Tag: island of freedom

Sziget Festival – Part Four

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to another Friday, to my blog and, believe it or not, the end of August. Can you believe it’s really nearly September? Because I can’t. I mean, today was my last day at work and in three weeks I’ll already be on my way to London. How crazy is that? I can’t believe it’s all happening so fast. But on the other hand, I’m also very very very excited. I’ve dreamed about living in London for over eight years and now it’s really finally happening. To say that I’m almost bursting of happiness would be an understatement. Which also goes for how I’m feeling right now and regarding what I want to tell you guys all about today. Because today, we’re proudly continuing the Sziget festival series and I couldn’t be any happier about it. I hope so far you’ve also enjoyed reading about my time at the festival and that you’re just as much looking forward to hearing all about day 6 as I am to sharing it all with you. It was a phenomenal day. Please enjoy.

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Day 6

It all started off with me waking up and immediately planning my outfit. It had to be a good one, a fairy-tale-like one, because it would be the day we’d finally be seeing the angel Florence Welch, aka Florence + The Machine, who is the ultimate fairy, let’s be honest. So, the outfit had to be good. And practical, because it would also be a day of actually sprinting from one gig to another. It was the most packed day of the whole week, I think in total we went to seven different shows. Yes, you read that right. SEVEN. In one single day. You can probably imagine now in what kind of stress we were on that day. I mean, it was the best stress you can think of, but it was still stress. Stress from excitement. I don’t know.

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Despite the heat though, I was extremely looking forward to all of the shows, especially to Florence and to Tom Odell and Catfish and The Bottlemen and probably most of all Boy Pablo. I actually found him, or let’s rather say the band, because of the lineup, while I was checking out all the acts. I fell in love immediately. The music they make is exactly what I usually like to listen to. It just fits perfectly. And little did I know that that gig would be one of the funniest ones I’ve ever been to.

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But before I get into this, let’s first start right at the beginning. Not to be dramatic or anything, but I think that Monday was actually the hottest day of the whole week. And after already having gone through five days of music and the sun trying to burn us all alive, you could definitely feel how we all were dreaming about a few clouds popping up here and there. Do you know these pictures of the Sahara where all the wild animals, Zebras, Lions and so on, are all lying under the trees, hiding in the few spots of shade they could find? That’s exactly how the island looked when we got there. Everyone was lying under a tree, either asleep or listening to the band playing on the stage in front of them. And here comes another aspect of why I love Sziget so much – the actual island is freaking beautiful. It’s literally the perfect place for a festival. A huge park that has everything you need and that’s located in the middle of Budapest, but that can still be closed off from the rest of the city. Honestly, it’s absolutely perfect. And definitely much better than just that plain field you usually get with most festivals.

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And as it was so hot and we were one of those people who were going into their sixth day, we did just the same as them and sat down underneath a tree and just listened to the band playing in front of us. And shortly after that, it was already time for us to head to the main stage to see Tom Odell. That show was especially cool for me, because I had already seen him back in 2016 when I was still living in Berlin, and because he also went to BIMM. A guy, who had also gone to my university, was playing on the main stage at my favourite festival. You can’t dream up stuff like this, I swear. Obviously, he was absolutely amazing. I don’t know how he does it, but whenever I hear his voice live, I immediately get goosebumps everywhere. The power he has.

