Summer in the Park Festival begins this Saturday

 The Summer in the Park Festival has been part of the line up for the summer programme for residents and visitors to Košice for five years. Apart from the strong musical programme, it brings, in the spirit of its multi-genre idea, dramatic performances for children and adults, film shows and literature in a new light. The Kasárne Kulturpark is transformed into a refreshing city-oasis of culture and relaxation for almost a whole month; Summer in the Park will be held from 3 to 25 August.

The rich musical programme is varied; its aim is to cover multiple musical genres: “We have tried to offer interesting artists from different musical styles, which should please the wider public. We would like everyone to be able to find something they like in our musical programme,” says Daniel Franko, who is the main production manager of the festival. The programme of the festival puts rockers from Prague next to the provocative raging IAMX, the ethereal Iva Bittová with the Čikori group, Czech Hip-Hop legend PSH and more. The Slovak musical scene will be represented by famous artists such as Vidiek, Love 4 Money, as well as less well-known names like Purist, Frequency, From our Hands, Slow Flow, Talkshow. “We want to introduce visitors to the lesser well-known names, whose quality deserves space” explains D. Franko.

Entry is free to the initial Saturday triple-bill concert. It will be started off by the young rock ‘n’ roll group Walter Schnitzelsson, in the evening it will continue with a performance by rapper, Vec. The climax of the first day of the festival will be the concert by the group, Hex. Die-hards will be able to continue to the after-party with DJ Tomáš Hafner, which will take place inside the building.

“It is an interesting event because it attracts attention to the space of the Kasárne Kulturpark. We want people to understand its meaning and importance. It isn’t just a narrowly specialized cultural centre. On the contrary, it is a place for fusion and overlapping with all the levels of the Košice 2013 project. It’s exactly that overlapping that, unlike other festivals, shows what the Kasárne Kulturpark should be like in the future. This makes it a key event for future years. I believe that people will accept our invitation and come and look at this new place in the town and at the cultural program of the festival,” says the director of the Košice 2013 non-profit organization Ján Sudzina. This is one of the reasons why the accompanying program of the festival includes a debate on the Kasárne Kulturpark, its architecture and design, as well as its content and vision and cooperation with other projects, under the auspices of Košice 2013.

Even thought more important than the musical programme is the atmosphere of the festival, J. Sudzina has chosen according to his preferences: “I’m looking forward, more than to the actual event, to the whole atmosphere and the concentration of minds. I’m a connoisseur; I like to choose. I’ll definitely find time for the Quasars Ensemble and Dalibor Karvay and Pražský výběr. I’m curious to see them because it’s the music I listened to when I was young.”

Pražský výběr (Prague Selection) is one of the headliners at the festival. Košice will greet the original line-up led by composer, singer and community activist Michal Kocáb. Pražský výběr, which was banned by the communist regime in the years 1983-1986, returned to publishing albums and playing concerts in the second half of the 80s. After 1989, the group performed minimally, and broke up in 2006. As a new project they have been playing since 2012 and offer not only well-known hits, but also a colourful show full of props and costumes. This is confirmed by the words of bass guitarist Vilém Čok:  “We are looking forward to the concert in Košice. We have always had a good fan-base and if I recall, the last time we played there was eight years ago. Thus we expect “hungry” and excited fans. They can enjoy all the main hits from the career of Pražský výběr and some surprises too.” The Pražský výběr concert will be on 16 August at 19:00.

The organizers of the event have also prepared a rich accompanying programme. Visitors can find dance and musical workshops, a summer readings or rental of picnic blankets. There will also be an eye-catching exhibition by contemporary artists Milan Houser and Adam Szentpétery called Geometric Fields, hosted by artistic director of Košice 2013 Vladimír Beskid: “The exhibition opening will be held on Saturday at 17:00 in the Alfa gallery. The focus of the exhibition will also set the artistic direction for creative dramatics in Kasárne Kulturpark. Even the name itself, Alfa (Alfa is the name of the central building where the gallery is located, note. ed.), points to its focus on contemporary art and the emerging generation of artists”. This current artistic geometric dialogue can be viewed during the days of the festival, from Wednesday to Sunday, from 15:00 to 20:00.

More information about the event and the current programme can be found at www.letovparku.sk