VOLT and Balaton Sound, two of Hungary’s most popular festivals, have officially been postponed to 2022. The festivals’ organizers have stated that it would be impossible to hold the events this summer due to the pandemic.
Balaton Sound organizer Zoltán Fülöp said that it unrealistic to assume that international tourism would be reignited in a manner that would allow for such large festivals to be held this summer.
Fülöp also mentioned that the organizers’ number one priority is the health and safety of their community in Hungary.
VOLT organizer Norbert Lobenwein said that in the middle of the third wave of the pandemic, it is unsafe to hold such an event as early as June, they could not even figure out when to begin promoting their campaign and selling tickets.
Lobenwein added that not only festivals in Hungary, but musicians’ planned international tours have been left in situations of uncertainty.
Considering that unviable to hold the festivals at the end of the summer, the event organizers have agreed that they will move preparations to the summer of 2022.
Balaton Sound posted on its Facebook page in English and Hungarian, explaining why the festival could not be held this year, but promising that already purchased tickets from Balaton Sound 2020 will continue to be valid next year.
The post reads “after a thorough review of our options, so as to ensure the safety of all of you as well as our staff and artists, we’ll now be bringing The Festival Beach back to you in its full glory in the summer of 2022.”
The festivals have now been rescheduled for two years, since the coronavirus pandemic has made 2020 and 2021 unsuitable for such large gatherings. This year, organizers had been in talks to allow vaccinated people to attend, however the chances of most festivalgoers being vaccinated by June and attending large gatherings are slim to none.
Featured photo illustration by Boglárka Bodnár/MTI
