No infections recorded at Pohoda on the Ground
Slovakia’s Pohoda on the Ground did not record a single positive Covid-19 result throughout the “extraordinary” five days it took place, according to organisers.
The festival mini-series took place between 7–11 July 2021 at Trenčín Airport in western Slovakia instead of the flagship event, which was cancelled for a second consecutive year.
A maximum of 1,000 people were permitted on each of the five days, including campers who had their own designated space.
According to the organisers, nearly three-quarters of the visitors were vaccinated (twice as much as the national average), for whom pre-testing was not mandatory.
All non-vaccinated people (including crew) were tested at one of the festival’s seven test sites and not a single positive Covid-19 result was recorded in more than 2,200 tests, prompting the organisers to declare that “well-established cultural events can be even safer from the epidemiological point of view than the streets of our cities”.
“The Pohoda on the Ground Festival started as a concept full of uncertainty but all obstacles are negligible in terms of its outcome. The measures were worth it; I feel that we have managed to create a space full of freedom, a celebration of art, tolerance, and the joy of meeting,” says Pohoda’s Michal Kaščák.
“[The festival] started as a concept full of uncertainty but all obstacles are negligible in terms of its outcome”
“I would like to thank everyone who contributed to its implementation—the commitment of many was huge and admirable, and visitors made sense of all our efforts. Also, this Pohoda has shown the importance of live art. We keep our fingers crossed for the other organisers of live culture events; we wish them to experience similar feelings of joy as we are experiencing now, so that they can realise their events in the freest possible format.”
Among the artists that performed at Pohoda on the Ground were Jewish DJ Ramzy Al Spinoza, Palestinian rapper MC Safaa Hathot, Korean-British duo Wooze, British band Dry Cleaning and Kinshasa-hailing collective Fulu Miziki.
Performances could be watched virtually on the festival’s 16-hour live stream which was viewed more than 3,000 times on the festival’s website, watched on YouTube more than 2,000 times, and Facebook videos were watched more than 18,000 times.
Marquee event Pohoda (cap. 30,000), which is the biggest festival in Slovakia, is due to return to Trenčín Airport between 7–9 July 2022.
Confirmed names for Pohoda 2022 include Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Libertines, Richie Hawtin, Black Pumas, Metronomy, Wolf Alice, slowthai.
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Pohoda on the Ground 2021 unveils international bill
Pohoda, Slovakia’s biggest festival, has revealed details of the festival mini-series which is replacing the 2021 flagship event.
The series, dubbed ‘Pohoda on the Ground’, is set to take place between 7–11 July 2021 at Trenčín Airport in western Slovakia.
A maximum of 1,000 people will be permitted on each of the five days, including campers who will have their own designated space.
British bands Black Midi, Black Country, New Road, Pengshui and Dry Cleaning are touted to play, alongside Georgian band Murman Tsuladze and Congolese band Fulu Miziki – all of whom will perform on the main stage, curated by Pohoda.
The other two stages will be curated by ten clubs across Slovakia – Hangár, Bombura, Fuga, Diera do sveta, Stromoradie, 69, Collosseum, WAX, Záhrada, and Hájovňa – as a show of support for the country’s nightlife scene.
“With a capacity that is comparable to its beginnings and an emphasis on the club scene, Pohoda is returning to the ground,” says Michal Kaščák from the Pohoda team.
“We enjoy creating a different form of Pohoda and playing with space and programme”
“Clubs are essential for music, creating a year-round background for musicians and local communities. We enjoy creating a different form of Pohoda and playing with space and programme; especially we are very much looking forward to meeting visitors soon at the Trenčín Airport.”
Pohoda on the Ground’s non-musical programme will also be jointly curated along with cultural centres including Platform 1-12 Topoľčany, New Synagogue Žilina, Peripheral Centres Dúbravica, Kunsthalle Bratislava and Homeland Studies Museum Galanta.
The first 1,000 tickets for Pohoda on the Ground will be available for exclusive pre-sale via individual clubs on 12 May. The online pre-sale in the Pohoda shop will then start on 17 May.
Pohoda on the Ground will take place instead of the 24th edition of Pohoda (‘Peace’), which was cancelled for a second consecutive year after epidemiologists confirmed that a 30,000-cap event in Slovakia this summer “seemed unrealistic”.
The flagship festival will return between 7 –9 July, 2022.
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