Sziget 2026

[billybigballs]

I'm confident that something can be sorted. However................can anyone recommend a good August alternative just in case? 

[CCester]

3 minutes ago, billybigballs said:

I'm confident that something can be sorted. However................can anyone recommend a good August alternative just in case? 

My guess is if they’d take over it will be more focused on Hungarian music. But I’m hopeful, might be because it feel like everything went to sh*t when Gerendai sold the festival, so it’s kind of a nostalgia. I obviously know that covid was the main reason.

[bunnyv]

3 minutes ago, CCester said:

My guess is if they’d take over it will be more focused on Hungarian music. But I’m hopeful, might be because it feel like everything went to sh*t when Gerendai sold the festival, so it’s kind of a nostalgia. I obviously know that covid was the main reason.

Yeah same,I’m feeling very positive about Gerendai taking over again

[So Sad Simon]

13 minutes ago, billybigballs said:

I'm confident that something can be sorted. However................can anyone recommend a good August alternative just in case? 

Don't abandon so soon my friend.

 

However, to start you off, Grape, Oya, Flow, Way Out West, Pukkelpop, Rock en Seine, Reading & Leeds. Probably loads more too.

 

 

Edited October 13, 2025 by So Sad Simon

[bunnyv]

They really must come up with an answer by the end of October. Even if it’s bad news. But I’m positive they are actually trying to find a solution.

[billybigballs]

12 minutes ago, bunnyv said:

They really must come up with an answer by the end of October. Even if it’s bad news. But I’m positive they are actually trying to find a solution.

It certainly sounds like they are. Would give them a nine-month run until the festival begins, I'm sure something could be pulled out of the bag before then.

 

However, I'm not sure how confident I would be buying early bird tickets, and would probably wait until first line-up announcement to get a feel for the route they are taking with the acts. 

[Yelo, the Parmiggiana]

I’m afraid that, at this point in time, the ship has sailed for the current year.

 

If Superstruct has decided to withdraw from the investment so late in the organizational timeline, it means the project for this year was ultimately deemed unviable and unprofitable. Moreover, everyone on the Executive Board must be aware that withdrawing from the agreement between the festival and the city is a public move, the kind that will trigger a ripple effect in terms of marketing and expectations. In other words, the die is cast as far as Superstruct is concerned, and the festival will not take place.

 

That leaves the obvious scenario of Sziget being acquired by a different owner who is either:

• willing to endure a year without revenue or a festival, rebuilding the event from the ground up (which would involve covering lease costs, staff, and maintaining existing contracts), or

• willing to move forward with the current plan (assuming one exists) and accept that the festival will likely be weaker, as transitions of this kind inevitably generate entropy, directly impacting the quality of the organization.

As of today, I doubt any major investor is eager to invest in Hungary or in the festival sector in general. Therefore, whoever acquires Sziget would likely be someone more interested in preserving the brand than in making a quick profit.

 

Sziget’s brand was a powerhouse, and there could be a business opportunity to acquire it for pennies on the dollar. However, it carries a significant legacy, and the audience’s expectations regarding its scale and impact remain high. Reducing it to a smaller festival (like Grape, for instance) wouldn’t be a solid move — unless supported by exceptional marketing and a strong sense of “soul,” both of which are costly in terms of opportunity and resources in today’s business environment.

 

 

 

[kristofm]

1 hour ago, CCester said:

Seems like the owner wants to get rid of Sziget. They already reached out to the founder who sold it a few years ago. He’s willing to take over and is looking for some investors and hoping to get over with it in October.

edit: https://forbes.hu/uzlet/varatlan-bejelentes-vege-a-szigetnek-gerendai-a-forbesnak-nem-igy-kepzeltem-a-kovetkezo-eveim/?fbclid=IwZnRzaANZfItleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHgMWll-s0ommr6YNTU48Z0KpQlRN40G-yrJzfNKF6WTaGc5EHVLJViZSJ6ya_aem_643WZuOEQinHNX4KE15daQ

This is actually one that makes me hopeful.

"Although not long ago I imagined the coming years very differently, in the current situation my clear goal is to find a solution to ensure the long-term future of Sziget.

Gerendai hopes that they can reach an agreement very soon, still in October, and that a new ownership structure can be established which will provide adequate guarantees for the festival’s continued success, both professionally and financially."