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Unfortunately, we had to leave midway through his set, because Boy Pablo were just about to start playing and they were my number one priority on that day. And boy, they did not let me down. I can’t really think of a gig where I laughed that much in the space of one hour. I’m not even kidding, I really cried tears from laughing, that’s how weird and funny these guys were. I can’t really pinpoint one specific thing that made the whole gig so funny, but I can tell you who the definite highlight was – Erik, their pianist and background singer, who, funnily enough, did much more than that on that day. He played the triangle, the tambourine, the bongos, heck, he even played some maracas-like-shaker. This guy did everything. And on top of that he literally had the most fun on stage and danced and jumped around like crazy. At one point, he literally put on some freaky sunglasses and put his towel on his head and into a turban. That’s how he played one song. And I might add that some white shorts and shoes were the only other pieces of clothing he was wearing. I almost fell over from laughing. I also have to mention that all of these guys are  around my age and just getting started as a band and you could actually see how much they were enjoying themselves. They even had a dance-off on stage, during their set. How crazy is that? Honestly, I absolutely adored them. And taking in all that happiness in that tent made me love them even more and made me want to see them again as soon as possible. After over two weeks that have passed, their concert still remains one of the highlights of the whole week. I’ll definitely never forget that set. Never ever.

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But of course, the fun didn’t just end there. After that, we went over to another stage to see Bosse, a german band I’ve been wanting to see for quite some time now, and then Catfish and The Bottlemen, who were absolutely fantastic as well. I remember standing there, watching their set and finally realizing that they were exactly what had still been missing from the lineup – good, old indie rock. That’s what I had been secretly craving the whole week and they gave me exactly what I needed.

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In total, these are all the amazing acts we got to see on that day:

  • I Love You Honey Bunny
  • Big Thief
  • Tom Odell
  • Boy Pablo
  • Bosse
  • Catfish and The Bottlemen
  • Florence + The Machine

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Obviously, Florence was the ultimate highlight, right after Boy Pablo. God, she was absolutely breathtaking. Thankfully, mum and I managed to get ourselves a good spot to watch the show from, right at the second barrier, and it was just so lovely. I felt like I was in my own safe space as soon as she got on stage. The whole crowd became one big family, with Florence as our queen. I loved the energy she brought and how she interacted with us. I felt so included, like I was part of the show, part of the magic. And it might not be that relevant, but I absolutely adored the dress she was wearing. Just like I said at the beginning of the post – she’s a fairy. She doesn’t just sound and look like a fairy, she really is one. And her voice is the most magical thing of them all. The concert wasn’t just a gig like any other. It was an experience. An inclusive experience, full of love and freedom and magic. I loved every second of it. And I need to thank Florence and her phenomenal band for turning this Monday into such a fairytale-like evening.

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And that pretty much was the whole day number 6. Besides the concerts, mum and I also got to screenprint our own shirts, which was super cool as well. I’ve actually been proudly wearing the shirt every few days and the whole thing also got me into the idea of cutting all the shirts I’m not so keen on wearing, but would definitely wear if they just looked a bit different, even if they were just a bit cropped. So, thanks for giving me that idea, Sziget.

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Just like all the previous days, I absolutely loved spending time on this island, surrounded by happiness and love and music and people just like me. No wonder I‘m addicted to concerts and festivals. Why leave heaven? And while we were walking back home, away from the very same island, the very same heaven, I knew that the last day would be the one last high I had been waiting for this whole time. The day I’d finally be seeing Twenty One Pilots, my boys, Ty and Josh. The excitement was through the roof. And, without exaggeration, it also is right now, because I can’t wait to tell you all about that day. It was unbelieveable. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to post anything on Monday, as I’ll be away from home, but you can already prepare yourselves for next Friday. And until then, I hope you enjoyed reading all about day 6 of Sziget. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below and I wish you all a lovely weekend and week. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

Sziget Festival – Part Three

Hola everyone.

How are you all doing today, guys? I hope you’ve all had an amazing weekend and that you’re feeling well. Am I the only one who feels like time is literally flying by in full speed? I mean, September is just around the corner and, I swear, I’ll be moving to London in no time. How is summer already over? I can’t believe it.

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No wonder I’m so drawn towards the idea of sharing every single amazing detail of Sziget festival with you. I just can’t let it go. So far, I hope you’ve had fun reading about the first three days. About Ed’s gig on the first day, how Marty’s show blew me away, how I met Gabe Fraboni (let’s go Team Garrix) and how my mum and I went to bed at quarter to 6 am and didn’t crumble into pieces the next day. Actually, the not crumbling part and the two fantastic days that followed will be today’s topic, so I hope you’re excited to hear all about that. I, for my part, am extremely happy that I get to share all of this with you. So, without further ado, here come day 4 and 5 of my week at the legendary Sziget festival.

