The Prague festival season will once again be kicked off by United Islands, taking place from Thursday, April 30 to Saturday, May 2 on Štvanice Island and in clubs across the city. Over three days, the traditional showcase will present a selection of the most exciting emerging artists from both the Czech Republic and abroad, with more than one hundred acts in total.
Among the biggest international names are British indie-rock trio Bilk, Irish electro-noise band Yard and Dutch singer Min Taka. The Czech scene will be represented by artists such as singer-songwriter Toyota Vangelis, Czech-Vietnamese rapper Anki and indie band WYFE. This year, the full outdoor programme will take place on Friday and Saturday directly on Štvanice Island, where five stages will be set up. The festival will also come alive on Thursday evening in Prague’s clubs — from well-known venues to lesser-known spots. As in previous years, entry to United Islands remains free for everyone, with the option to purchase a voluntary ticket to support the festival.
“It’s great that United Islands holds a firm place on Prague’s cultural map. I’m really happy that this year we can once again offer visitors a packed line-up that can, without exaggeration, be described as one of the best in recent years. I’m looking forward to showing international artists that Czech audiences are among the best in the world,” says Martin Štěrba, Executive Director of the United Islands festival.
United Islands has long been one of the most prominent showcase festivals in Central Europe and for nearly 25 years has been systematically discovering new musical talent from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and across Europe. This year’s programme will feature more than a hundred artists, many of whom will be performing live in the Czech Republic for the very first time. Highlights include British indie-rock trio Bilk, explosive Irish electro-noise trio Yard, Dutch singer Min Taka, Slovenian rock band LPS, Polish group Błoto and German act Lifespark. The Czech scene is also strongly represented: producer and songwriter Toyota Vangelis will perform together with Wierdsky, alongside rapper Anki, experimental trio Hihahaholky, artist Bariel AV with a live band, singer Naty Hrychová, indie band WYFE and the group Propadleek, who gained attention touring with Divokej Bill.
“United Islands once again confirms its role as a festival that brings the most exciting emerging European music to Prague. This year we’ve managed to put together the most ambitious line-up of recent years. One of the biggest highlights is the British guitar band Bilk, a great mix of ’90s influences and modern sound. Another hidden gem is Dutch singer Min Taka, whose latest album reached one million streams on Spotify within a single week and who delivers an amazing live show. From the Czech artists, I’d highlight Toyota Vangelis, who is preparing a large-scale ‘Kmitočet K’ show together with Wierski. There’s definitely a lot to look forward to,” says festival dramaturg Michal Nguyen, also known as Gumi.
As tradition dictates, the festival is divided into two parts — Thursday is dedicated to the club scene, while Friday and Saturday focus on the open-air programme on Štvanice, followed by evening events in clubs. Visitors can also look forward to a rich accompanying programme, around twenty non-profit organisations and other activities. A new addition this year is Islands Forum, a stage dedicated to discussions and non-music programming, created in collaboration with the project Žárovky.
The full programme is available at www.unitedislands.cz and on the festival’s social media channels. Voluntary tickets, through which visitors can support the festival, are available via GoOut.
