Impact International: UK/Euro 2024 Honoree Tamás Kádár

SZIGET’S “FREEDOM, ACCEPTANCE & INCLUSION”

With Tamás Kádár at the helm as CEO, Sziget Festival celebrated the big 3-0 this past summer with a lineup featuring Kylie Minogue, Halsey, Janelle Monáe, Sam Smith, Liam Gallagher, Stormzy and more. The 30th anniversary of what is arguably Hungary’s most famous festival and one of the biggest overall in Europe took place. Aug. 7-12 on Óbuda Island in Budapest. The event welcomed between 60,000 and 70,000 daily guests, and hosted some 1,000 performances spread across 50 stages. Along with tons of music, Sziget features theatre, comedy, art, insightful panels, art workshops, and more. And the crowd was just as diverse as the programming, with guests arriving from 100 countries to take part in this cultural extravaganza.

Reflecting on the most important social, political or economic issue within the industry, Kádár says, “I cannot escape the fact that we are organising Sziget Festival in Hungary, in a political environment that is not necessarily supportive of Sziget’s principles. Standing up for freedom, acceptance and inclusion is a constant part of Sziget’s DNA, and the fact that for 22 years now there has been a venue (Magic Mirror) on the festival that promotes acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community is a source of immense pride for me personally as well.”

Kádár previously spoke with Pollstar about the challenges of organizing Sziget in the midst of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and how the festival is continuing to work with Music Saves Ukraine, a NGO helping musicians, festival organizers, and promoters in that country. He commented that in addition to having Music Saves Ukraine at the festival. “We also invite Ukrainian artists, that’s how we as a festival can help, by giving them the opportunity to play, but also the space to raise their voice and keep this terrible aggression of Russia on the public’s mind. Sziget has always been taking a stand for various causes, one of them is definitely peace.”

Sziget is set to return in 2025 on Aug. 6-11. “We are currently working on the experience, content and brand renewal of Sziget, and the 2025 event will be the first step in this three-year process,” Kádár says. “We’re working on new venues, new designs, new content, which is always very exciting.”