 

By the way, the mayor’s words also suggest that with the termination of the current contract, they are willing to sign a new agreement that would be even better for Sziget financially, just to ensure it stays alive.

Edited October 13, 2025 by kristofm

[thetime]

Sad news, the best festival out there imo. Will be a massive loss to the festival scene. 

 

 

 

 

 

[thetime]

1 hour ago, So Sad Simon said:

Don't abandon so soon my friend.

 

However, to start you off, Grape, Oya, Flow, Way Out West, Pukkelpop, Rock en Seine, Reading & Leeds. Probably loads more too.

 

 

 

Problem with the list, they are very much line up based festivals. Not to many around in the same style of a Sziget. Out of the ones I've attended i can only think of Glastonbury and Roskilde. 

 

I can highly recommend Roskilde, although thats June/July. 

 

[kristofm]

9 minutes ago, thetime said:

Sad news, the best festival out there imo. Will be a massive loss to the festival scene. 

don't give up yet

[thetime]

2 minutes ago, kristofm said:

don't give up yet

 

For next year I have, plans need to be made for 2026 festivals now... 

 

Unfortunately will plan for a souless line up based festival in August. 😒😒😒

 

[kristofm]

20 minutes ago, thetime said:

 

For next year I have, plans need to be made for 2026 festivals now... 

 

Unfortunately will plan for a souless line up based festival in August. 😒😒😒

 

I get that. I think that depends on whether Gerendai can buy it this month as he suggested. They've been working on the next edition, there are a few names that are booked, so I think there's some hope for next year if it's a smooth purchase, but if we don't hear anything until November-December then next year is surely cancelled.

[bunnyv]

4 minutes ago, kristofm said:

I get that. I think that depends on whether Gerendai can buy it this month as he suggested. They've been working on the next edition, there are a few names that are booked, so I think there's some hope for next year if it's a smooth purchase, but if we don't hear anything until November-December then next year is surely cancelled.

How do you know they have anyone booked?

[Yelo, the Parmiggiana]

4 minutes ago, bunnyv said:

How do you know they have anyone booked?

The festival’s organization starts long before the end of the previous edition. Unless the ownership had already communicated its intention to divest before that (which I highly doubt, as it would have leaked by now, as Sziget has never been particularly good at keeping secrets).

 

13 minutes ago, kristofm said:

I get that. I think that depends on whether Gerendai can buy it this month as he suggested. They've been working on the next edition, there are a few names that are booked, so I think there's some hope for next year if it's a smooth purchase, but if we don't hear anything until November-December then next year is surely cancelled.

It’s unlikely to be a smooth process: if you think about it, they’ll have to put in place a new executive structure and make some adjustments to both the budget and the business case, especially since they’ll probably have less access to financing than KKR did.

 

Interesting times, if you have an interest in M&A, I have to admit, with a touch of schadenfreude. I’m only sorry it happens to involve my favorite festival so far.

[bunnyv]

2 minutes ago, Yelo, the Parmiggiana said:

The festival’s organization starts long before the end of the previous edition. Unless the ownership had already communicated its intention to divest before that (which I highly doubt, as it would have leaked by now, as Sziget has never been particularly good at keeping secrets).

 

It’s unlikely to be a smooth process: if you think about it, they’ll have to put in place a new executive structure and make some adjustments to both the budget and the business case, especially since they’ll probably have less access to financing than KKR did.

 

Interesting times, if you have an interest in M&A, I have to admit, with a touch of schadenfreude. I’m only sorry it happens to involve my favorite festival so far.

Yeah I know that,I was just curious if he has something concrete.

[thetime]

21 minutes ago, kristofm said:

I get that. I think that depends on whether Gerendai can buy it this month as he suggested. They've been working on the next edition, there are a few names that are booked, so I think there's some hope for next year if it's a smooth purchase, but if we don't hear anything until November-December then next year is surely cancelled.

 

I don't think it would be the worst decision in the world cancelling next year if sold. Would give them time to re evaluate where its going or why it was failing post covid. I think it was a pretty strong lineup this year, although perhaps in the wrong areas. I am sure van buuren, empire of the sun and justice were not cheap. Having them as non main stage acts as well, seems money they could have saved with not much depreciation of ticket sales. 

