Sziget, one of the most vibrant and diverse festivals in music and performance during the European summer, takes place in one of the most picturesque settings: Óbuda Island, a beautiful 108-hectare stretch of lush greenery located on the Danube River, just minutes from downtown Budapest (Hungary).
For six days, the event transforms into a tolerant, inclusive and humanity-loving community known as the Island of Freedom.
Robe moving lights stood out on several of the main stages this year, including the Bolt Night Stage, supplied by Light Positive with some newly acquired fixtures; the Revolut Stage, supplied by VEG Europe; and the Main Stage, supplied by Colossal.
Robe’s Hungarian distributor, AVL Trade, organized an exclusive backstage area and tech hub for all crew members, creatives and professionals working across the festival. This included the Avostream mobile demo vehicle, a complete merchandising cabin, a bar, and a chill-out zone under the trees with comfortable restrooms, located next to the Night Stage backstage area, adding to the dynamic flow of artists coming and going.
Up to 60,000 fans attended each day, creating a fantastic, fun and positive atmosphere as everyone enjoyed the glorious sunshine.
It was another great event for us, a perfect opportunity for networking, reconnecting with friends and industry partners, and making new contacts, including lighting designers and operators who visited the festival. It was amazing to see so many Robe fixtures in action across the site, once again proving that the iFORTE model and other flagship products of the brand are a reliable and high-performance choice for festivals and outdoor events, said Csaba Csanádi of AVL Trade.
Bolt Night Stage
Formerly known as Party Arena, this large tent with a 10,000-person capacity is Sziget’s hub for electronic music fans and partygoers eager to dance from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., with a lineup featuring big names such as Armin van Buuren, Steve Angello, Amelie Lens, Boris Brejcha and many more.
The lighting design was created by the Dutch company The Art of Light, led by André Beekmans, renowned for its innovative work in the electronic genre. They also designed the lighting for the Colosseum Stage. Robe is one of their preferred brands for this type of setup.
Overseeing The Art of Light’s on-site work was Kasper Dijksterhuis, who created the layout, drawings and renders together with André. A standout feature of TWOFIFTYK’s environmental design for this space was the inclusion of 14 automated visual pods equipped with lighting and video, suspended from the ceiling above the audience. This allowed the architecture of the space to change daily —and even during each artist’s set— offering a highly dynamic stage experience.
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Additional trusses ran across the ceiling for lighting, audio and video, while a widescreen LED display behind the DJ booth enhanced the epic yet fun atmosphere of the venue.
Kasper explained that, when planning the lighting, they considered the venue, available rigging, weight loads, artists’ technical riders and the scenography before starting to position the lights.
Each of the moving pods contained 10 Robe LEDBeam 350 units, with more of the same model used as side lighting for the DJs. The LEDBeam 350 fixtures were chosen for their lightweight design, an essential factor to reduce slippage and ensure stability when the pods were tilted at extreme angles.
20 Robe FORTES were placed along the top of the upstage screen and on the side trusses, ideal for powerful backlighting effects.
60 MegaPointes were installed in the ceiling trusses, beaming light down, around and across the audience. This festival favorite was ideal for its power, punch and wide range of creative effects.
Each night, the Night Tent was curated by different hosts, some of whom brought their own lighting designers, such as Robbert-Jan Vernooij, who handled lighting for the Awakenings lineup on Friday night.
The FORTES and 24 of the 142 LEDBeam 350s that ramped up the excitement were new acquisitions from the Hungarian rental company Light Positive, which has supplied this stage for the past six years.
They also purchased more MegaPointes, as they remain in high demand on artist riders. Their current rental inventory now includes around 250 Robe fixtures.
A six-person Light Positive team, including Nandor Ládos and Sándor Orosz, managed the Night Stage, though their total on-site crew numbered around 60, as they also supplied three other areas, including the Circus Stage and Street Theatre Stage, both featuring Robe Tarrantula wash beams, part of the new batch of lights delivered by AVL Trade.
Revolut Stage
The Revolut Stage, the second-largest of the event, featured an eclectic mix of international stars, local gems and rising talents, including Justice, Empire of the Sun, Blossoms, Caribou, Papa Roach and many more. Lighting was handled by Bence Doma and Álmos Bus, both regular technicians for VEG (Visual Europe Group).
The main lighting system included 24 FORTES, 22 Tarrantulas, 34 MegaPointes and 12 Tetra2s, along with various floor setups, some featuring additional Robe fixtures that were also provided to certain acts.
The rig was designed to accommodate up to six bands per day, requiring meticulous organization and coordination. The structure used an eight-leg steel ground support system, and the Robe fixtures were selected for their power, reliability and flexibility, able to meet the demands of multiple lighting designers.
Main Stage
The Main Stage lighting design was led by Mark Kontra, part of the team from rental company Colossal, which supplied all the lighting equipment for this area.
Mark has been involved with this stage and the festival for 14 years, and since 2015 he has led the main lighting team.
This year, the number of Robe fixtures exceeded 300 units, including:
- 56 FORTES
- 30 iFORTE LTX (6 FS versions and 24 standard)
- 40 iFORTES
- 56 Pointes
- 38 ColorStrobes
- 34 iBar 15s
- 48 LEDBeam 350s
- 4 RoboSpot systems controlling the iFORTE LTX FS fixtures installed on the four FOH towers
Versatility was once again key, with fixtures chosen and positioned to be as accessible and adaptable as possible for all designers throughout the event.
This year’s headliners included Charli XCX, who got the crowd dancing on the opening night; Chappell Roan, who closed the festival the following Monday; and in between, performances by Shawn Mendes, Kid Cudi, Anyma and Post Malone.
Robe’s own musical talent also made a surprise appearance on the Johnnie Walker Stage, with a special collaboration between DJ Stereonoize (Csaba Csanádi from AVL Trade) and DJ Phos (Bram de Clerck, Robe’s International Business Development Manager), who delivered a high-energy set on a relaxed Thursday afternoon.
