Sziget Festival 2008

2008's Sziget Festival will be from the 11th to the 18th of August. Instead of seven days of music as there was in 2007, the festival has been reduced to five days of music, with a "zero day" where the audience can watch one big concert, which this year will be Iron Maiden.

Sziget Festival, (pronounced see'-get) takes place on Óbudai-sziget ("Old-Buda Island"), an island in the Danube, Budapest, Hungary. Taking place in August, the festival started as a local event in 1993 playing host to various Hungarian artists and has grown into a large European festival, showcasing over a thousand international artists, from many genres, to 400,000 visitors, half of which come from outside Hungary.

Sziget has loads of other things on offer to festival goers, as well as the music, there is; theatre, dance, classical music, cabaret, performances, films, fine art, crafts, literary presentations, programmes for kids, sports and other free time activities.

Iron Maiden with openers Lauren Harris (daughter of the Maiden bassist) and her band are to play in Budapest on the Mainstage of Sziget festival on Zero day, Tuesday the 12th August. On the five proper days of the festival, the headliners include R.E.M. (16th) and The Sex Pistols. Heading for the main stage are Jamiroquai, Serj Tankian, Flogging Molly, The Wombats, Kaiser Chiefs, Anti-Flag, Mademoiselle K, and Roisin Murphy. On the world music stage, Transglobal Underground, Goran Bregovic Wedding & Funeral Band, and Seun Kuti & Egypt 80. The WAN2 Stage will present Danko Jones, Delinquent Habits, The New York Ska Jazz Ensemble, Hocus Pocus, Les Touffes Krétiennes, Pete Philly & Perquisite, Brisa Roché, Che Sudaka, and Izabo. The HammerWorld metal arena is to host Apocalyptica, Iced Earth, Avantasia, Exodus, Lacrimas Profundere, 3 Inches of Blood, Dew-Scented, Mass Hysteria, and Pro-Pain.

There are still many more names to be confirmed yet. Leonard Cohen was rumoured to perform at the event, he however cancelled all his August shows.

Camping information
Camping Tickets are valid from 11 August 10:00am, Non-Camping Tickets are valid from 13 August 06:00am. Both types are valid to 18 August 08:00am. Daily ticket holders can enter the festival site from 02:00am to midnight on the day indicated on the ticket, and can stay until 08:00am the following day.

For those wishing to extend their stay on at the festival once the validity of their ticket has ceased, a new wristband can be purchased. Those who don’t buy a new one will be obliged to leave the festival site.

Ticket prices
Camping ticket 150 euro
Non-Camping ticket 130 euro
Day tickets 32 euro
additional ticket for live in vehicles 100 euro
Children aged 10 and under have free entry if accompanied by an adult. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

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