Aura Bay Open Air to open on Óbudai Island in Budapest with HUGEL headlining grand opening on September 18

A new open-air dance music venue is opening in Budapest this September, with Aura Bay Open Air set to launch on Óbudai Island on Friday, September 18. Located on the same island that hosts Sziget Festival, the new venue will sit partially within the recently opened Aura Bay Light Park, bringing electronic music events together with large-scale light installations, illuminated gardens and sculptures. The first event will run from 3:00 PM until 11:00 PM, with HUGEL confirmed as the headline act for the grand opening and making his first standalone headline appearance in Hungary.

 

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A New Open-Air Venue On Óbudai Island

Aura Bay Open Air forms part of the wider Aura Bay destination on the Danube, which combines indoor and outdoor spaces with light installations and interactive features. The open-air venue will occupy part of the outdoor section of Aura Bay Light Park, allowing events to take place among several of the installations already built across the site.

One of its largest features is a 20-metre illuminated LED whale, which will sit alongside a walkable illuminated pyramid, the botanical light garden of Blooms Park, Crystal Garden, the twin 4,000-LED face sculptures known as Talking Heads and the interactive Kickit light-ball court. With the venue incorporated into part of the light park itself, these installations will remain visible around the event grounds as the night continues.

The location also carries a long history of its own. Óbudai Island, also known as Hajógyári-sziget, was formerly used as a shipyard and is now one of Budapest’s most familiar music locations through its connection with Sziget Festival. Aura Bay Open Air now adds a new permanent event space to the island, with its launch built around a combination of electronic music and the existing light park.

HUGEL To Headline The Grand Opening

Leading the opening event is HUGEL, who will play from 7:30 PM until 9:00 PM. The appearance will mark the French DJ and producer’s first standalone headline show in Hungary.

Born in Marseille, HUGEL has become closely associated with Afro Latin House and runs his own label, Make The Girls Dance Records. His recent schedule has included appearances at EDC Las Vegas, Tomorrowland, BPM Festival, Untold and Coachella, alongside residencies at Hï Ibiza in both 2025 and 2026.

His first album, Twenty One, was released in 2026, while “Movin’ To The Sun” has passed 100 million streams on Spotify since its release in May. His appearance at Aura Bay Open Air now brings him to Budapest for his first Hungarian headline show as the venue opens its doors for the first time.

Full Lineup For The Opening Event

The opening programme will begin at 3:00 PM with Shooma x Guztavo, followed by MELO x Groove Generation, DJ Freespirit, GATANO, HUGEL, Tom Enzy, miirabelle and Budai House Clique.

The lineup brings together international artists and names from Budapest’s house music scene across the eight-hour event. Tom Enzy has previously appeared in the DJ Mag Top 150, while GATANO, Freespirit, Budai House Clique, Shooma x Guztavo, MELO x Groove Generation and miirabelle complete the first programme for the new venue.

Gatano says “I’m really excited to be part of the opening of Aura Bay Open Air and to share the lineup with HUGEL. Budapest has an incredible energy, and playing in such a unique setting, makes this show even more special.”

Miirabelle also added “House music has always been about joy, connection and shared moments. Being part of the opening of a new venue in our hometown, alongside HUGEL and such an exciting lineup, feels like the perfect opportunity to bring that spirit to the dancefloor.”

Aura Bay Open Air will run from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM on Friday, September 18, with HUGEL taking the headline slot from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

3:00 PM–5:00 PM: Shooma x Guztavo
5:00 PM–6:00 PM: MELO x Groove Generation
6:00 PM–6:45 PM: DJ Freespirit
6:45 PM–7:30 PM: GATANO
7:30 PM–9:00 PM: HUGEL
9:00 PM–10:00 PM: Tom Enzy
10:00 PM–10:30 PM: miirabelle
10:30 PM–11:00 PM: Budai House Clique

Aura Bay Open Air opens on Friday, September 18, 2026 from 3:00 PM until 11:00 PM at Aura Bay, Óbudai Island, Budapest. Tickets are available through Fourvenues.

Over 20 years after its original release, DJ Isaac brings back one of hard dance’s most iconic tracks with a fresh Hardstyle edge.

Back in 2003, DJ Isaac dropped an edit and created a white label 12″ record with no name and no real plan for it. On the edit, he sampled a now-iconic Eminem vocal along with a Moby breakdown, and in turn, created one of the biggest hard dance tunes of the 2000. 

