Project

Festival Season 2023

Photographs from my first festival season in Switzerland in 2023, documenting the events, people and atmosphere I encountered along the way.

Type: Gallery
Location: Switzerland
Project: 2023
Published: 12 August 2026

I actually have to go back to 2022 to explain how my festival photography career started a year later.

Or, if I’m being honest, we could go back even further, but I don’t want to test anyone’s patience! So what happened in 2022?

After finally getting out from under the shadow of the COVID lockdowns, we spontaneously decided to go to an open-air festival in Walenstadt. Everything was there for a great time: a beautiful location, good music, a great atmosphere, and a little bit of rain that didn’t bother us. It was probably one of the best festivals I had ever been to, so it was only natural that we decided to come back the following year.

At the time, I was finishing my photography studies in Budapest, with countless ideas and potential projects going around in my head. I had always loved the atmosphere and the whole environment of festivals, as well as the experiences that come with them, so specialising in festival photography felt like a natural direction to try. I reached out to the organiser and asked if I could bring a professional camera to the festival and take some photos. To my surprise, I quickly got a very warm response. They were not only happy to let me bring my camera, but also wanted to use the photographs. It gave my career a huge push right from the start, something I’m still grateful for today. And as an added bonus, our collaboration is still going strong three years later.

The first few times felt a little strange. Until then, I had only ever gone to places like this to have fun, and suddenly I had to get used to the idea that I was actually there to work. I still wanted to enjoy being there, but at the same time I had to keep looking around and paying attention to what was happening around me.

I got used to it pretty quickly, and that summer I ended up photographing not only the three events we had originally agreed on, but also an additional two-day event at Züri Fäscht.

There wasn’t really a bigger plan behind it at the time. I photographed the stages and crowds, but also my friends, people I didn’t know, little moments happening in the background, and whatever else caught my attention.

This gallery is a collection of photographs from that first festival season in 2023.

A man in the foreground adjusts his round sunglasses at an outdoor festival, with other attendees and a stage in the background.

A woman wearing a white cowboy hat holds up a smartphone to record a video, viewed from behind in a crowd.

Rear view of a woman with hair in two buns decorated with pearls, standing in a crowd with a brightly lit stage in the background.

A crowd of people under a pavilion at an outdoor festival, framed by wooden beams and metal scaffolding, with a man in the foreground wearing a white shirt and dark bucket hat.

A bearded man wearing headphones and a patterned red short-sleeve shirt stands behind a Pioneer DJ mixer, operating the controls.

A large crowd of people with raised hands gathers in front of an illuminated outdoor festival stage at sunset.

A woman with wavy red hair and a patterned headscarf faces a large crowd gathered outdoors.

A crowd of people stands outdoors facing a brightly lit stage during sunset, with a man drinking from a cup in the center.

A woman sits on a man's shoulders in a crowd at night, raising her arms while another person in the foreground holds up a glowing smartphone.

A man lies in a wooden hammock on a grassy area, with a swimming pool and a crowd of festivalgoers in the background under daylight.

A man wearing a black cap and t-shirt stands behind a mixing console under red lighting, with a crowd visible in the background.

An outdoor swimming pool under a clear blue sky, with steps and metal handrails in the foreground and a stage structure in the background.

A person holds a plastic bottle up against a bright stage light beneath a blue sky.

A tattooed man wearing a cap paints a red and black abstract portrait on a canvas outdoors during sunset.

Black and white portrait of a woman with long hair tossing her head, wearing a bikini top and a body chain amidst a blurred crowd.

A tattooed woman with blonde hair dances with her hands raised in a crowd outdoors.

A tattooed man with short dyed hair and sunglasses crouches outdoors, examining his hands near paint cans and canvases on the ground.

A man paints on a canvas with a spray can outdoors near a swimming pool.

A tattooed man holding a canvas on an easel outdoors with festival attendees in the background.

A woman forms a heart shape with her hands amid a blurred crowd under red lighting.

A motion-blurred shot of a smiling woman dancing in a crowd, raising her hands to her head with people surrounding her.

A woman smiling and dancing in red light, wearing a sequined outfit with fringed shoulder pads.

A blond man wearing tinted sunglasses and a patterned shirt poses closely with a blond woman in a dimly lit venue.

A woman with a ponytail faces away from the camera in a crowd, raising her hand with fingers spread in a concert setting.

Two men pose closely together at night under bright lighting, with one man wearing tinted glasses and a white t-shirt, and the other wearing a black shirt over a light t-shirt, flashing a peace sign.

A black and white photograph of a woman raising her tattooed arm in a crowd.

A crowd of men and women looking upward in warm lighting, with one man holding up a smartphone.

A man wearing headphones and a patterned orange shirt operates a Pioneer DJ mixing console under warm lighting.

Two women stand close together in an outdoor crowd, wearing sunglasses and smiling.

A man stands at a DJ mixer under a leafy canopy, viewed from behind as people in the crowd hold up smartphones to record.

A man in a dark t-shirt and cap raises both arms in thick smoke, holding a can in one hand.

Two smiling women pose closely together outdoors, with one sticking out her tongue while the other has her hair styled in small tufts.

A woman wearing a white top and hat dances in a crowd, while a man in a red shirt stands nearby.

A woman smiles and raises her hand in a crowd outdoors, surrounded by other people.

