onto the Island always feels like coming home. Sziget is a truly magical place where you can finally let go of all your worries, be completely free, and be your true self. The atmosphere is beyond words because everywhere you look, people are smiling and spreading good vibes, which I think is the special ingredient that turns the entire festival ground into one big, loving family for a whole week.

You can start your day with various sports activities, from yoga to extreme sports — you’ll find everything here. Then head over to Impact Island to check out everything from craft workshops, pub quizzes and board games to breathtaking circus performances, theatre shows and interesting, thought-provoking panel discussions at Magic Mirror, Sziget’s LGBTQ+ space. When the afternoon arrives, the concerts kick off and keep the energy high until late at night. For those who still have the energy and want to keep going, the electronic music stages keep the party alive until sunrise — quite literally!

These are the memories that keep reminding me why I fell in love with it in the first place, because Sziget is indeed the Island of Freedom!

I arrived at Sziget on Day 0, which is basically a move-in day for campers. Although there wasn’t much going on that day, I love seeing how the whole festival comes together: bars and food stalls are already open, but most art corners, smaller stages and installations are still being built and put together. I always think of this day as a kind of behind-the-scenes adventure; I love just walking around before the crowds arrive and exploring the festival area. From a photographer’s point of view, I was happy to see that they’d moved our media area close to the Main Stage, which saved everyone a lot of walking!

There were two main acts that day, Morcheeba and Faithless. A lovely, chilled way to open Sziget!

Morcheeba were the first band to kick off Sziget on the Main Stage, and what an incredible start it was! Even if you had never heard of them before, you would find yourself moving to the rhythm almost instantly. Skye Edwards’s warm, melodic vocals were phenomenal as always, paired with her smiling, radiant personality that instantly drew the crowd into their musical world. Not even a leg injury could stop her from making the entire audience dance together to the groovy trip-hop sounds filling the hot evening air.

I have to admit, I had no idea what to expect from Faithless since I had no prior knowledge of them, but I was pleasantly surprised by their stage presence and performance. Their sound reminded me a little of Morcheeba’s, maybe a bit dreamier, and I very quickly found myself moving along with the beats. I also want to mention how gorgeous the stage lighting was!

Then the first official day of the festival arrived on Tuesday (Day 1), and with that the crowds appeared as well. This is when the fun begins! It is impossible not to bump into a few friends you haven’t seen in years, or maybe some celebrities who are also here to enjoy the festival and the concerts.

After a quick meeting with the other photographers and press people in the media office, I headed to the Main Stage to see Wolf Alice getting the day started. Ellie Rowsell, the singer of Wolf Alice, commanded the stage with continuous movement that gave the whole set a great rhythm. Her energy did not seem to run out any time soon — I have no idea how she did it! Their set felt both melodic and heavy at the same time, which I absolutely loved!

With such a short schedule, I had to leave earlier than I wanted to shoot the first song of KOIKOI before rushing out of the pit and hurrying over to the Revolut Stage to catch Lambrini Girls just as they were about to go on stage. This was the raw punk energy I had been waiting all day to witness, and the girls did not disappoint! It didn’t take the crowd long to start a mosh pit while shouting the lyrics along with the band. They took the time to project messages on the LED screen behind them, calling out Hungary’s former ruling party, Fidesz, and the far right, while also showing solidarity with people affected by conflicts around the world.

I started my second day at the Revolut Stage to catch ALT BLK ERA. I added some of their songs to my playlist prior to Sziget, so I was really looking forward to this concert. Needless to say, I had such a good time! The sisters played a mix of punk and rap, and it worked surprisingly well together. They have two quite different personalities, but maybe that’s what makes their dynamic work so well. They seemed really in sync with each other throughout the whole set.

Then I caught Natasha Bedingfield’s set. Her voice is honestly phenomenal. But the biggest downside for me was the setlist. There were so many covers that it felt more like a really good karaoke party than a Natasha Bedingfield concert. I also think putting her on the Revolut Stage was not the best choice because the crowd was so massive that people at the back and around the sides couldn’t even fit inside. She definitely deserved a much bigger stage, especially considering how many people came to see her.

