It’s officially that year. The one where you have to take matters into your own hands and embrace defeat. Czech’s leading rock festival, Rock For People, has been outdoing itself year after year, and has had to land this time – on the unused airport in Hradec Králové; Park 360 – with a double-budgeted mission. A necessary advancement. After the festival’s string of achievements, grammy awards and high amounts of demand, they come back this year to showcase a remarkable edition of the event.
The heavy, punk festival is known for providing its loyal headbangers with star-studded lineups. In the past, having showcased the likes of The Prodigy, Queens Of The Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Massive Attack, The Offspring – you name it, they have proved their worth.
And this year is no exception. It is the festival’s 27th edition and the biggest one yet. Amongst this open-air experience, expect to be charmed by world-class headliners MUSE, Slipknot, Machine Gun Kelly and The 1975. Playing alongside these heavyweights we can be guaranteed a series of unmissable names coming from all corners of the world such as Kid Brunswick, Banji, Nothing But Thieves, the female acts UPSAHL, Girli and The Warning, and heavier bands such as Inivisons and Cane Hill.
The Prague-based festival stands out because it prioritises the positive outcomes it can provide for its local Czech bands. They give up-and-coming artists a chance to be selected and showcase their fresh talent in front of an exhilarating audience. A contest they call Rock For People Talents and which received over 14,000 submissions. “We are extremely pleased with this level of interest, and we will definitely hold the talent contest again in the future.” Michal Thomes says.
The lineup is already a considerably juicy army but is yet to be joined. The rest of the acts will be confirmed before May’s sun sets. Tickets are live now and seemingly selling out fast, this time around with a capacity of 40,000 people. The adaptability of the event allows ticket buyers to base their purchase on their current circumstances (junior tickets, elders, people with disabilities) as well as an option to divide the cost into three instalments. They leave no soldiers behind.
Bearing in mind that rock music used to sit outlawed in the country, it is admirable to say the event has officially climbed onto the world’s top bunk of large-scale festivals. The four-day experience (8 – 11 June) of post-punk, heavy rock and alternative insanity, awaits patiently for its dearest rock heads in order to deliver grindingly good music, cultural affairs, theatre and dance performances, captivating discussions and a handful more of their musical odysseys.
Buy your tickets here:
Rock For People
Photo credits: Machine Gun Kelly by Anna Vašátková
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