The multi-genre UPROSTŘED festival, starting today and running until 21 August, will bring dozens of open-air performances, concerts and other types of art to the streets of Brno city centre this summer, for the 8th time. The festival will mainly fill those days when there are no other major festivals taking place in Brno, and all the events in the program are free.
“The basic dramaturgical line this year is the Wednesday and Sunday concerts at the Old Town Hall, with a focus on local bands, who are being given the opportunity to perform on home soil,” said Jana Janulíková, director of TIC BRNO, the festival’s organiser. ”On the basis of an open call, two projects were created specifically for our festival. The fashion show Undressed Emotion with live music will enliven the park on Moravské náměstí, created by the graduate duo Nikola Kovářová and Adam Vejtasa from the Secondary School of Art and Design and the Brno Higher Vocational School. A workshop and ritual performance by the Folklore’s not dead movement called ‘Ride of the Kings’, themed around the folklore tradition of the same name, will take place in Tyršuv Sad, which is included in the festival locations for the first time.”
UPROSTŘED is not only about culture, but also aims to unite and connect the community. Under the slogan “You never know in Brno”, visitors can come across parts of the programme without necessarily knowing that they are part of the festival. In addition to the mentioned places, the festival programme will also take place in Denisové Sady, on Náměstí Svobody and, for the first time, on Rímské náměstí.
“Rímské náměstí is a neglected corner in the city centre,” said Tomáš Pavčík, director of Kávéesky, which co-organizes the festival with TIC BRNO. “That’s why we decided to draw attention to it and move the opening concerts here this year, which will take place on 21 June from 4 pm to 10 pm, as well as the Grand Bazaar. We want to continue the tradition of bazaars in the centres of big cities. We are interested in making the bazaar accessible to everyone who wants to sell something, but at the same time make a basic selection of sales stands.”
The program will also include a concert by the New Time Orchestra big band, with actor and singer Radek Melša, a performance by dancers from the Brno National Theatre, classics such as a swing dance hall in Denisový sady, dulcimer music, a historical walk, and concerts by many local and South Moravian bands, from jazz to pop to rock.
The last day of the festival will be dedicated to the memory of 21 August 1968. In connection with the Institute of National Memory, a production from the FESTE Theater of the Powerless will be staged at the Old Town Hall, followed by a screening of the film ‘Viktor Fajnberg: Dissident to madness’ and a debate with guests.
The festival is co-organised by TIC BRNO and Kávéeska, a non-profit organisation of the Brno-střed district, and is held under the patronage of the Mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková.
