Home » TRAVEL EVENT NEWS » Sziget Festival 2025 Draws Younger Fans as Óbuda Island Begins Cultural Renewal in Budapest Published on
August 17, 2025The 2025 Sziget Festival took place on Budapest’s Óbuda Island—the same place festival-goers know as Hajógyári Island. The festival gates swung open on Wednesday, August 6. That same night, Charli XCX took the mainstage spotlight, drawing a crowd that nearly packed the whole area. The next evening, Shawn Mendes stepped up as the main headliner, and once again, the audience was almost at total capacity.The festival’s weeklong run brought an enviably diverse slate of acts from around the globe. Nelly Furtado, Post Malone, Kid Cudi, Papa Roach, and Empire of the Sun all stepped on stage, covering a sweep of styles and eras. Under a glowing closing night, Chappell Roan delivered the fest’s last set, an anthem of drag-pop joy that lingered in the air as the final exit lights blinked on. Fans filed out, still buzzing from Roan’s soaring vocals and electric energy, the week’s last memory unmistakably a high note.Advertisement Later, festival planners shared the first survey results from festival-goers. This year’s crowd had a younger average age than in 2024, and the organisers saw this as a good sign. Engaging younger people means the festival is already winning over the next generation. For Budapest’s cultural tourism, having a youthful audience at one of Europe’s biggest cultural events is not just good news today; it means the city’s cultural life will keep thriving for years to come.Southern Óbuda Island to undergo large-scale transformationParallel to the celebration of music and culture, a major development announcement was made during the festival. Plans were unveiled for the southern portion of Óbuda Island, which had long been left unused and where many structures had fallen into disrepair. According to reports shared at the press event, the southern side of the island was set to be converted into a large-scale cultural and recreational centre, with the first attractions scheduled to open by the end of 2025.The project was presented as a cooperative initiative between the developer MultiKulti Zrt. and the city administration. Early outlines showed that the redevelopment would not only target entertainment but would also focus on community and tourism.New attractions: sports fields, cultural venues, and heritage spacesThe concept of …
