A varied cultural programme with dozens of performers will be offered on four stages in the centre of Pilsen during the Liberation Festival, which will commemorate 80 years since the liberation of the city by the American army from 2 to 6 May 2025. The music will be played on the main stage on the Republic Square, on the so-called LIBÉ RTY Stage in Kopecký Sady, in Proluka in Křižík Sady and behind the shopping mall Plaza or on the embankment.

“I am very pleased that more than thirty musical ensembles and individuals of various musical genres will join the rich programme of the living history clubs and the Army of the Czech Republic this year. Visitors can look forward to swing bands, contemporary music stars, as well as original groups. The programme has been set up in the way that everyone can find their own genre. I would personally like to invite you, for example, to a unique performance of the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra with Vojtěch Dyk on the first day of the festival,” said Mayor Roman Zarzycký.

The main scene on the Square of the Republic

The main stage of the Liberation Festival will be on the Republic Square. It will be the venue for the main musical performances and the opening ceremony on Friday 2 May. An exclusive connection of the local Pilsen Philharmonic with musician and singer Vojtěch Dyk will be preceded by performances by legendary bands, the bluegrass COP and the country Taxmen, as well as commentated flyovers of historic military planes, parachute jumps, and the American student marching band Stuttgart Legacy Drumline returning after a year with dancers, drummers and cymbals. Immediately before the production by Vojtěch Dyk and the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, there will be an exhibition performance by the Czech Army Honour Guard unit, and the evening will culminate in a programme entitled From Normandy to Pilsen, combining multimedia effects with historical technology, directed by Michal Caban. “We will present the story of the liberation of Pilsen using the principle of Laterna Magika, where live characters and storylines emerge from film projections, theatre and film complement each other in an audiovisual historical show using large-scale projection on LED screens,” said film and television creator Michal Caban.

In the following days, visitors can look forward to the popular unusual band of students and graduates of the Jedlička Institute School, The Tap Tap, Anna K., who will present their greatest hits, the energetic pop-rock band of the US Air Force Touch ´n GO with unique interpretations of songs combining rock, funk, jazz and R&B, or Igor Orozovič & CO with their original repertoire. The main stage will also feature the unique and distinctive style of Jan Smigmator & Band feat. Jumaane Smith from the USA, the charismatic singer with an unmistakable voice Václav Noid Bárta accompanied by the Tremolo Orchestra, the six-member Circus Brothers with original songs based on traditional Balkan brass band, the band November 2nd and the band Vanua2, consisting of excellent musicians from the legendary Blue Effect and one of the best new voices on the Czech music scene, singer Yannick Tevi from the island of Vanuatu.

Freedom in many forms will be offered by LIBÉ RTY Stage

LIBÉ RTY Stage in Kopecký sady will offer a unique zone full of culture, music and inspiration that celebrates freedom and reminds us of its value. It will present a series of concerts, including this year’s musical comeback with the legendary The Prostitutes, the critically acclaimed dark country-western novelty K mýmu ohni nesedej by the Poly Noir music project, and the leading domestic psychobilly trio The Rocket Dogz. A number of Pilsen artists will also perform, such as the region’s folk-rock hope Ida The Young with a nomination for the Vinyl Award, the winner of last year’s Muse competition, the band Skotační kulomet or  band NORA from Rokycany.
“With this year’s programme at the LIBÉ RTY Stage we want to bring a deeper connection with history and great music, and we also want this space to become a place for fun and reflection. Because freedom is not just a memory, but a journey that never ends. At the LIBÉ RTY Stage, it will be possible to enjoy freedom in many forms,” said Jiří Kunc, director of the Memory of the Nation of the Pilsen Region, which is setting up the LIBÉ RTY Stage. The two-day programme will also provide the audience with inspiring debates on history, politics, culture and society.

Proluka turns into a dance floor

The 40’s Stage in Proluka in Křižíkovo sady will bring visitors to the atmosphere of the summer of 1945 with stylish period entertainment. In addition to jazz, swing and folklore, it will offer a dance floor area, period fashion and uniforms show, and evening screenings of period films.
“The open stage here will feature the most romantic Czech jazz band Champagne Lovers, the Paper Moon Trio, singing the best that the 1930s and 1940s had to offer, and the band Sestryoly will perform tasteful humour with beautiful songs of the 1920s and 1930s,” said Jindřich Jindřich,  the Pilsen 1945 project music coordinator, adding that the band The Swing Field Unit of the 1st battalion of the 16th Infantry Regiment from Germany will bring melodies from 1941 to 1945 to the 40’s Stage. One of the evenings will be transformed into a dance party, featuring songs by jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Glenn Miller, performed by the nine-piece Pilsner Jazz Band. The Mladinka and Mladina ensembles and their guest Kyjovánek will perform folk art in a partially stylized form, in which folk dances and songs from Pilsen and southwest Bohemia meet with South Moravia.

Music productions behind the shopping mall Plaza, at DEPo and on the embankment

The Folk & Country Stage in the amphitheatre behind shopping mall Plzeň Plaza will present the best Pilsen and regional bands such as Košík Band, Zakkis Trio, Spolucestující, Devítka or Forehand. Na Starý kolena Band, Pavla Jíšová and Baba Band, Ivan Hlas Trio and Jaroslav Samson Lenk will appear the on Sunday afternoon.
Music will be performed at the courtyard in the DEPO2015 Creative Zone (Presslova 14), where the first annual meeting of the civil Amerivan cars Freedom America will take place on Saturday, May 3. Hudson Hornet will be headlining and the public will be transported to the atmosphere of the 1950s and 1960s in the USA. The new event will be accompanied by the energetic rhythm band St. Johnny playing rock ‘n’ roll, boogie and blues.
A mini-program with the original DJ show Beats of Liberty will be presented by DJ Wotty on the Radbuza Embankment, where large-format photographs from May 1945 will also be on display on the waterfront wall.