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Day 4

You can probably imagine how day 4, the day after Marty’s show and the day after I had gone to bed when the sun was already rising again, began… I woke up, felt like someone had whacked me on the head and immediately wanted to curl up into a ball under the covers again. I think we had slept for about four hours, which, for someone who usually sleeps about ten hours if she can, wasn’t nearly enough. Far away from it, actually. But obviously, I had to drag my body out of bed, because there was another phenomenal day at Sziget waiting ahead for me and no matter how tired I was, I wouldn’t let any hour I could spend in paradise go to waste. On another note, I also woke up with little to no hearing and my voice was pretty much gone, so yeah. I was in a STATE. But still happy. As always.

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Thankfully, I already knew that day 4 wouldn’t be as extreme as the previous one, as it wasn’t filled with lots of concerts and I could give my ears and body a bit of rest. And here once again comes the reason why I love Sziget so much – even if the lineup isn’t for you, you’ll still have so many other things to do, you’ll never get bored. Never ever. Even the opposite, because if I remember correctly, we couldn’t even do all the things we wanted to and we were there for a whole week. That’s how much this island has to offer.

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It all started off with mum and I making our own bracelets (I made a yellow one… I wonder why…) and then we went on the hunt for all the stamp spots on the island for our Szitizen passport. I know, what the hell am I even talking about? If you’ve never been to Sziget, that last sentence was probably very confusing to you, so please let me explain. At Sziget, once you arrive on the island, you get a Sziget passport to become a Szitizen. And as with usual passports, you can visit different areas where you can get stamps from, so you know you were there. You can also go have a picture taken and printed out and then you can go to the official immigration office and then you will become an official Szitizen. Which, obviously, my mum and I had to do. That means we are now official Szitizens. And I know it might sound a bit freaky, but it actually feels really nice. I’m happy to say that this island, this paradise, this place of music, love and happiness is my second home now. I feel honoured.

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Besides that, we pretty much just wandered around the island, from one show to another, and enjoyed the moment to its fullest. Music-wise, the highlight of the day was definitely Macklemore, who I had never seen before but who actually really surprised me by how good the show was. I usually don’t really listen to his music, but I really enjoyed his gig. I loved how energetic he was and how he managed to get 75.000 people to party with him and his band (who was amazing as well and super hilarious). Also, from what I could tell, he seemed like the nicest guy ever and it looked like he was really enjoying himself, which made the gig a thousand times better. And just a side note – Foo Fighters were playing on the last day and you would think that they would have a big crowd, but I swear to god, Macklemore had a far bigger crowd than them. The field was packed. Not as much as for Ed, but close. Like I said, I was blown away.

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In full, those are all the acts we got to see that day:

  • Tamino
  • Hearts Hearts
  • Roosevelt
  • Macklemore
  • Wanda
  • The National
  • James Blake

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Another highlight, besides the gigs, was a venue called Fulldome, which again looked like a huge plastic, walk-in balloon, just like the Luminarium. But here comes the fun part: on the inside, it was like a cinema. So, you get inside this huge plastic bubble and then lie down on cushions so you look up, where the round top turns into a screen. It’s supposed to be some kind of virtual reality thing, but while I was lying there and watching some kind of magical sea creatures swim across the screen, I couldn’t help myself but think how amazing it would be to watch actual movies like that. Like, imagine watching Infinity War like this, where it actually feels like you’re part of the scene and the movie. It would be absolutely fantastic. Maybe I’ll change my career and just do that. The bubble cinema.

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Obviously, we didn’t leave the island before 1 am that night, even as tired as we were. Sziget is way too amazing, leaving just isn’t an option. And just like the previous days, we had again spent a few fantastic hours in paradise and while I was finally falling into bed, I couldn’t wait for what was still to come.

