The Czech Republic’s premier rock festival Rock for People (RFP) captivated a record-breaking audience of over 50,000 people last week, June 11 through June 15, at Hradec Králové’s Park 360. This was also the first time that the festival spanned a full five days, with Sunday being added as a special treat for fans to celebrate its 30th birthday.
We were lucky enough to be there for this unforgettable celebration, showing up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Wednesday morning alongside enthusiastic fans ready for a long weekend full of music, passion, and community. RFP kicked off with its annual parade at 11am, ringing in the festivities with energy and anticipation, and this spirit carried on all the way through Sunday at midnight.
The festival grounds were complete with plenty of sponsor and activity zones, a ferris wheel offering an aerial view of the grounds, and, of course, 10 stages where over 1000 artists would enchant fans with their performances over the course of the next five days. If we had to sum up this festival weekend in just a few words, we would say “extraordinary” and “sensational.” But, we have much more to say about this incredible experience, so let’s get to it.
The Music
Wednesday’s lineup was already stacked to the brim, with Swedish post-hardcore band Normandie kicking things off on the KB stage (the main stage) around 1pm. Pop punk, hardcore, and alternative rock dominated the day as Trophy Eyes, Bad Nerves, Polaris, and Poppy took to the KB and Tesco stages — the festival’s two biggest.
Poppy arguably attracted one of the biggest crowds of the day with her heavy-hitting vocals and android personality, while grandson was the last to support the main stage before the headliner. He teased fans during his set, mentioning that he “might be back tomorrow” but he can’t say where or when. American rock legends Shinedown were the last to support the Tesco stage. Over on the Petr Svoboda Stage, ARCHERS played a set just two days before the release of their new EP, while AWOLNATION was well received at the Europa 2 (E2) Stage.
Avenged Sevenfold was Wednesday’s headliner on the KB Stage, and they certainly didn’t disappoint with their hard-hitting guitar riffs and high-energy performance, while The Haunt was positioned at Petr Svoboda for those who prefer something a little more alternative. To get people in the mood to party over the upcoming weekend, renowned Czech DJ Manene played a set until the early hours of the morning.
Each morning on the Karaoke Stage in the camping area, the festival had special guests lined up to play at 10:10am. Surprise: Thursday’s special guest was grandson! His cryptic teasing paid off, and campers were delighted to wake up to his music coming from so close to their tents.
On the festival grounds, Thursday also got an early start with music starting just after 11am on the ČT Art Stage, which was mostly reserved for local acts during the course of the festival. Static Dress opened the day on the Tesco Stage, followed by vypsána fiXa, a well-known Czech pop punk band. Metalcore band Currents brought the energy to the E2 Stage while alternative rock bands like Dead Poet Society and Eagles of Death Metal took to the main stages in the afternoon. Dayseeker, The Ghost Inside, and IDLES warmed up the main stages in the early evening, with IDLES in particular riling the crowd up with their charismatic, cheeky stage presence. During the first three songs, guitarist Lee Kiernan quickly leapt into the crowd — an impressive feat considering how tall the stage was — and played in the middle of the pit that immediately formed around him.
When Lorna Shore hit the Tesco Stage, all bets were off. The crowd immediately went wild, with some fans even looking close to tears before the band even walked onto the stage. The American deathcore band captivated everyone, especially with vocalist Will Ramos’ impressive vocal style and pyrotechnics to go along with it. Crowd surfers were constantly making their way toward the stage for what seemed like the first time since the festival started. Those preferring something a little less heavy were treated to an Arrows in Action show over on the ČT Art Stage.
Slipknot headlined the second night, taking the stage just before 9:30pm to a packed out field. The masked heavy metal band hypnotized fans with their set, although some complaints were heard when lead vocalist Corey Taylor referred to the Czech Republic as “Czechia.” He also repeatedly got the name of the festival wrong, calling it “Rock for the People” several times, but fans were willing to let this one slide thanks to his incredible performance. After Slipknot, many fans headed immediately to see Marc Rebillet’s set, ready to party all night long once again.