Now, over 20 years after its original release, DJ Isaac brings it back to life with the release of ‘Nobody Listens To Techno ’26’. The track takes the beloved 2003 original and retools it for today’s festival and club floors with a fresh Hardstyle edge, keeping the rebellious spirit of the original firmly intact while giving it the force and polish of the current sound.

The 2026 rework actually started out in 2024. DJ Isaac brought the record back with a quick new edit, sending it out to a number of artists who had been playing out his recent releases and they all loved it. It received love from the likes of Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Timmy Trumpet, Wildstylez, Coone, and Brennan Heart while DJ Isaac himself road tested it on mainstages around the world, including Defqon.1, EPIK in Sydney, Aqua Color Fest in Mexico, EDC Mexico, Beyond Wonderland in the US and Basscon: Wasteland. All of these signs almost forced him to turn it from a quick edit into a full scale release.

The original ‘Nobody Listens To Techno’ earned support from some of the most respected names in electronic music such as Carl Cox, Yves Deruyter, and Kutski, a rare crossover achievement that spoke to the quality of the track. The 2026 version aims to bring that same crossover appeal back into focus for a generation that may be hearing it the first time, while giving OG fans a modern version.

It also fits naturally into where DJ Isaac is as an artist right now. A true pioneer of hard dance music with more than 30 years behind the decks, DJ Isaac has spent his career connecting different eras of the genre without losing the character that made him one of its founding figures. From headlining Electric Daisy Carnival, Qlimax, and Defqon.1 to closing the Defqon.1 2024 mainstage alongside TNT with five minutes’ notice and a completely changed set, he has consistently proven that instinct and authenticity matter more than anything else. 

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BCKYRD London 2026 brings Disco Lines, Loud Luxury, BUNT. and more to Harris Park this September

Only one year after its debut, BCKYRD London returns for its second edition on September 18 at Harris Park in London, Ontario. The festival was originally planned for London International Airport, but organizers announced a venue change on September 4. Disco Lines, Loud Luxury, BUNT., Ian Asher, Dudley and Nader remain confirmed, giving the second edition a mix of artists with personal ties to London and Ontario alongside names now touring internationally.

First up is Disco Lines, whose recent success with ‘No Broke Boys’ only tells part of the story. The American producer had already spent years releasing house music before that track reached a much wider audience, with songs including ‘I Don’t Trust A Soul’ showing there is far more in his catalogue than one viral release. For anyone who discovered him recently, his BCKYRD London set is a good reason to go beyond the obvious track and hear what else has been part of his career.

Few artists on the lineup have a story tied to Western University as closely as Loud Luxury. Andrew Fedyk and Joe De Pace met while studying there and formed the duo before releases such as ‘Body’ eventually introduced them to listeners far beyond Canada. Returning to London now brings them back to the city where the project first started, and ‘Nights Like This’ is an easy track to revisit before seeing them play there again.

BUNT. has also changed considerably since the folk-house releases associated with the project’s earlier years. The German producer has explored several areas of electronic music since then, with ‘Clouds’ becoming one of the tracks most closely associated with his recent work. It is also one of the songs we would want to hear at BCKYRD London, particularly from an artist whose current catalogue sounds noticeably different from the music that first introduced him.

Ian Asher first gained widespread attention through remixes and edits shared across social media and streaming platforms, turning that online following into appearances at festivals and clubs around the world. ‘Take Me To The Moon’ is one of the tracks worth hearing before September 18, especially for anyone who knows his name mainly through the shorter edits that first circulated online.

For Nader, playing BCKYRD London means returning to a city already connected to the early part of his career. The Toronto DJ and producer studied at Western University, where DJing and producing became a bigger focus for him before he began playing more regularly across Ontario. His music centres on melodic house with a groovier side, and his time in London makes this festival appearance more personal than another date on his schedule.

That local history continues with Dudley, previously known as ICONIQ, who has been part of London’s DJ scene for more than a decade. His background includes club residencies, support appearances and performances across Ontario, with open-format influences also playing a part in how he approaches electronic music. While several artists on the lineup have connections to the city through university, Dudley represents someone who has spent years playing within London itself.

For its second edition, BCKYRD London has managed to keep a clear connection to the city while bringing in artists whose careers now extend far beyond Ontario. The venue may have changed from London International Airport to Harris Park, but the six confirmed artists remain the same for September 18. Between Loud Luxury‘s return to the city where the duo began, Dudley‘s long history in the local scene and the international reach of Disco Lines, BUNT. and Ian Asher, there is enough here to make the festival worth watching as it enters year two.