Practical Guide to the Liberation Festival May Programme in Pilsen

From 2-6 May, Pilsen will be wholly unrecognisable. That’s because the city will once again welcome the Liberation Festival. The 80th anniversary of Pilsen’s liberation and the end of WWII will feature the largest celebrations ever! Military and historical associations from across Europe and the US will take part in the preparations. After a one-year break, Pilsen will also be honoured with a visit from the war veterans’ families. And both the military and cultural programmes will be nothing short of extraordinary. Unsure of where to start? We’ll tell you where to go and what to see to ensure you have an unforgettable experience at this one-of-a-kind event.

Helpful Tips and Practical Information

• When? 2-6 May, with the main military and cultural events being held from 2-4 May.
• Where? The city centre and adjacent neighbourhoods; including some towns in the Pilsen Region from 30 April to 8 May.
• Where to eat? Republic Square will feature a street food zone with thematic American food options and more. For more tips, check out the Gastro section on our website.
• Transportation: You can easily get around the city using the Pilsen Public Transport System. The city centre is closed to traffic during the event; it’s best to park elsewhere if arriving by car.
• Souvenirs and information: The Tourist Information Centres – Visit Pilsen will be open to you as well as an info-point directly on Republic Square. You’ll find the detailed programme schedule on the Liberation Festival website.

Opening Celebration

As soon as you arrive in Pilsen on Friday, 2 May, be sure to include the opening ceremony on Republic Square in your plans. The sounds of bluegrass and country played by the bands COP and Taxmen will kick things off. Then, the American marching band Stuttgart Legacy Drumline will keep the energy high with its performance. A unique spectacle will also play out overhead during the celebration, as historical aeroplanes will fly by with skydivers gently parachuting down to the square. The evening’s second half will be taken over by the Pilsen Philharmonic, accompanied by artist and musician Vojtěch Dyk. The concert will then seamlessly flow into a display by the Honour Guard of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic and a multimedia show in the form of Magic Lanterns, dubbed From Normandy to Pilsen. And so, these theatrical and film performances will bring to life before your very eyes this fascinating story full of courage and resilience, which led all the way to Pilsen’s liberation.

Four Musical Stages & a DJ

The Liberation Festival is more than just a parade of military vehicles. The entire city will also burst into life with music by Czech and foreign musicians playing on four different stages. Each features a different musical genre, ensuring there’s something here for everyone. The main stage on Republic Square will belong to the varied showing of pop, rock, funk, jazz, and R&B as well as other styles left open to interpretation, such as Anna K., Václav Noid Bárta and the Tremolo orchestra, The Tap Tap, and November 2nd. The so-called “LIBÉRTY Stage” in the Kopeckeho sady Orchard park will celebrate freedom on Friday, 2 May and Saturday, 3 May, with performances by an array of Pilsen musicians as well as artistic legends like The Prostitutes and The Rocket Dogz. Next, the 40s Stage will take you back to the year 1945 with its irresistible swing and jazz rhythms and a splash of local folk music groups. And finally, you’ll find an aptly named stage in the Křižíkovy sady at Proluka, situated right next to the remains of the medieval castle walls. Music by regional bands will ring out from this Folk & Country Stage in the shopping centre’s Plaza Amphitheatre. But if you’re still itching for some finely tuned musical mixes served up by experienced DJs, then be sure to stop by Náplavka u Radbuzy. On Saturday, 3 May, the Beats of Liberty DJ show will get this place rocking.

Military Camps & Countless Vehicles

The 80th anniversary calls for something truly special. That’s why a record number of historical and modern military vehicles are coming to the event, including some that were last seen in Pilsen in 1945! Plus, what is likely to be the largest period war camp in Central Europe will pop up in the authentic backdrop of the city. You’ll be able to visit the historically accurate camps in the Křižíkovy and Šafaříkovy sady and discover an infirmary, field workshops, and a military canteen (the canteen will be fully functional, and you can even expect to run into dining soldiers here) while embarking on commentated tours. These camps along Pilsen’s green belt of gardens won’t be the only ones to feature the lives of soldiers and displays of vehicles, equipment, and weapons; you can also visit the park behind the Plaza shopping centre with its armoured vehicles and artillery, as well as the area Between the Mže River and Na Poříčí Street with its planes and RAF and WAAF outfits. And if you don’t mind heading out of the city centre for a bit, then be sure to visit the Lobzy neighbourhood. At the local shooting range on Friday, 2 May and Saturday, 3 May, you’ll see modern military equipment used by the Army of the Czech Republic and the US here.

Convoy of Liberty

Every year, this multiday celebration culminates in a memorial service as well as the traditional parade of historical vehicles: the Convoy of Liberty. If there’s anything worth seeing here, it’s this once-in-a-lifetime display of vehicles as they slowly make their way along Klatovská Street to the city centre. This year’s parade will also include a pedestrian section and a showing of modern equipment from the Czech and American armies. Aside from the companies dressed in military attire and the marching musicians, you’ll also see the families of the actual wartime veterans. And how many vehicles will there be? You can look forward to an incredible 400 different military vehicles while historical aircraft fly overhead! To ensure you get a good view of the convoy, we recommend arriving in advance on Sunday, 4 April.

Period Fashion, Dancing, & Film Screenings

At the Liberation Festival in Pilsen, you’ll run into thousands of uniformed enthusiasts, both men and women, meaning you can admire their well-crafted attire just as much as the vehicles and musical performances. At the 40s Stage, you’ll even enjoy a period, civilian fashion and uniform show. And this is where you can also come to dance. On Friday, 2 May, the stage will transform into a swing and jazz dancehall. Hits by jazz icons will draw you to the dancefloor under the pleasant summer sky, played by the popular Pilsner Jazz Band. And if you’d also like to participate by sporting a 1940s look, be sure to stop by the lifestyle zone on Saturday, 3 May, where they’ll do your hair and nails to match the time period.

Other Festivities in the Pilsen Region?

Liberation celebrations will break out across the entire Pilsen Region in early April until 8 May. Aside from Pilsen, you can visit a total of 19 other towns, with their own programmes. One of the largest events will be held on Saturday, 3 May, in Dobřany. Battle re-enactments will unfold on the main square, where you’ll see the Americans and Germans fight head to head, featuring not only their foot soldiers but tanks as well – the German Tigers and American Shermans, which will return to Dobřany for the first time in 80 years. Then, on 30 April in Hostouň, you can watch how the American soldiers saved a barn with 650 precious horses from being destroyed during the war. And then there’s Rokycany, where the final celebrations will be capped on 8 May with an all-day programme with show pieces from The Museum on the Demarcation Line. Why not spice up this year’s visit to the Liberation Festival with a trip to somewhere else in the area?