The Jubilee 10^th Sziget Festival is over now. This year was the most peaceful, the most variegated Sziget offering diversified programs and events. More than 80 international performers, more then 1000 programs, and we can not give an account of any big fuss, not counting when the members of Iggy Pop and Kosheen boxed one another’s ears, but the security could handle with that. There were 355 thousand people on the Sziget Festival, peaceful and happy for a whole week.

As usually we arrive to the Island on the zero day, thinking: there will be not a living soul, so it would take 30 mins to get in instead of 3 hours. When we get there we see it’s only illusion. Winding lines, punks, metalheads, rappers, people, more PEOPLE, everywhere. We start

thinking if we came to the right place cuz we hear more German than Hungarian. We make jokes with Bernát and kill the time with asking the punters silly questions, like how can you distinguish a German or Austrian from the Hungarian Sziget residents. You’d better come next year, and you will definitely find it out. After awhile I remember the fact that I am not somebody who likes lining up, and since I have a VIP press pass band I start walking as a very important person and suddenly everyone gives me way. I drag Bernát to the entrance.
We are inside in 30 mins. Then my friend calls me telling me the entrance system works pretty good this year, they took in the festival two Chinese UK Subs fan in the boot, nobody cared for it. He must have been kidding. We keep walking with Bernát searching for some place to pitch our tents up. We decide on going to our last year’s camping place, considering the fact that in this year fortunately there are no uproaring extreme games and machines around that spot. It’s already 10pm, very dark, we just realize none of us has a torch. I have to approach our future-neighbours to ask for some help and make a show of with my brilliant German. Respect! At that moment I think it’s better if I not only ask for a torch as far as I am damn tired to pitch up a tent, so I raise the question with all sugar and honey to do the whole job for me. We Hungarian girls can be so nice! You have to remember that the German punters here are all fully equipped with everything, you can ask for the most bizarre things, I am sure they will have it with them.
After my tent is standing, we invite our yet neighbours to some drinks. I don’t remember what happened after it….but it seemed like I found my tent somehow.

First day: (Wednesday)

After waking up ‘in the morning’ 3pm, I realize my voice is all gone from last night’s going on the razzle. I decide on going to take my first shower on the Island. That’s a big thing, because you have to know there is no warm water in the showers, or if there would be only a little, 100% sure you are not gonna be the lucky one who has a share in it. You can also choose to go to the Roxy Swimming-pool. Advantages: 1) you have to line up there only 30 mins 2) it’s a bit warmer then the showers.
With my new German friends: Stefan, Sörren, Bade, Thiemo, Martin, Jenz, Tobi and Sebastian we are sitting around in the afternoon, in peace, and I keep asking them every second second if we go here or there or if we do this or that. Finally they toe the line and we go playing water-football. I mean they play and I watch. Then we go and see the Bee extreme park, Tobi and Martin test their condition on the climbing-wall.
It’s 8 p.m. and it is raining very heavily so I decide on going home for this day. In my very comfortable bed at home, slurping tea with extra amount of honey, thinking about the people who are probably muddy from top to toe at this moment out in the Island, and unceasingly scanning some verses from the Cure. Do you really think I ‘m missing out from something???

Second day: (Thursday)

I am all fresh and fit. Coming back to the Sziget with new energy. My voice is still pretty strange, I think I could phone to people and scare them to hell with this deeply and hoarse rumbling.
In the afternoon I am sitting around with the guys doing the usual things, slurping some drinks. Suddenly Tobi jumps up, snatches his camera and ran along with a huge grin in his face towards the roaring music…then Sörren stands up and runs after Tobi. We know it immediately that the Red Bull truck with the hot-ass dancer girls is not far away.
Tonight Him is playing on the main stage. I am not gonna be around.

