By Simona Mezzina, Fashion Editor

In November 2016, I was a fresher writing for the main student-run magazine of St Andrews about a new event, a sort of very-small-scale music festival, inspired by the theme of ‘ruin bar.’ No one had heard of it before, and ideas on what exactly it was going to look like were very confused. It had an intriguing but hard to decipher name, the Hungarian word for “saint,” and a prominent headliner, the then-famous German DJ and producer Wankelmut. Today, November 2019, I am a fourth-year student writing for ST.ART about Szentek, one of the most unmissable events of St Andrews, renewed for its fourth edition.

The story of Szentek is the story of a winning bet, originated from a passionate attempt to bring a breath of fresh, innovative air to a town that has historically thrived on stale traditions. In just three years, this mega-party managed to define its identity more clearly, building at the same time an outstanding audience loyalty, which only intends to rise in number.

Three years ago, I interviewed the creator of Szentek, Charley Drover, to get an insight into the novelty of the event. She told me that the inspiration had come from her wish to bring to St Andrews the nightlife experience of Budapest, hence the Hungarian title, as well as the atmosphere of Glasgow, Drover’s hometown. She used three words to describe the event – stimulating, eccentric, easy-going – words that still encapsulate the spirit of Szentek.

At three years from the night of its inception, the ‘ruin bar’ has evolved into a gigantic party: three stages, two bars, multiple acts, and Kinkell Byre location, used to the point of boredom, shining brighter than ever thanks to the incredible art exhibited all around the venue. The point is that Szentek stimulates people on all sides, and this dose of genuine excitement, detached from any formality or dress-code that characterise other St Andrean events, is precisely what the students of this town need to remind themselves that yes, a big wide world exists outside of this Bubble.

When I attended the first edition of Szentek in 2016, I was not sure whether the event would have become an annual appointment, but I surely hoped so (I even wrote so in the opening line of my review). Today, at its fourth edition, I am amazed by the positive evolution the committee has managed to achieve, always remaining faithful to those adjectives Drover used to communicate the ethos of the event.

The art was bigger and arguably better, the acts were multiple and varied in sub-genres of tech/electronic music, and the people… well, the people were undoubtedly having pure, careless, fun. When thinking about Szentek in the context of European club culture, some may say that the event in itself does not bring anything particularly new to the game. However, it is important to remember that its original intent was not to revolutionise the concept of clubbing. When put into context, the context of a Scottish fishing village with not many souls nor venues, this party successfully brings a bit of the thrill of the outside world into our small reality, and for just one night, labels are put aside to leave room for true enjoyment.

I wish for more events in St Andrews to be inspired by this idea, and I think that it is safe to say that if Szentek had not already existed, someone would have had to invent it.

Photo Credit: Anna Kerr