A crowd of people with umbrellas in the rain, with a man in a red headband raising his hand.

A smiling man wearing a colorful floral shirt and glasses stands in the middle of a dense crowd during a rainy outdoor event.

A bald man facing away stands behind a DJ booth with turntables, looking out at a large dense crowd gathered outdoors in daylight.

A man wearing headphones operates a mixing console in hazy, warm lighting.

A man wearing headphones operates a mixing console in a purple-tinted, hazy atmosphere.

A man wearing a hat and sunglasses stands behind a Pioneer DJ mixer, raising one hand in the air.

A man wearing a black shirt, hat, and sunglasses stands behind DJ equipment with one arm raised at an outdoor festival.

A man stands behind a DJ mixing console under natural daylight, raising one hand before a large outdoor crowd.

A man wearing a wide-brimmed black hat, sunglasses, and a patterned neck scarf gestures while DJing behind a mixing console.

Two men operating a DJ mixer setup indoors under natural light.

Three smiling men outdoors, with the man on the right holding headphones in front of a colorful digital screen.

Two smiling men standing behind a wooden DJ booth, with one man taking a photo with his smartphone.

A black-and-white portrait of a man wearing a bucket hat, sunglasses, and headphones around his neck, holding his hand to the brim of his hat.

A woman wearing round sunglasses and a red headband stands at a DJ mixer under a wooden canopy.

A bald man wearing headphones around his neck stands behind a DJ mixer in warm red lighting, with a crowd blurred in the background.

Two men performing in red club lighting, with one man holding a cigarette to his mouth and the other man standing behind a mixing console.

A man wearing a cap operates a mixing console in a hazy room illuminated by bright stage light.

A man wearing a cap and a black t-shirt stands behind a mixing console, gesturing with his hand while performing.

A man wearing a cap raises his arm while standing at a DJ mixer with a laptop, illuminated by hazy stage lights.

A crowd of young men and women dancing and looking up behind a wooden barrier at an outdoor festival at night.

A man wearing a black t-shirt and a cap stands behind a DJ setup with illuminated controls under red lighting.

Three men in a crowd under a strong pink lighting, with the center man pointing forward.

A curly-haired man with a cigarette in his mouth stands at a DJ mixer under warm orange lighting, with other men in the background.

A woman wearing orange-tinted sunglasses and an orange top operates a DJ mixer with headphones around her neck outdoors in natural light.

A man wearing sunglasses and a Rolling Stones t-shirt stands behind a DJ mixing console, operating the equipment.

A man wearing a patterned short-sleeve shirt stands behind a DJ mixer, holding headphones to one ear under natural daylight.

A woman with tattoos sits in a white motorboat moored at a dock, facing a crowded grassy shore with lounge chairs.

A dense crowd of people dancing outdoors at night under warm lighting, with some individuals raising their arms near a metal barrier.

A woman wearing a yellow top stands in a dense crowd at an outdoor festival under pink stage lighting, holding up a red and white hand fan.

A woman wearing orange-rimmed glasses and an orange shirt operates a Pioneer DJ console outdoors.

A woman and a man pose behind a low wooden and metal barrier in a crowd, with natural outdoor lighting.

A woman with dark hair and sunglasses raises her right arm holding a phone in a crowded outdoor setting.

A man in sunglasses raises his fist while standing among a large crowd outdoors during daylight.

A man with long curly hair, sunglasses, and a pink tie-dye bucket hat stands amidst a crowd under natural daylight, wearing a light green t-shirt.

A monochrome festival crowd beneath a stage, with a person holding up an open fan in the center amidst smoke.

A crowd of people with raised hands at a festival, viewed from behind the stage.

A black and white photograph of a man clapping his hands in a crowd, illuminated by stage lights.

A person holds a lace umbrella adorned with small lights against a backdrop of blue and red stage lighting.

A large crowd of men and women gather at an outdoor festival by a lake, with people mingling in the foreground.

A man in a striped shirt holds up a smartphone to record a festival crowd gathered in a park.

A woman wearing a black hat adorned with colorful feathers stands amidst a blurred festival crowd, holding a handheld fan.

A black-and-white photograph shows a woman cheering and shouting with excitement amid a crowd at a festival.

Men and women sit along a wooden pier extending into a calm lake, with distant hills and boats visible under natural daylight.

A woman with glitter on her face applies makeup to another woman inside a booth, while her reflection appears in a wall-mounted mirror.

A multi-tiered gold-colored display stand holds several pairs of sunglasses with beaded straps on a table outdoors.

A woman lies on grass by a lake, with her legs held up prominently in the foreground against a background of water, boats, and a distant town.

Behind the camera

Dávid Hosszú

Monochrome studio portrait of a man with a beard and hair tied in a bun, looking downward against a plain background.

I approach long-term projects as open studies of identity, place, and human experience. I’m curious about the patterns we share and the details that make us unique, the way expressions, posture, environment, and movement can tell parts of our stories.

My work combines observation, technical experimentation, and a genuine interest in the people and contexts I photograph. Whether I’m working with portraits or with the surrounding world, I try to create images that are both aesthetically refined and connected to simple questions with complex answers: Where do we come from? How do we shape each other? And what traces do we leave behind?

Read more about David

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Festival Season 2023

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