Sziget Festival begins a new chapter, returning to its roots under the leadership of its founder, Károly Gerendai. Alongside this major change, the festival announced that it is set to return in 2026 from August 11–15, on the Óbuda Island in Budapest.
After welcoming its 11 millionth visitor in 2025, Sziget now builds on more than three decades of heritage to shape the next phase in its history as original founder Károly Gerendai returns once-again.
Throughout its existence, Sziget – one of Europe’s leading festivals – has always been defined by creativity, authenticity, and the spirit of its global community. Now, it moves forward with a renewed sense of freedom and a long-term vision for the future.
After collaborative discussions, Sziget and Superstruct aligned on a new direction, with the festival moving forward under the leadership of its founder and long-standing team. In addition, a new multi-year land agreement was reached with the Budapest Municipality, confirming the ongoing support of the city.
Building on a successful 2025 edition, which included significant investment in The Island of Freedom and showed clear growth compared to previous years, Sziget is shaping its 2026 event with renewed energy and direction, CEO Tamás Kádár said:
“For 2026, we’re working toward the same goal as always: to continue developing Sziget as one of Europe’s leading festivals with the strong lineup and international allure that has made it a unique event for decades.
Superstruct’s period of operational involvement in the festival allowed us to navigate the pandemic and to invest in the quality of the festival experience for visitors from across Europe – we are grateful for all their support.”
Founder Károly Gerendai added:
“This year’s Sziget already showed very positive developments, giving us a strong foundation to build on. At the same time, there is always more work to do to secure the place of the festival in the hearts of fans who visit us from across the world.
Our focus now is to emphasize Sziget’s unique identity and values even more. Not only through the headline acts, but also by deepening the festival’s cultural significance and its connection to Budapest.”
In 2026, Sziget will take place over five festival days, running from Tuesday August 11 to Saturday August 15— with an additional move-in day on top. The streamlined format brings all of Sziget’s music, arts, and community experiences together into one natural festival week, designed to make every day count.
To capture the spirit, energy, and emotion of The Island of Freedom, dive into the just-released official aftermovie from last year’s edition.
An exclusive 48-hour pre-sale for Full Festival Passes to Sziget 2026 will begin on Friday November 7th at noon, with prices starting at the same level as last year’s edition.
