Skrillex and Jorja Smith wrap up Sziget 2026 on the dancefloor

This year's edition of the Budapest bash went out with a bang, with some assistance from Zimmer90 and Soulwax

It’s time to say viszlát to Sziget Festival for 2026, with the festival closing out with a magical last day yesterday (August 15). What a week it’s been – a spectacular bill of acts from across the musical spectrum, intriguing art and performances dotted between the stages, and something surprising at every turn. Case in point: while taking one last wander around the site, NME stumbled upon a pack of wolves on stilts parading down one path, backed by a drummer on a lit-up vehicle blasting a funk backing track. Wild!

Before we departed the Island of Freedom, there were still plenty of highlights to be had, from a party set from Jorja Smith to Skrillex shaking the site with a juddering headline set. Read on for our final missive from Budapest for this summer.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to booking a headliner for the last night of a festival. On one hand, organisers can choose someone who wraps things up softly and sweetly. On the other, they can get an act in to make sure the last night is one massive party. With Sziget closing out on Saturday, it makes sense that the festival bookers took the latter option and secured Skrillex to top the bill for the grande finale.

It was a headline set packed with pyro, smoke and lights akin to lasers lighting up the night sky, as the Los Angeles DJ and producer brought his wobbling beats and rattling bass to the main stage field. A huge crowd came to send off Sziget 2026 with his set, and they were rewarded with a raft of bangers, from remixes of Jack Ü’s ‘Where Are Ü Now’ and Don Toliver ’s ‘E85’ to original Skrillex tracks like ‘Ratata’ and ‘Diwali’, a collaboration with rapper Beam and rising Indian singer Naisha.

Curiously, Skrillex chose to keep the screens on either side of the stage dark for the majority of the show, only flashing up footage of him bouncing around behind the decks at irregular moments. But perhaps one yelled comment to the crowd reveals his thinking behind that choice – before a mash-up of Damian Marley ’s ‘Welcome To Jamrock’ and Skrillex’s collab with Bob ’s youngest son, ‘Make It Bun Dem’, he told us to “put your fucking phones down” and instead enjoy “real motherfucking life”. To their credit, the audience largely obeyed, throwing their hands up to the sky rather than their devices, lifting the energy of the set even higher.

But still our headliner wasn’t entirely satisfied. After the track was done, he meekly ordered us to “scream”, before repeating a few seconds later, in a much more powerful tone: “SCREAAAAM.” His wish was our command. (RD)

“It’s so crazy for us,” beamed Zimmer90 singer Josch Becker, looking out at the impressive crowd that the German dream-pop band had drawn to the Revolut Stage. It was the group’s first-ever show in Hungary, but they were received with such warmth and familiarity that you’d think they were festival stalwarts. “There are so many people here!” he marvelled. “Enjoy the last day of your festival!”