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Day 5

Here comes the most relaxed day out of the whole week. In fact, it could actually be described as a very long arts and crafts session with a few concerts squished in between. I remember the day the full lineup got released and I saw what Sunday looked like, I was a bit disappointed because there wasn’t much for me to look forward to. But now that the day had come, I was actually thankful for a bit of quiet and relaxation. No stress. No worries about how we would get to the front row. No waiting for anything. When I woke up, I already knew that it would be a good day.

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Like I already mentioned, we spent most of the day walking around the island and taking part in different activities and doing anything fun we could find. We did some kind of pop-art, stick-different-magazine-cutouts-on-a-piece-of-wood-and-call-it-art thing, which was fun. I even made a Sziget magnet, which I’m actually pretty proud of. And after that, we went to an “all love is equal”-party at the main stage, which was super cool and then spent the rest of the night checking out different gigs and visiting the funfair again, which was another highlight. We even went on the small, new ferris wheel. It was super cute. Oh yeah, and we also went to the circus and watched a group of acrobats act as if their bodies were made to fly. Absolutely incredible.

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All in all, the whole day was a nice mix of great shows and fun activities and I’m honestly really glad that it wasn’t fully packed, as I knew that the upcoming two days would be quite intense. In total, here are all the acts we saw that day:

  • Jungle
  • Post Malone
  • Honne

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You might ask now, what I am doing at a Post Malone gig? Well, wait for him to play Sunflower, obviously. No, but in all honesty, he was actually really good. I’m not really a big fan of rap music, as you might know, but he actually has a good voice. Once he sat down with his guitar and it was just him and his voice and the instrument, it was really really nice. I think even my mum enjoyed herself. Just another reason why I love going to festivals so much. Of course you get to see your favourite acts and maybe bands you’ve already seen a few times, but besides that, you’re guaranteed to see bands and artists you’ve never heard of. Some will be good, some will be bad, maybe one will even become your new favourite band. But they will all be new. And that’s exactly why festivals are so much fun and so exciting.

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In total, the day was absolutely beautiful all around. Again, I can only point out how absolutely freaking amazing Sziget is and how much love I’ve got for it. It really has its own special place in my heart and I can’t wait to go back as soon as possible. It’s something else, it really is. And while mum and I were walking home that night, night 5, I couldn’t wait for the next two upcoming days to come. I felt like I was living my ultimate dream and I never ever wanted it to stop.

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And on that note, here’s the end of today’s post. If you’ve made it this far, thanks so much for reading all about my time at Sziget, I hope you enjoyed it. Of course, I would love to hear all your opinions and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to leave them down below in the comment section. And, as always, I wish you all a lovely week and, again, thanks for reading. x

Sziget Festival – Part One

Hola everyone.

Where am I? Why am I here? What day is it? And why did I not wake up in Budapest today with the prospect of spending another day at Sziget? Can I please go back? Honestly, reality is so overrated. Living the dream is way better, trust me guys.

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But even if I don’t want to realize it, I have to face the fact that Sziget festival is officially over. That I’m officially back home again. And that normality is very dull compared to the past week. Very very dull. But I’m so glad I’m here and you are here, because together, we can and will relive that absolutely out-of-this-world crazy week I got to spend at Sziget. It’s going to be a treat, trust me. And I’m so happy I get to write this, because right now, I’m looking for any chance of reliving my time there over and over again. PCD (post-concert-depression) is really kicking my butt right now, so any chance of taking my mind back to Budapest is very welcome. And as so, so, so, SO much happened in those seven days, plus the tattoo appointment on the eighth day, I thought it would be best to split them up in twos. So, for the next two weeks, it’s officially all going to be about Sziget. Because this festival deserves every recognition it can get. And because it was, without a doubt, the best week of my entire life and I’m literally nearly bursting of excitement and happiness and pure love, so I need to just share it with you. So, let’s head right in, shall we?

