Sziget Festival

This festival is held on a sandy island in the middle of Danube in Budapest. It's not a small island or a small festival though, it has about 1000 performances to it, with sounds spanning genres from folk to blues to jazz to world music to dance to rock on the big stages. This is a serious festival and expect big names in all genres from R.E.M. to Fatboy Slim, to the Foo Fighters and the Buena Vista Social Club Orquesta. It also has some Burning Man style tripped out amusement park events if all that music isn't enough to drive you to ecstasy.

If you really want to arrive in the spirit of things, the festival has a 'party train' with resident DJs that will transport you eastwards to the appropriate soundtrack. It's supposed to work out cheaper than the larger UK festivals, and it certainly does if you try and enter via the river—swimming or paddling—but that's not recommended and if you get your tent wet you're going to be at risk of having a miserable time. You can stay on the island, but many people opt to stay in Budapest thus guaranteeing a hot shower and clean toilets.