The Slovak Heart Festival to Launch With a Joint Concert by Bez ladu a skladu, Karpatské chrbáty, Chiki liki tu-a, and Škridle

The Slovak Heart Festival will kick off symbolically on Sunday 1 June at Záhrada CNK in Banská Bystrica. The opening concert will feature performances by Bez ladu a skladu, Karpatské chrbáty, Chiki liki tu-a, and Škridle. The programme will also include a series of discussions, and admission will be free.

29. May 2025

As of today, more than 200 signatories have joined the Slovak Heart initiative. It is an open call for artists, cultural venues, and other supporters to get involved through a variety of events in support of a Slovakia that embraces human values. The result is a nationwide festival that will run from 1 June to 29 August 2025.

“We are moved by how quickly and in what numbers people from all across Slovakia are getting involved in the Slovak Heart initiative. It’s clear that people in Slovakia value human life and our membership in the community of free democratic nations. We’re launching the whole series of events symbolically on International Children’s Day, right in the heart of Slovakia – in Banská Bystrica. Artists from the east, west, and centre of the country will come together. I’m looking forward to the gathering,” says Michal Kaščák from the Pohoda team, which is organising the event in cooperation with Záhrada CNK. “We are honoured to be able to ‘kick off’ the Slovak Heart right here in our venue, Záhrada – and especially with bands that are very close to us. We didn’t hesitate for a second to join the initiative. We should not take for granted that we are part of a community that cares about safety, democracy, and humanity. Let’s value that, let’s value every human life, and let’s value one another. Let the Slovak Heart beat!” adds Andrej Polakovič from Záhrada – Centre for Independent Culture in Banská Bystrica.

The idea for the Slovak Heart Festival was born during the tour of Bez ladu a skladu, Karpatské chrbáty, and Michael Kocáb in Ukraine, at a time when the Slovak Prime Minister was visiting Moscow. It follows two successful projects – Slovenská krčma and Slovenská Tepláreň. The organisers believe that the current situation calls for an active response from the artistic and civic community to ensure Slovakia remains part of the free world, where human life is held in the highest regard. The Slovak Heart call remains open to anyone who wishes to take part in any form.

You can find the list of signatories and join the initiative at www.slovenskesrdce.eu.

OPENING CONCERT PROGRAMME:

5:00 PM Škridle

6:00 PM Bez ladu a skladu

6:35 PM Sofia Barvinská and Zuzana Janíčková (discussions)

7:00 PM Chiki liki tu-a

7:35 PM Michal Kaščák, Vlado Šimíček and Oliver Rehák (discussions)

8:00 PM Karpatské chrbáty

Venue: Záhrada CNK, Banská Bystrica
Time: Sunday 1 June, 5:00 PM
Admission: Free

FB Event Opening Concert Programme

TEXT OF THE SLOVAK HEART CALL:

We believe that the majority of people in Slovakia value human life. The symbolic handshake between our country’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico, and the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, is seen by us as a betrayal of the fundamental human values on which our civilisation is built—a betrayal of our country, of the European Union, and of the free world as a whole.

It is up to us to show that Slovakia is not the same as Robert Fico, that we do not want to belong to the so-called “rogue states” where war is labelled peace, where there is contempt for other nations, and where human life is weighed against the price of raw materials.

We want to reassure our fellow citizens in the European Union that we value the ideals on which this community is founded. We appreciate our membership in the family of democratic European nations and want to be its reliable and trustworthy partner.

We also want to express our respect for the people of Ukraine and their brave struggle for freedom and humanity, which we see as a contribution to the whole free world. We want to support Ukraine in every way we can, each of us according to our means. We want to be good neighbours, especially in these difficult times Ukraine is going through.

Slovakia stands at a crossroads. We will do everything we can to ensure our country remains on the right side of history, on the right side of humanity.

We want to show that the people of Slovakia have their hearts in the right place.

That is why we are organising the Slovak Heart Festival.