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Day 1

Okay, so, as some of you might know from my previous posts, one of the artists I was most looking forward to was Ed. Yes, my Ed. Ed freaking Sheeran. At Sziget festival. I’m still not over it. Never will, probably. And he was exactly the one who got to be the very first headliner of the week, so the seven days of madness started with him. I couldn’t have wished for anyone else, let’s be real.

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So, on the very first day, my mum and I took the train to Budapest, got to our hotel – Brody House once again (still the most beautiful hotel I’ve ever stayed at) -, got dressed and then headed straight to the festival. God damn, I was so excited. One year had passed since I last had had the chance to be at Sziget, so the anticipation was out of this world. I nearly couldn’t take it. But, obviously, the festival didn’t let me down. It never does. It was as beautiful as ever. And as crazy and weird and fantastic and fun and literally perfect as ever. I loved it the second we got there. And with that, I left behind all my worries and thoughts about the outside world. You know, Sziget is like another universe. A universe, where only music, love, freedom and happiness exist. Nothing else. And now that I’ve been there for a whole week (which felt like a month, tbh), it feels like my second home. My place of absolute freedom and happiness. There’s no other place like this on earth. Trust me.

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On that day, besides being in awe because of all the beauty of the festival, we got to see the following acts:

  • Ocean Alley
  • Kodaline
  • Michael Kiwanuka
  • Ed Sheeran

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Obviously, Ed was the ultimate highlight, he was just as fantastic as always. And he played “Remember The Name”, which I was super excited about. It’s just such an incredible song. And I love that he always mixes up his sets. I’ve seen him three times the past three months and every single show was different. That’s what I call cool. Besides that, I was also super happy to finally be able to see Kodaline after all those years, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to hear all their well-known songs as we had to head back to the main stage to get a good spot for Ed. And here comes the small let down. The first day was apparently the only one that was completely sold out. No surprise, if it’s Ed. But they brought more people in than they usually do and the area around the stage wasn’t made to hold about 95.000 people, which we then noticed by the sheer endless amount of people surrounding us and pressing in on us. I literally couldn’t see anything else than just people everywhere. And, in all honesty, it was just too much, because at first, it kind of ruined the experience. My mum never got to see Ed, because there was just no place to go for her where she could see better. And after the show, as everyone wanted to leave at the same time, there was a huge crowd waiting to get out at the entrance, even after an hour when we wanted to leave as well. There were just too many people. I mean, I get that it was Ed and that they wanted to have a full crowd and a full festival, but that was just too much.

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Still, the first day was absolutely fantastic and a nearly perfect start of the whole week. And I just loved seeing Ed at Sziget. I dreamed about it ever since being there for the first time in 2015 and now, four years later, the dream finally came true and I’ll be forever grateful for that.

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Day 2

When I woke up the next day, I immediately knew that Ed has achieved what he always wants to get out of a show – I had pretty much lost my voice. But as much as my voice was gone, the more had my happiness and excitement grown. I was so ready for another day in paradise and it would be a great one, with The 1975 and many more to look forward to.

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Compared to the first day, the second one was a lot more chill, simply because first of all, we got there far earlier than the day before and, secondly, because there just weren’t as many people. And I don’t know about you, but I’m always that teeny tiny bit calmer when I’m not pressed against human bodies all the time. And as we had quite some time left before the first act, we had time to go on a little walk on the island and check out all the other entertainment stuff and venues. Again, I have to point out, the sheer amount of things you can do and go to besides just to the shows at Sziget is absolutely mind-blowing. There’s something for anyone, whether you want to watch a movie, chill in the sun, go to the beach, paint something, make your own shirt or go to a dance class or visit a circus. You can do anything and whatever at Sziget.