As the week progressed, the festival grounds became more and more crowded as people arrived from out of town, and the crowds were packed much tighter on Friday. Music started around 11:30am with I Love You Honey Bunny on the E2 stage followed by Fit For An Autopsy. Seven Hours After Violet, the side project of System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, opened the KB Stage around 1pm, with rock band Nothing More following soon after.
One of the most unique performances of the day was Swedish metalcore band Imminence, whose lead singer Eddie Berg also plays violin. The atmosphere of their show was elegant yet intense, as the band members took the stage wearing all black with a backdrop of what looked like church windows.
It was also a big day for Czech and Slovak musicians, with rock band Horkýže Slíže gracing the Tesco Stage and Czech singer Marie Rottrová drawing a crowd of 15,000 people leading up to pop star Ewa Farna’s performance on the KB Stage. Her set was complete with a sparkly silver dress, backup dancers, and fun choreography
Circa Waves, Paleface Swiss, and Deafheaven kept people going on the E2 stage while In Flames and Skillet warmed up the two main stages for the headliners: the Sex Pistols ft. Frank Carter. They may not have been as heavy as the previous headliners, but they certainly knew how to get the crowd going. Frank Carter pulled his signature move of getting into the crowd early in the performance, and at any given time, you could find at least five different circle pits. At one point, several of the pits merged to form a giant one right in front of the stage. People were skipping, high-fiving, breakdancing, rowing, and even building human pyramids in the pit, impressing Frank Carter and delighted when he called them out. The party didn’t stop afterwards, with sets from While She Sleeps and Perturbator to keep the night going.
Saturday was arguably the main event for most fans, with everyone looking forward to Linkin Park’s first appearance in the country with their new vocalist Emily Armstrong.
The Tesco Stage opened with a unique performance by David Koller and the Prague Philharmonia Orchestra, followed by the English rock band Creeper. They may have played early in the day, but Creeper’s persona, complete with gory face paint, didn’t disappoint. American rapper ZillaKami took over the KB Stage with his signature brand of trap-metal. The start of the performance was unexpected, with a seemingly random guy who was definitely not ZillaKami coming on stage and dancing along to his own DJ sets of pop punk and heavy rock music. His energy was contagious, but the crowd visibly became confused after the second or third song played and still no ZillaKami. The rapper finally emerged from backstage and launched into his songs, with his hype man staying on stage to encourage fans to go crazy.
Punk legends Stray From The Path lit up the Tesco Stage while Norwegian pop sensation Sigrid added a touch of charm and softness to the KB Stage. Thrice, Wunderhorse, and REFUSED kept the crowd going all afternoon, and there was even a stand-up comedy set in English by Bianca Cristovao at the CT Art Stage. Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro drew huge crowds to the main stage while Motionless in White took the Tesco Stage to enthusiastic cheers and circle pits.
The field around the KB Stage filled up hours before Linkin Park came on, with some fans even camping near the barricade since the festival grounds opened to secure their spot. With this being the hottest day of the festival yet, it was true dedication. Linkin Park opened with several hits as well as new songs, and throughout the set Emily Armstrong encouraged fans to sing the older ones themselves. With Chester Bennington gone, this seemed like the right move to get everyone involved and avoid comparisons. Armstrong also noticed a fan who came with a sign saying “EMILY CUT MY HAIR,” and she pulled him up into the pit and shaved his head at his request.
Fontaines D.C. kept the night going on the Tesco Stage, followed by several DJ sets sprinkled across the E2, ČT Art, and Conference Stages. RØRY closed out the ČT Art Stage for the night.