Third day: (Friday)

Anna decides on moving out from her tent to my little tent. Now the two of us keep on weary to death our wonderful unceasingly bearing German neigbours, who get the hang of speaking English in the meanwhile. Still we have difficulties. I think two more pieces of their “furniture” are destroyed: the chair collapsed, and somebody burnt out the inflatable air-sofa while me and Anna were sitting on it. Big losses.
In the afternoon we go and see Kosheen with Anna. Finally I see some bands. Pity they played only for 50 mins. I think Kosheen is a really good band, and I am not a drum’n’bass fan, but they are something different. It was funny when they played the song called ‘Hungry’ for Hungary. After the concert backstage the member of Kosheen were teasing each other and the bassist of Iggy Pop was throw. Word followed word, slap followed slap. But the security ended the little amusement. But the guitarist of Kosheen has stirred himself up so much that he had to be held down. Finally he took his revenge with breaking the key in the lock of the door of Iggy Pop’s dressing room.
Because it’s Friday today, an awful amount of people are thronging on the Island. We go listen to a little Iggy Pop, but 15 minutes is just enough for my entire life. We’d better sit around at a cocktail bar downing some delicious Long Island Ice TeasJ

Forth Day: (Saturday)

Getting used to the cold showers is really not a big deal. On the 4^th day I’m visiting the container 3 times a day. Maybe I started liking it. Nah, I don’t think so.
I went sleeping after eating up three complete meal with dessert, then I searched for a shaded tree, and laid down. Then woke me the Lifesaving Commando of the Sziget, asking whether I am all right. I said: sure, I was just sleeping and you know when I’m sleeping usually can not answer questions like if I am okay.
I woke again with fallen leaves ran down as a fountain from my hair, when a girl asks me:

• Ass-holder? – I asked rather drowsy in a way, but with interest.
• Yes. – answered the girl.
• Ummmm, I think at the Stage behind the Main Stage. – because I could not really said anything else.

And when I wholly got awaken, I realized, she was pointing at my neck, and she wanted a pass-holder, but then I could not see them anywhere. So I went to the Pesti Est VIP Buffet, I enunciated clearly to the security guard that I am the owner of the Pesti Est magazine, thereupon he was immediately put the band on my wrist, and ushered in the place, where were nothing to get for free. So I left, and wrote this article.
Today’s main stage’s performers: Herbaliser, Stereo MC’s and Pulp. Not the best consignment. Don’t call me choosy or somebody who ignores band and music. I so do not! But only a few comes to the Island to see and hear some bands, the rest comes for having one week pure fun, happiness, joy, alcohol or whatever the human body needs.

Fifth day (Sunday)

I am so excited cuz today Die Toten Hosen is playing, I sneak in to the backstage to get a Press Pass to Anna. I am such a creative girl, I can make up stories. In an hour, together with Anna sipping our cocktails backstage among with some ‘VIP’s, and jostling photographers.
I could surely claim Die Toten Hosen takes the palm for the best concert in the Island. Campino is just the right person to be a leader in a band, even though he is forty something, he still kept his energy and the love towards his fans. He reads out some sentences in Hungarian, which proves he does care with the audience. After playing a couple of songs, he goes to the crowed and gives a lot of cans of beer to the raging fans.
Anna and me are watching the whole show from backstage, shouting along with the audience, and yeah I am also sure that ‘wir würden nie zu den Scheiss-Bayern gehen!’
After the concert, we line up for a autograph to Stefan – one of our German tent-neigbours. We promised him we would get him a signature from all the members of Die Toten Hosen, so we do everything to keep our words.

Sixth day (Monday)

If only I could remember …

Seventh day (Tuesday)

Oh the last day has come. I would have not put Muse on the last day to play. We are standing with Anna listening the band, and we almost fall asleep so as the others around. We go to have our last cocktails together.
For my luck it is a rain-day tonight again, and my tent is leaking. So I have to move one of the German guys’ tent. Well it is not a must!

Fin du siécle, says the fish-eyed French boy next to me, but I don’t believe him, so I rather slap him with a chocolate croissant. In the mirror of some numbers: twenty thousand-sixty-eight hundred million brain-cells’ death were reported by the police experts, 90% of them were brought to death by alcohol, 8% left the brain because of sinking to mental nadir, 2% other. Let’s stop for a second. Do the numbers anyway have some mirror?

Out of all the tents and stages on the Island, I think we spent the most time in the Techno Stage, the Dance Arena. Although I only heard the last 10 minutes of Dave Clark’s set, Anna, I promise, I will be able to wake up at 3am next year, and will be dancing there from the start even beyond to the end.
All in all we had a beautiful one week. I think this was the best Sziget in my whole life. I made a lot of new friends, and I hope I will see everyone again next year.

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