 

Personally was never about the lineup, but they did make a fair bit of bad decisions. 1st one post covid, when they stripped a lot of the charm away, although last 2 years got some of that back. 

 

To much emphasis on day tickets.

To much emphasis on camping upgrades.

Over pricing.

 

Would be bad for the Budapest economy also, less hotel bookings and less mobey spent in Budapest. 

 

 

 

 

[kristofm]

36 minutes ago, bunnyv said:

Yeah I know that,I was just curious if he has something concrete.

IIRC Kádár mentioned in the Budapest Park interview that of course they've got some names already but they're still waiting with the announcement to get a proper "sexy group of names" for phase 1.

 

42 minutes ago, Yelo, the Parmiggiana said:

It’s unlikely to be a smooth process: if you think about it, they’ll have to put in place a new executive structure and make some adjustments to both the budget and the business case, especially since they’ll probably have less access to financing than KKR did.

 

Interesting times, if you have an interest in M&A, I have to admit, with a touch of schadenfreude. I’m only sorry it happens to involve my favorite festival so far.

 

I'm just thinking about that the current owner would just close it anyway, so any kind of offer should be a good offer for them to accept quickly, shouldn't it? But yes, in the meantime they'll have to do those bunch of things I don't know about, so you're probably right. We'll probably be wiser in the upcoming weeks, even if there's silence about it.

 

I'm more worried if the government gets involved and start to f**k around, they wouldn't lose sleep over Sziget going out of business (I know, Sziget makes money for tourism etc. but I don't think they care about it too much). Or maybe they would try to acquire it and only allow artists that are aligned with the current government, etc.

 

 

 

[activean]

We went from "first name soon" to this.

Damn this Monday sucks. 

[bunnyv]

38 minutes ago, kristofm said:

IIRC Kádár mentioned in the Budapest Park interview that of course they've got some names already but they're still waiting with the announcement to get a proper "sexy group of names" for phase 1.

 

 

I'm just thinking about that the current owner would just close it anyway, so any kind of offer should be a good offer for them to accept quickly, shouldn't it? But yes, in the meantime they'll have to do those bunch of things I don't know about, so you're probably right. We'll probably be wiser in the upcoming weeks, even if there's silence about it.

 

I'm more worried if the government gets involved and start to f**k around, they wouldn't lose sleep over Sziget going out of business (I know, Sziget makes money for tourism etc. but I don't think they care about it too much). Or maybe they would try to acquire it and only allow artists that are aligned with the current government, etc.

 

 

 

There was almost a 40% revenue increase in accommodation during the 2024 edition. That’s not some loose change 

[CCester]

11 minutes ago, bunnyv said:

There was almost a 40% revenue increase in accommodation during the 2024 edition. That’s not some loose change 

And the majority of that revenue goes to Orban’s circle. 
 

[Yelo, the Parmiggiana]

46 minutes ago, kristofm said:

I'm just thinking about that the current owner would just close it anyway, so any kind of offer should be a good offer for them to accept quickly, shouldn't it? But yes, in the meantime they'll have to do those bunch of things I don't know about, so you're probably right. We'll probably be wiser in the upcoming weeks, even if there's silence about it.

 

I'm more worried if the government gets involved and start to f**k around, they wouldn't lose sleep over Sziget going out of business (I know, Sziget makes money for tourism etc. but I don't think they care about it too much). Or maybe they would try to acquire it and only allow artists that are aligned with the current government, etc.

 

 

 

On paper, yes.

 

On the other hand, if you consider that Superstruct has already decided to take the loss and liquidate the funding, the fact that there’s reasonably more than one party interested in bidding for the asset could trigger a bidding war or prolonged negotiations; long enough to push things well past the reasonable deadline for this year’s edition to take place.

 

Also, when it comes to acquisitions of this scale, you don’t just buy the asset at face value (say, €1.5 billion for Sziget). There are negotiations over which legal entities remain, which employees are laid off, which departments get cut, and so on. In a developed country, that usually triggers unions, and the entire operation tends to drag on forever.

 

I honestly wouldn’t expect this deal to close in less than a year, if it happens at all. It’s not like someone just walks in with jute bags stamped with dollar signs and buys the thing, sadly.

