Colours of Ostrava Changes Course: The Festival Bets on the Mainstream to Reclaim Its Lead in Czechia

Colours of Ostrava, the largest music festival in Czechia, is gradually shifting its programming strategy, moving away from niche genres toward more mainstream, popular acts. The organizers hope this shift will help the festival reclaim its title as the country's most-attended event — a status currently held by rival festival Rock for People.

Last year, Filip Koštálek took over as the festival's program director, succeeding Zlata Holušová. While his team has largely kept the same core staff as before, it has steadily been reshaping the festival's concept. Where Colours of Ostrava once prided itself on introducing audiences to lesser-known genres, the focus has now shifted toward artists guaranteed to draw broad public interest.

The change becomes especially clear when comparing headliners across different years. In 2013, the festival featured Sigur Rós, Jamie Cullum, The xx, The Knife, and Tomahawk — acclaimed artists, but far from mass appeal. By 2016, the lineup included Underworld, Tame Impala, Of Monsters and Men, ANOHNI, and Passenger — again, names that spoke more to connoisseurs than to the general public.

The last two years have told a different story. Last season's headliners included Sting, Iggy Pop, Snow Patrol, and The Chainsmokers, while this year's lineup features LP, Twenty One Pilots, Lorde, Teddy Swims, and Moby. All of these names sit far closer to mainstream popularity than the artists booked a decade ago.

The shift seems like a logical move for the organizers: keeping tens of thousands of visitors coming back — and staying attractive to sponsors — increasingly requires booking artists whose names resonate with a broad audience. Ticket prices keep rising, and festivalgoers are becoming more cautious about spending, committing only when they're confident they'll get a genuinely memorable experience for their money.

On top of that, organizers of major Czech festivals are finding it harder to attract younger audiences, many of whom have lost enthusiasm for days-long camping trips, while also needing to convince partners to keep investing in the event. Both groups respond to recognizable names. That said, the festival's many stages still leave room to showcase less commercial but high-quality music — it's just no longer the main draw.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz