The 11th year of the largest electronic dance music festival in Central Europe, Beats for Love, has come to the end. And it was an epic conclusion: thanks to the performances of a number of headliners, led by the British duo A.M.C & Koven and the famous Swede Axwell, the festival’s attendance record was broken. Over the four days, a total of 164,000 people arrived at the venue in Dolní Vítkovice.
This means that 45,000 people enjoyed the music festival in Ostrava on Saturday, just like on Friday.
“When we saw the number of tickets sold, somewhere in the back of our minds we believed that we would beat last year’s maximum. The fact that it really happened is a huge honor for us, but also a commitment. We thank everyone very much,”
said the head of Beats for Love Kamil Rudolf, adding that the gesture of extending the validity of Thursday’s one-day tickets to Friday, which was appreciated by fans, had a positive effect on the total number of visitors.
“We had a great year, if not the best ever. I am extremely pleased with the reactions of visitors, not only to the music program, but also to the newly created Beats for Love Universe project, which has transformed the appearance of our festival area. Now we will rest and start preparing the twelfth edition of Beats for Love with all our might,”
added Rudolf.
The final day of the largest Czech festival was packed with star-studded performances. Techno lovers were delighted by Canadian minimalist pioneer Richie Hawtin, and the Dutch also shone: the Tinlicker project on the Future stage, and Black Sun Empire on the D&B stage. However, the main Love stage by ČSOB once again attracted the most attention, where the organizers prepared a range of unique performances called Beats for Love Special.
“Belgian producer Used played with live instruments, English duo A.M.C & Koven transformed their partnership symbiosis into a great energetic set. And I think many visitors were surprised by their compatriot John Newman. People remember him as a pop singer, but he transformed his show into a dance outfit – and it was a blast,”
said Jiří Ramík, the festival’s program director. And singer Koven, aka Katie Boyle, enthusiastically added:
“Ostrava plays an extremely important role in our lives. I kicked off my career here, my fiancé (A.M.C. – author’s note) has always experienced a great welcome at Beats for Love. And our first performance together showed that we can have a second home here. Excellent energy, beautiful environment, our favorite stage. It can’t be compared to England,”
beamed the blonde Brit.
The highlight of the program was the performance of Axwell, a member of the world-famous trio Swedish House Mafia. During an hour and a half on stage, he played hits from both his solo and group work, and the fans applauded him loudly for a long time. Everything was accompanied by impressive visual effects – in short, a festival full stop, as it should be.
“Axwell gave this year’s edition a beautiful ending. We tried for a long time to bring him to Ostrava, whether solo or with the rest of the group. The first option worked out and it was great. And we will definitely strive for the second one,”
Kamil Rudolf smiled.
MYTHICAL PEAK OF THE ACCOMPANYING PROGRAM
This year, over 550 artists performed on 18 stages. Visually, the main Love stage by ČSOB, which resembled a heart in the palm of your hand, was redesigned, as was the Techno Dome by Proud. The stage there was 360 degrees – the DJ played surrounded by the crowd. Everything was under the auspices of the Beats for Love Universe festival universe. “We created so-called spheres: LOVE, SPACE and INDUSTRIAL, complemented by the connecting street PULSE. Each had its own theme, its own decorations, style and art installations. We devoted a lot of time and resources to it and we are happy that visitors discovered new corners of the area, took pictures of the decorations and had fun with it. In short, they did not experience the festival only with their ears, but also with their eyes,” said the head of Beats for Love, who was also pleased that the weather was favorable for the event. Four sunny days in Ostrava were only interrupted by two light showers on Thursday.
Thanks to the favorable conditions, the significantly improved accompanying program was able to stand out. Dancers on flexible poles, so-called sway poles, or acrobats suspended from giant inflatable balloons or in shiny clothes from the ceilings of large-capacity tents, fire and light shows… Visitors to Beats for Love could see all of this. And the highlight of the accompanying program was once again breathtaking. While last year, artists from the French project Planète Vapeur brought a fiery dragon to Dolní Vítkovice, this year they reached for another mythical creature – the winged horse Pegasus. Almost every passerby enthusiastically took photos or filmed the parade with gymnasts, drummers and jugglers on stilts.
The control room of “koksovna” hosted the three-day Talking Beats conference, which once again found its audience. The festival director Kamil Rudolf’s barbecue and the talk about the influence of music on sports performance were entertaining. Former NHL star defenseman Radim Polák took part in the event.
The festival’s partners also shined. Thanks to them, visitors could try a special festival dating site, taste alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, drool after tasting world cuisine, take a funny selfie in the area or buy festival promotional items. Moreover, every payment at Beats for Love was cashless – the system introduced last year worked like a Swiss watch again. In addition, ČSOB Bank, as the general partner of the festival, gave people up to 10 percent cashback up to 500 crowns when paying with a mobile phone, watch or ring. ČSOB also improved the conditions for fans staying in the tent city and all “overseas” visitors. Thanks to the bank’s cooperation with Leo Express, they could travel to and from Ostrava cheaper.
The imaginary purses also provided funds for a good cause. Through its Beats for Charity project, the festival will support the Bochňák family from the Přerov region and one-year-old Eliška Voznicová from Karviná. The collection, which has already raised hundreds of thousands of crowns, will continue until the end of August.
The organizers send a big “THANK YOU!” to all fans, artists, partners and volunteers. Thanks to them, the Beats for Love festival has made Ostrava and the entire Czech Republic a great advertisement with its 11th year. With its 11th year, it has put Ostrava and the Czech Republic on the world cultural map. The twelfth will take place in Dolní Vítkovice from 1 to 4 July 2026. The organizers will inform about the advance ticket sale in the coming days.
