History of the festival

We continued on Štvanice, with the festival gradually evolving into an event with a broader social and cultural reach. More than one hundred emerging music acts from across Europe performed. For the first time, we introduced the Islands Forum stage, alongside a screening of the Oscar-winning film Mr. Nobody Against Putin and discussions reflecting current issues.

In 2025, we moved to Štvanice and its surrounding areas on the Karlín and Holešovice sides of the river. It was a big step into the unknown for us, but you stood by us and showed us that sometimes taking a leap into the unknown can be the best decision.

In 2024, more than one hundred artists from across Europe performed on 23 stages. The main stage was built directly on the Vltava at the tip of Střelecký Island and could even be seen from Charles Bridge. Through the Symphony for Humanity concert programme, we sent a clear message to the world against homophobia.

In 2023, we celebrated our twentieth birthday with a new visual identity, stayed in the city centre, and welcomed Europe Day as part of Friday's festival programme – the annual celebration of peace and unity in Europe.

In 2022, in response to the war in Ukraine, we organised United Islands of Europe: Freedom Edition and, in a show of solidarity, invited artists from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania and other countries. The non-music programme Ostrovy Inspirace also explored the themes of Freedom, Sustainability and Diversity.

In 2021, under the slogan "We're Sailing Back to the Islands!", we successfully returned to the city centre and completed the second half of the German Edition. A new team took over the festival, and the Ostrovy Inspirace concept was created in cooperation with the Scout Institute, Museum Kampa, Amnesty International Czech Republic and Werich Villa.

2020 was shaped by the difficult circumstances of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Despite numerous restrictions and changes of venue and date, we managed to stage an event that allowed us, at least for a while, to forget the difficult times. United Islands of Prague became part of the Praha ZÁŘÍ project, with the Islands shining in September at the Prague Exhibition Grounds in Holešovice. The event took the form of the first half of the German Edition.

In 2019, in cooperation with the British Embassy, we organised the festival's British Edition.

In 2016, the Islands moved once again. The festival relocated to Prague's Karlín district, where it remained in the following years.

2015 brought the Czechoslovak Edition.

2014 saw our first successful crowdfunding campaign and, most importantly, the festival took place for the first time in the beautiful setting of Kinský Garden. The 2013 and 2014 editions also featured an Israeli focus and celebrations of Jerusalem Days.

A major music event was held in 2013 to celebrate the festival's 10th anniversary. As flooding hit central Prague, we moved to Ladronka in agreement with the Prague 6 municipal district. The tenth edition was a huge success: 60,000 music fans came to enjoy extraordinary experiences and unique music – the highest attendance in the festival's history.