This year, SIC Feszt is in its ninth edition, which will take place between August 9-13, 2023 in the courtyard of Szentkereszty Castle in Arcuș. As in previous years, young people from Covasna County are expected to attend the event with themed tents, well-known artists, family day and concerts. Festival organizers Antal Balázs, the main organizer of SIC Fest; Kelemen Szilárd Péter, President of the HÁRIT Youth Association and Oltean Csongor, Co-Founding Executive President of StartUp HUB and President of the MIÉRT Association, announced the event at a press conference on Tuesday, July 18, at the Sepsi Value Center.
The festival will take place in the courtyard of Szentkereszty Castle, between August 9-13, and preparations are already underway.
Antal Balázs, the main organizer of SIC Fest, said the event was developing from year to year, while in 2021 there were 12,000 participants, last year, 18,000 young people took part in the festival. This year it is expected to reach 25,000 participants, and the fact that 3,000 subscriptions have already been sold is a good sign. The online sale of subscriptions has been closed and the sale of one-day tickets has begun. The organizer pointed out that it is still one of the cheapest festivals in the region, as shown by ticket prices: a one-day ticket costs 40 lei in advance and 50 lei on the spot. In addition, streetfood sellers present during the festival will have the lowest prices.
This year there is a conceptual change, the larger and more spectacular scene will be moved to the top of the castle garden, which allows young people to take up even more space in the yard. For daytime activities, the organizers will place themed tents: a folk court, a tent for young people, HÁRIT tent, a TEAM tent ( for public meetings with invited troops ) and the traditional family day.
The main organizer also revealed that the number of artists has doubled, and in addition to the bands and DJs already present, artists have been invited at the request of the community. At the same time, the Roma community will be represented by gypsy music performers, but two well-known Romanian artists, singers Rava and Yny Sebi, were also invited. The good news is that this year, the closing time of the festival at 2 pm will be at 4, so that the parties will be able to continue longer in the castle courtyard.
Kelemen Szilárd Péter, President of HÁRIT, stated that SIC Feszt was the first festival experience for young people in the region since 2009, when it was launched as a summer camp. SIC Feszt is an event where young people can learn while having fun and, in this sense, strive to offer a quality festival at an affordable price, where young people can participate in various thematic events, in addition to fun.
Kelemen Szilárd said that one of the biggest tasks of HÁRIT is to organize this event, as they remain on the principle of relying on youth organizations and volunteers. He said experience shows that young people involved in organizational and voluntary activities find it easier to overcome bureaucratic obstacles later. The programs will focus on issues and topics of interest to young people, such as motorcyclist Krisztián Tompa, who will talk about his experiences in motor sports, the Hungarian TrollFoci team, which will present e-sport, and a round table about accepting and treating the LGBTQ community and about the phenomenon itself.
Oltean Csongor, co-founding executive chairman of StartUp HUB and president of the MIÉRT Association, stated that SIC Fest is also important for the youth organization he runs, because it is a legitimate event and the first festival experience for young people in the region for years. In addition to preserving the tradition, the goal is to save Szentkereszty Castle, so for each subscription sold, 1 euro is donated to save the building.
This year, the strengthening of Romanian-Hungarian relations is of special importance and, therefore, Romanian guests and the activity of Romanian volunteers have a special role. This will represent a positive step in the development of Romanian-Hungarian relations, but will also make the festival more colorful.
Oltean Csongor also spoke about the role of StartUp HUB, a center for the development of entrepreneurship, adult education and training, meant to help young people who dreamed of a future at home. Lately, 100 young people have launched their own businesses and are still guided by the office team. The purpose of SIC Fest is to present these success stories to young people and to inspire them. Future-oriented presentations will also address economic vision, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship. At the same time, there will be a socialization program for entrepreneurs, who will be able to exchange ideas and build relationships through events based on local products ( wines and craft beers ).
The one-day tickets for this year’s edition of the festival can also be bought from www.bilete.ro, but also from Sfântu Gheorghe, on Kossuth Lajos street no. 10, or on the spot. The festival program is also available on the FestivApp application. The organizers will hold a press conference on the various program elements at a later date.