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One of my favourite venues definitely was the Luminarium. I can’t really explain what it is, but just imagine stepping into a huge balloon, where some calming, mysterious music is playing inside and only specs of sunlight can come through the coloured walls, creating the most beautiful rainbows inside in the process. I know, it might not sound that cool, maybe even a bit weird, but trust me, it’s absolutely magical. It’s like stepping into another world. Another world on top of the other world that is Sziget. I’m so in love with it. And it’s the most fantastic photo spot (check out the pics down below).

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After that, we went over to the museum quarter and made our own badges (yep, that’s literally what you can do at Sziget, for free), which was super cool. I obviously had to make one in the design of an arc reactor (Tony stans rise) and then, for my second one, I wanted to make one just for myself, that wasn’t obviously representing anything. That just had a meaning for myself and that looked cute, so I could wear it every day. You can probably guess, as I was already so hyped for Twenty One Pilots, that it had to be TOP related. So, after a few minutes long brainstorm, I ended up with a light pink background and a replica of Ty’s “carpe noctem” tattoo (= seize the night). And I know, you might think now that it’s a bit corny, but if you know me, you know it’s fitting because I’m literally the most extreme night owl. I love the night. I need the night. I live the night. So yeah, it’s pretty much spot on and I’ve been proudly wearing it ever since.

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Later on we went to the cinema and grabbed some popcorn, watched an extremely cool athletics/dance team, who were literally throwing their female team members around like they were some tiny, light balls and not heavy human beings (absolutely mind-blowing, honestly), checked out the funfair and just like that, it was time for us to head to the main stage for Franz Ferdinand, who I was super excited for.

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In total, these were all the acts we saw on that day:

  • Franz Ferdinand
  • Pale Waves
  • The 1975
  • Cvrches

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Looking at the whole day, I think my mum’s highlight definitely wasn’t a musical act, but someone very different and very special. As Sziget is built on principles like freedom, love, equality and the protection of our environment, being green was an especially important topic this year and thus they also had special events planned for that. And one of those events was a short talk by the one and only Jane Goodall. Yes, that amazing woman who spent many years of her life living with chimpanzees and who’s now made it her mission to spread the message that we need to act now and that we need to live in harmony with all beings on this planet in order to be able to save it. In short, this woman is a hero and I still feel so honoured that I could be in her presence. And as my mum is very much into all that stuff as well, it was extremely important for her too. I’m usually the one in the family to easily get teary-eyed (I cried a lot throughout the whole festival, trust me), but even she got tears in her eyes. And in that moment, I was just so so happy for her.

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Still, personally, my highlight has to be The 1975 closing the main stage. I’ve seen this band many many times already, from small shows when they were still supporting Two Door Cinema Club back in 2013, to big headline shows like the one at Sziget. But out of all of those, that one on this very island has to be my favourite one to date. Matty was so hyped up, it was out of this world. I mean, he literally jumped into the crowd at full speed, changed his outfit on stage, did a shot and then handed the empty glass over to the cameraman and cursed at the organizers for telling him to hurry up. He didn’t give a single f*** that night and I was all up for it. You can say whatever you want about him, he’ll always be one of the coolest people in the industry. And he knows that, let’s be real.

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And that pretty much was day two. Obviously, we stayed for a little while, walked around the area, checked out the Cvrches gig and did whatever we felt like, but it was just a chill night after The 1975 and I loved that. Sziget is a place where I could spend my whole life. A life surrounded by music, happiness, love, sunshine and good food. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?

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Well, and there you go, guys. Those were the first two days at Sziget – in short, actually, even though it might not seem like it. Sziget is just so damn fantastic, I could literally talk about it for days. I would never shut up. But those were the most important parts. And I’m super happy that I get to share them with you. I hope you enjoyed reading about those two days and that you’re already excited for the upcoming two. You can be, honestly, because Marty’s show is about to be next and it was such a hell of a ride. I may or may not have had the chance to talk to Gabe (if you know, you know), but I won’t give away too much. I’ll just say this – get ready. And until then I wish you a lovely week, and, as always, thanks for reading. x