 

If the picture is even remotely as I imagine it (which I doubt, those things are way way more complicated than this), my bet is that we won’t be hearing from Sziget again until 2027 or later, unless something major and unexpected happens.
Maybe the City of Budapest steps in to fund part of the acquisition, some unexpected stakeholder appears out of nowhere, or Gerendai turns out to be a billionaire, or finds one willing to back him. Who knows.

[kristofm]

Gerendai in this moring's Balázsék Radio Show, according to 444:

 

“Negotiations are ongoing in the background, but no agreement has been reached yet. For now, all I can say is that there is talk that I might have to take over Sziget again in order for it to survive,” said Károly Gerendai, founder of the Sziget Festival, on the Balázsék show on Radio 1.

 

When asked whether this is a pleasant burden for him, he replied that this was not what he had planned.

“Eight years ago I stepped back because I felt I had grown too old for it, not because I thought I’d be any younger eight years later. It’s more about the fact that your ‘child’ matters enough to you that you try to stand by it when it’s in trouble.”

He did not share details of the negotiations, citing confidentiality agreements, but in his view, the key question is not how much money it would take to buy Sziget back, but how much it would take to keep the festival alive.

 

Gerendai told Forbes that he hopes an agreement can be reached very soon—possibly in October—and that a new ownership structure could emerge which provides proper guarantees for Sziget’s successful continuation both professionally and financially.

 

[CCester]

16 minutes ago, Yelo, the Parmiggiana said:

On paper, yes.

 

On the other hand, if you consider that Superstruct has already decided to take the loss and liquidate the funding, the fact that there’s reasonably more than one party interested in bidding for the asset could trigger a bidding war or prolonged negotiations; long enough to push things well past the reasonable deadline for this year’s edition to take place.

 

Also, when it comes to acquisitions of this scale, you don’t just buy the asset at face value (say, €1.5 billion for Sziget). There are negotiations over which legal entities remain, which employees are laid off, which departments get cut, and so on. In a developed country, that usually triggers unions, and the entire operation tends to drag on forever.

 

I honestly wouldn’t expect this deal to close in less than a year, if it happens at all. It’s not like someone just walks in with jute bags stamped with dollar signs and buys the thing, sadly.

 

If the picture is even remotely as I imagine it (which I doubt, those things are way way more complicated than this), my bet is that we won’t be hearing from Sziget again until 2027 or later, unless something major and unexpected happens.
Maybe the City of Budapest steps in to fund part of the acquisition, some unexpected stakeholder appears out of nowhere, or Gerendai turns out to be a billionaire, or finds one willing to back him. Who knows.

All this makes sense, on the other hand I don’t think they would have thrown in Getendai’s name if the negotiations weren’t well underway.

 

16 minutes ago, Yelo, the Parmiggiana said:

In a developed country, that usually triggers unions, and the entire operation tends to drag on forever.

Lucky we don’t have powerful unions here, except when it comes to taxi drivers.

 

16 minutes ago, Yelo, the Parmiggiana said:

Gerendai turns out to be a billionaire, or finds one willing to back him.

He is. And I bet he has one hell of a social network. Getting the money shouldn’t be the problem. As he said making it long living what is the challenge.

Edited October 13, 2025 by CCester

[bunnyv]

20 minutes ago, Yelo, the Parmiggiana said:

On paper, yes.

 

On the other hand, if you consider that Superstruct has already decided to take the loss and liquidate the funding, the fact that there’s reasonably more than one party interested in bidding for the asset could trigger a bidding war or prolonged negotiations; long enough to push things well past the reasonable deadline for this year’s edition to take place.

 

Also, when it comes to acquisitions of this scale, you don’t just buy the asset at face value (say, €1.5 billion for Sziget). There are negotiations over which legal entities remain, which employees are laid off, which departments get cut, and so on. In a developed country, that usually triggers unions, and the entire operation tends to drag on forever.

 

I honestly wouldn’t expect this deal to close in less than a year, if it happens at all. It’s not like someone just walks in with jute bags stamped with dollar signs and buys the thing, sadly.

 

If the picture is even remotely as I imagine it (which I doubt, those things are way way more complicated than this), my bet is that we won’t be hearing from Sziget again until 2027 or later, unless something major and unexpected happens.
Maybe the City of Budapest steps in to fund part of the acquisition, some unexpected stakeholder appears out of nowhere, or Gerendai turns out to be a billionaire, or finds one willing to back him. Who knows.

He IS a billionaire…:D