Sunday was a little calmer on the festival grounds, as it was the only day that it wasn’t completely sold out. The festival was reduced from 10 stages to just five, with music starting just after 1pm. Dirty Honey opened the KB Stage in the afternoon, followed by GRAMMY-nominated rock band Rival Sons. Mexican sister trio The Warning warmed up the Tesco Stage in the early evening, delivering a dazzling performance. The headliners, Guns N’ Roses, in true rock star fashion, started about 30 minutes late, but were warmly welcomed by fans. After their 3-hour set, Crossfaith and halflives closed out the night.
The Food (and the Beer)
On top of the stacked line up of live music, Rock for People had an impressive food and beverage lineup this year. Due to popular demand, they brought back the Veggie Zone, making it much easier for vegans and vegetarians to find something to eat all in one place. Whether you were veggie or not, you could choose from burgers and hot dogs, Indian food, Asian specialties, gourmet fries, homemade pizza and pasta, and so much more. The sheer variety of food available was impressive, and while it cost more than what you may have paid otherwise, the festival prices weren’t outrageous.
For the first time this year, the festival also had an on-site Tesco store. It was small, but the number of people inside was controlled by a doorman, so it was never too crowded and the line to get in moved quickly. Here, festival goers could buy pre-made sandwiches (or just ingredients to make your own), fruits and veggies, protein drinks, snacks, and even hygiene products like sunscreen and vitamins. This was such a hit that we’d be incredibly surprised if the festival didn’t bring it back next year.
The on-site Tesco was also the only place (besides the merch hangar) that you could use a regular credit card to pay instead of your cashless chip on your wristband. The festival grounds were once again almost completely cashless, with payments being made via the NFC chip on your wristband. This required you to top up your chip either online or via the top-up tents on the festival grounds.
And, with the Czech Republic being so famous for its beer, it was expected that the beer lineup would be incredible. With dozens of craft beer tents as well as a Craft Beer Stage hangar operated by the Czech brand Budvar, the brew was always flowing. Of course, plenty of non-alcoholic beer was available as well, alongside coffee, Kofola (the Czech equivalent of Coca-Cola), Strongbow cider, and plenty of water stations.
The Activities
There were plenty of other activities and zones to partake in besides just the music and food. The main sponsor KB set up an area called the KB Future Zone, which included a solar-powered stage, a coworking space with Wi-Fi, an AI photo corner, and lectures and workshops focusing on sustainability, gaming, music, and much more.
Jack Daniels and Kofola zones were set up for fans to grab drinks and relax, while the Heineken zone offered bean bag chairs and a big screen for festival goers who didn’t want to miss their favorite sports games. The Camel zone was decked out to look like a beach, complete with sand, a bar, and plenty of DJ sets and contests to participate in. The MARTINI Fashion Arena also held daily workshops and events centered around fashion. Vendors like Fuck Cancer also had tents where you could learn about the disease and support cancer patients, while there was also a tent offering free and anonymous HIV testing.
The festival also had a signing tent near the KB Stage where fans could have meet-and-greets with their favorite artists and maybe even snap a quick photo. Slovak band Horkýže Slíže drew huge crowds to this tent, while Imminence’s line was out the tent and down the main avenue.
This year’s Rock for People festival exceeded our expectations, and even those of the festival founder himself. He shared in a press release:
“I have a lot of emotions mixed up in me, but I would like to highlight the gratitude I feel right now… I enjoyed it very much, it was once again confirmed that we have the best audience, who have great taste in music and know how to enjoy concerts to the fullest. The festival has exceeded all my expectations and I am already looking forward to the new decade.”
As are we! RFP was full of memorable moments and high energy, whether that was headbanging to one of the legendary bands, running around in the Sex Pistols circle pit, trying something new in the veggie zone, or meeting new people taking photos in front of one of the RFP signs. The sense of community was palpable, especially as many fans have been coming to the festival for 15+ years now.
We know the fifth day was added this year as an extra special birthday celebration, but now that it’s been done once, we’re hoping the festival will keep this tradition going. Even five days didn’t seem like enough time to enjoy the amazing lineup and the incredible atmosphere at one of the biggest and best rock festivals in Central Europe.
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