Admittedly, a three-chord, 30 minute epic song in which the only lyrics are 'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama' may not sound terribly appealing.
However, at last year's festival the Krishna tent was often packed with pogoing, and admittedly somewhat inebriated, people, although free vegetarian food may also have had something to do with the attraction.
It is quirky events such as this and the international feel of the Sziget festival, with merry makers from all over Europe mixing with the locals, that make it such a special event.
'At the festival you can find German rockers, Serb punks, Dutch students and French car mechanics all peacefully mixing together,' said Viktoria Veto, the festival's press chief, adding, 'The varied programme means that everybody can always find something to suit them.'
The annual festival, now in its 14th year, is being held from August 9-16 on Obuda Island in north Budapest, and the current summer heatwave promises to create an idyllic, relaxed atmosphere, with party animals soaking up the sun and dancing along the tree-lined banks of the Danube River
Like most festivals, there are countless different stages, from World Music to Rock to Dance, but there are also some very interesting diversions that add extra spice to the event.
This year the organizers have introduced a Silent Disco, where people can don headphones and choose between two different DJs, which should lead to some different dancing styles.
Another highlight is the Cinetrip tent. At last year's festival, not even rain deterred people from attending the open top tent, donning rain ponchos to enjoy the laser show and images projected 360 degrees around the walls until the early hours of the morning.
Perhaps the only gripe that some people have is the fact that only a handful of big-name bands play, but even this has its positive side.
'Compared to some other festivals like Roskilde, there aren't as many big-name bands,' said Aaron Taylor, 26, a regular festival visitor. 'However, this means it is less commercial and it's very safe for a festival.'
More big name bands are starting to come as the festival grows, however. Last year 380,000 people attended over the whole week - around 70,000 on the site every day - and this year the number is expected to rise again.
The growing reputation of the festival means that bigger names are starting to take notice, and joining Radiohead, Franz Ferdinand and Placebo this year are Iggy Pop, The Prodigy and The Scissor Sisters.
The low cost is also noteworthy. A weekly camping ticket costs 120 euros (150 dollars), a weekly ticket without camping 99 euros and a daily ticket 24 euros. Considering that Robbie Williams recently charged around 60 euros for a one-off concert in Budapest, the cost for a week-long glut of music seems remarkably low.
The location of the festival also adds an appeal that other, more- established venues cannot offer.
Obuda Island sits in the middle of the Danube around eight kilometres from Budapest city centre, and buses run regularly back and forth to the city, although you can also catch a ferry and enjoy the spectacular Danube panorama en route.
For people who live in Budapest, the proximity of the festival creates a very particular problem.
'The range and quality of the acts are fantastic,' said Natalie Grant, 28, a long-term Budapest resident. 'Unfortunately, because it is so close I had to keep going to work for a week with a hangover.'
For those who have travelled to stay on site, however, the easy access to town means after a few days of festival grime those who are not too fond of the normal grubby levels of festival hygiene can nip into town and scrape off the dirt in one of Budapest's many historic thermal baths.
However, the festival itself boasts impressive facilities. The forests of portable loos clustered across the island are emptied regularly - although you still have to watch out for the occasional soggy patch where lazy men vent their bladders on the grass - and even in the last few days of the event it is still possible to go to the toilet without a clothes' peg attached to your nose.
The food is also well above normal festival standards. Many of last year's attendees had noticeably piled on a few pounds by the end of the festivities after over-indulging in curry, enormous Hungarian sausages and Langos (a heart-attack inducing greasy snack of fried dough often topped with cheese and sour cream).
Further information and tickets are available online at http://www.sziget.hu
Join M&C's relaunched forums for extended discussion...its free!
Please fill out our anonymous survey, it helps us improve the site and get to know more about our readers.
© 2003 - 2006 by Monsters and Critics.com, WotR Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All photos are copyright their respective owners and are used under license or with permission. * Note M&C cannot be held responsible for the content on other Web Sites.
Arts - Books - DVD - Forums - Home - Movies - Music - People & Celebrity - Science - Soundtracks - Sport - Tech - TV - World News
About Us - The Team - Advertise - Contact - Join the Team - Privacy - RSS Feeds - Site Map - Terms & Conditions - Webmasters
Servers supplied by Servint