After Natasha’s set, I had to run to the Buzz Stage and fight my way through another massive crowd who were excitedly waiting for Ikkimel. They were already chanting her name as loudly as possible, while more and more people were rushing from other stages to arrive on time. I knew what to expect, yet when Ikkimel ran onto the stage, people behind me started screaming so loudly that I instantly realised the crowd had doubled in size by the time I got into the photo pit. And then the crowd went wild! Everyone was jumping up and down to the beats and literally screaming all the words even though they were in German. Ikkimel was unapologetic about her outfit and provocative lyrics, and absolutely owned the small stage she was given this time. In my humble opinion, she absolutely slayed and gave the best concert of the entire festival. Next time, she must be on the Main Stage!

To my great heartbreak, I had to leave midway through Ikkimel’s set to catch Ashnikko official site on the other stage. Sziget organisers left no room for boredom, that’s for sure!

Ashnikko had a marvellous stage design that almost looked like a fictional scene from Alice in Wonderland. The American rapper-singer came on stage, and I found myself watching this dreamy but absolutely fun production with my jaw practically dropped. Their outfit was very creatively made from colourful pencils, and their makeup made it impossible to look away even for a second. Their dancers did a brilliant job and moved so perfectly in sync that I again found myself completely mesmerised. I was expecting a pop concert, but instead I saw one of the most fun and entertaining productions I’ve seen at Sziget. It felt nice to sink into this little imaginary world for a while.

After I was done with the photos, I couldn’t help but rush back to Ikkimel’s remaining set and enjoy it from the back.

Day 3 is usually when everybody is at their lowest on energy: exhausted, lungs filled with dust, coughing and trying to survive the heat. I was really looking forward to this day because Florence + the Machine were performing, but unfortunately nobody was allowed to photograph them (as expected). The concert was still magical, as always, almost like a ritual. When ‘Dog Days Are Over’ came on, the crowd started singing so loudly that it was basically impossible to hear Florence’s voice through the mic. Her radiant stage presence and charismatic voice always leave everyone enchanted. The concert felt more like a long magic spell that cleansed all the piled-up negative energy from the soul. Honestly, such a refreshing experience!

Karen Dió kicked off Day 4 on the Main Stage. I strongly believe it was her concert that gave us all back the energy we needed to push through the remaining three days of the festival. I wasn’t familiar with her music beforehand, which always makes it more exciting to see an artist live for the first time. She absolutely owned the stage with unceasing energy. Fans in the front row who had been there since the morning to see Bring Me The Horizon later in the evening very quickly picked up Karen’s energy and started gently headbanging to the music, while others couldn’t resist bouncing along. Her vocals were insanely good, which for me officially made the concert a ‘high-quality punk’ show. Between songs she was lovely and smiling all the time — I love when an artist breaks character every now and then to remind us they are just like us.

Being short on time again, I rushed over just in time to catch Nation of Language, and they were such a lovely surprise! Their songs had this catchy yet slightly nostalgic feel that somehow pulled me in instantly. It was also so refreshing to see Aidan Noell on keys, because you really don’t see enough women in that role. Despite the smaller crowd, people started dancing and singing along more and more as the set went on.

Much to my disappointment, I wasn’t allowed to photograph Sigrid, so I decided to head over to Rose Gray instead, which might have been the best decision of the whole festival. She completely owned the stage from the second she walked out, bringing an absolute queen vibe with her. I had listened to a few songs before, but seeing her live felt less like an average pop concert and more like having a very chaotic (but fun!) night out with your bestie. She even had a mini wardrobe at the side of the stage, which I thought was really cute! She was constantly moving, dancing and posing, and the entire crowd was with her all the way. By the end of the concert, it honestly felt like we had all been to the club together!

The last concert for me was Naïka, who was such a lovely discovery! I have to admit, I had never heard of her prior to the festival. She instantly brought a little piece of summer beach life to Sziget, which was perfect timing considering that by this point we had all been melting in the insane heat. Her silver, sparkly outfit caught the light every time she moved, and the whole set had this warm, tropical feel that made me forget for a minute that I was standing in the middle of a dusty festival. I couldn’t really decide on the genre of the music, but I would say it sits somewhere between pop and R&B, with maybe a bit of soul as well. I could tell she really enjoyed herself on stage and always interacted with the crowd with a lovely smile on her face.

It is always bittersweet to leave Sziget Festival, knowing I now have to wait a whole year to be back. Yet I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, thinking about all the amazing concerts, the friends I made and all the memories I got to share with people in the crowd and the media team. Sziget has a very, very special place in my heart, a place I call home, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Super early-bird tickets are already available for pre-registration for next year, just saying! 🙂