The festival season will kick off this year in Prague right at the beginning of May. Wednesday, May 1st, will be dedicated to celebrating Europe on the islands in the center of Prague. As part of the "Experience Europe" event, the Czech Republic will commemorate twenty years since joining the European Union. From the original Europe Day, celebrated across the continent for many years, this year will be the European Week. Its highlight will be the 21st edition of the traditional United Islands of Prague festival, where organizers will not only present the best of Czech emerging artists but also the most interesting discoveries from the European music scene.
From May 1st to 4th, the Prague islands will offer, alongside a reminder of peace, safety, and cooperation on the European continent, a diverse mix of unheard music from all twenty-seven European Union countries. Festival-goers can also expect presentations from European countries and an exciting accompanying program curated this year by the organization "Thanks, we can," known for traditional November event Korzo Národní. The United Islands of Prague festival, the celebration of 20 years of the Czech Republic in the European Union, and all other program activities will be traditionally free for visitors.
"Twenty years ago, the Czech Republic joined the European Union. Since then, the quality of life for most people in the Czech Republic has significantly improved. We all benefit from EU membership, not only because we live in safety and have access to the world's largest market. Twenty years is an opportunity to reflect on what kind of European Union we would like to have in the next twenty years and what each of us can do to make it happen," says Monika Ladmanová, Head of the European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic.
"The United Islands Festival has been associated with the idea of a united Europe from the beginning, and we are pleased that for such a significant anniversary, we can introduce another dose of new talents to all of us, music fans, this year. More than 100 performers from all over Europe will perform in beautiful venues, some unexpected. I believe that after the festival, we will add new musical discoveries to our playlists again this year," says United Islands of Prague festival producer Martin Voňka.
United Islands of Prague will take place in Prague for the twenty-first time this year. Over four days, more than a hundred artists from across Europe will perform on stages. Visitors can look forward to a diverse range of new musical acts from both the domestic and international scenes. One of the headliners will be the Irish band 49th & Main, featuring an indie-pop duo from the Irish town of Kilkenny, composed of producer Ben O'Sullivan and singer/multi-instrumentalist Paddy King. The French scene will be represented by the band Télépagaille, which has quickly made a name for itself on the Parisian alternative scene. The Czech scene will be represented by the Prague-based Czech-singing boyband Good Times Only and the Plzeň-based band Severals, which has gained recognition on both the Czech and international scenes. Even the smallest bands will have a chance to perform at the festival, with Thursday evening dedicated to club nights in ten clubs across Prague, from Ďáblice through the city center to Jižní Město.
Throughout the festival days, the popular non-musical program "Islands of Inspiration" will not be missing. This year, the programming of the entire non-musical program is managed by the Díky, že můžem (Thanks, we can) team, which is also responsible for the traditional event held every November 17th at Národní třída. Visitors can choose from a diverse program that will combine debates in collaboration with successful podcasts and well-known moderators, installations, exhibitions, staged readings, and space for dialogue on European topics. Among the topics will be freedom of travel, the benefits and pitfalls of EU membership, and sustainability. Interesting organizations, human rights initiatives, associations from Prague 1, workshops, museums, and cultural institutions will also have their space. In addition to the musical and non-musical program, the festival will also feature a rich gastronomic offer, food trucks, and bars with a diverse selection of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages.
"We are pleased that the United Islands of Prague festival invited us to create the non-musical program. In its implementation, we will utilize our long-standing dramaturgical experience and put it together to be as beneficial as possible for visitors of all ages. The twentieth anniversary of the European Union is an ideal opportunity to discuss the benefits and limits of the European community. As an organization, we focus this year on educating on these topics and activating young voters for the June elections to the European Parliament, which we also want to reflect in the program," adds Ester Valtrová, program manager of the Díky, že můžem (Thanks, we can) organization.
For the past twenty years, the United Islands of Prague festival has been supported by the City of Prague.
"Prague is a city of culture, and our long-term goal is also to support music events of various genres. The United Islands Festival has established itself over the years as part of the cultural life in the capital city. This year, it is further underscored by the anniversary of joining the European Union," says Bohuslav Svoboda, Mayor of the City of Prague.
In addition to the City of Prague, important partners of the festival include the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the municipal districts Prague 1 and Prague 5, the ČEZ Group, the Prague Public Transit Company, and others. The festival is under the auspices of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský, Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvořák, Minister of Defense Jana Černochová, Mayor of the City of Prague Bohuslav Svoboda, Deputy Mayor of Prague Jiří Pospíšil, and Mayor of the Prague 1 district Terezie Radoměřská.