"Majáles" - May Festival in Olomouc: Back to School

Several days of student frolic will sweep over Olomouc in the first week of May, this time returning its visitors behind the school desks. The UP May Festival (Majáles) will feature a record number of shows in the accompanying programme, a market, an array of workshops, a number of outdoor activities, theatre performances and film shows, popular science events, and the highest-ever number of concerts of domestic as well as foreign musicians.

“This year’s May Festival will be the largest in the six-year-long history in terms of its scope and programme,” says the festival spokesperson Kristýna Navrátilová, adding without losing a beat, “We have been trying, since the very first year, to offer more than beer and bands. We make a carnival procession through the city every year, crowning the King of May and competing in the Best Mask Contest.”

School – the basis for life

This year is entitled with the motto “School – the basis for life”. Student and public visitors will experience what it is like to get back behind the school desks; the theme will be reflected in the visual design, decorations, music and theatre programme, and workshops. The forthcoming May Festival will feature more than 160 items in the programme, which moving the goal line a little further again. All the time-tested outdoor and sport activities will reoccur, while the Fashion Market will be a complete novelty. Visitors will enjoy lectures held by interesting personalities and popular science and arts workshops, and interactive presentations by more than 40 non-profit organisations.

From the park to the Armoury

“The most significant change in comparison with the past two years is the relocation of the main events. The premises of the Crown Fortress cannot be used this year due to technical reasons,” explains Ondřej Martínek, the chief coordinator of May Festival. The main music stage and other accompanying programmes will come back in great splendour to the focal point of the whole university – the court of the Theresian Armoury. A smaller music scene and newly also an electronic music stage will be premiered in the Bezruč park, along with film shows, theatre performances, and sporting activities. The festival organisers have also decided to lay more emphasis on the benefit dimension of the event. An open public donation will be held, as well as a non-traditional auction of experiences.

The highlight of this year’s merrymaking will be the carnival procession that will witness the coronation of the King of May at the Upper Square. “The name of this year’s king is still shrouded in mystery, but I am allowed to say that it is a truly special figure whose coronation will be a great honour for us all,” concludes Martínek.

The 2016 May Festival is organised by Palacký University and made possible by the efforts of nearly six dozen students. More details and facts are available on the website www.majalesolomouc.cz, adorned with a new visual style by the UP graphic designer Radim Měsíc.

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