Did you know that the biggest international music festival in Czechia and one of the biggest in Central Europe is Colours of Ostrava? I attended the 2025 edition as press to tell you all about what you can expect at this event should you be eyeing a future visit. If you love music and have a broad taste and curiosity for new flavours, definitely keep reading! Plus, it’s inclusive.
In the 4 days of 2025, there were over 100 performers from more than 30 countries to serve impressive beats. But more than that, there are foodie stalls, events, workshops and talks.
Disclaimer: I got to visit Colours of Ostrava with a press pass and nothing else was sponsored. This post contains affiliate links (marked with an asterisk *). If you buy/book anything after clicking on them, this doesn’t cost you anything extra but gives me a little commission from qualifying purchases to help keep uploading free travel tips for you on to this blog.
Where is Colours of Ostrava?
The town of Ostrava is located in the East of Czechia, a 3-hour train ride away from Prague. It has multiple train stops, cross-country buses and a nearby airport as well. This way, you can get there easily.
Unlike many other popular festivals, the grounds are practically in the middle of town, not outside on some field.
The site even has two metro and bus stops. Public transport times are also adjusted during the festival, so everything runs more often and longer through the night. (Trams usually seem to stop before 1am otherwise.)
During Colours, the former industrial site Dolní oblast Vítkovice turns into a hub of multiple stages, food carts, interactive tents, panels and workshops.
- Address: Dolní oblast Vítkovice, Vítkovická 3004, 703 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
Quick History of Dolní oblast Vítkovice
The site of Lower Vítkovice (Czech: Dolní oblast Vítkovice) dates back to 1830.
In the past, this industrial complex belonged to the Hlubina Mine and included ironworks and coke plant with six furnaces.
In 1998, it was completely shut down and declared a national site in 2002 and a European cultural heritage site in 2008.
Some of the industrial buildings, namely the blast furnace no. 1, gas tank and energy exchange building, were repurposed in 2012 as modern event venues.
When is Colours Festival?
The festival is held every year in summer. In 2025, it took place from 16 to 19 July and I attended the last two days. For 2026, Colours of Ostrava will run from 15 to 18 July.
Check out the official website for updates on who will be performing and speaking.
How to Get Tickets
There are different passes you can get for Colours of Ostrava. Usually, you can decide between 4- and 2-day tickets. For early birds, currently only 4 day-tickets are available online.
If you are born after 19 July 2004, you can get a discounted price. Children also get reduced ratesx.
For an even more special experience, you can opt for the VIP experience, which includes more comforts like bar, cloakroom and gallery views. Plus, you might be able to meet the artists.
What is Colours of Ostrava like?
The festival is an interesting blend between creative event spaces with interactive elements, thought-provoking talks and entertaining concerts. I loved that, while the space was rather large, it wasn’t crazy to walk from A to B. There are many shortcuts you can take and the crowd flow was also decent.
Everything was placed orderly, food stalls framing the long paths, the concert stages had plenty of room for standing, even if you showed up later.
The overall vibe was very casual and fun, people had a good time, were friendly and it felt more energised and relaxed as a result.
It’s not just a music festival, where you go to constantly wait and stand in front of stages. You have plenty of spaces to wind down inbetween and you can easily check out different artists, catching parts of shows and flitting from one to the other.
Multiple events run at the same time, be it talks or music performances. It’s definitely smart to pick out your must-sees in advance to not miss out and then have a selection of artists you are curious about.
You don’t even need to be up close in front of the stage. It was really nice that they had big screens on either side of the stage, which made it possible to see what’s going on even if you are far away. This also makes it easier to find a spot that isn’t crowded. Plus, it greatly reduced FOMO.
Also good to know is that the festival starts after noon and isn’t busy at all before 3pm, regardless of it being a weekday or weekend. This way, you can familiarise yourself with the layout, check out food carts you wanna try and update your festival look.
There are local stands that work colourful braids into your hair, help with glittery makeup and you can also buy fashion items or even get a tattoo. One show actually took some members of the audience and created fantastical looks on them.
So even if you are not the most creative or skilled with styling, you can end up with a really unique look.
Besides the events and regular shop tents, there are also pop-ups. When I was there, brands included TicTac, Kaufland and Aussie, which gave out freebies and offered photo opps.
The Music
A good festival cannot be without the beats. And Colours of Ostrava has had a 22-year run of providing a stage for both local as well as international musicians. You can see both up-and-coming indie artists as well as world-widely known superstars here. The diversity and cultural representation!
My personal favourite was – and if you know me that’s no surprise at all – DPR IAN, a Korean-Australian artist who is just crazy talented with music, video and concepting. His show was spectacular, as usual.
But 2025 also had stars like Sting, Shaggy, Finneas, Iggy Pop, Snow Patrol and the Chainsmokers as big acts rounding up the end of the days. Alvaro Soler had a whopping attendance of 10,000 people! In the app, you can see estimates of expected and then, later, actual attendance.
This year, there were two more Korean artists, namely Jung Jail (who composed the soundtrack for Parasite and Squid Game) and pop-rocker Lee Seung Yoon. The orchestra for Jung Jail was impressive and gave goosebumps. Lee Seung Yoon was a fantastic entertainer, a bouncy ball of energy, running off stage and into the crowds. Fans came all the way from Korea to show their support.
I saw live brass music bring the crowd to happy cheers over the Slovenian band Bez Ladu A Skladu. Eurovision fans would also recognise the colourful folk rappers Kalush Orchestra, who did breakdancing and splits on stage.
A hauntingly beautiful performance was given by Bastien Picot of Aurus underneath rays of smokey lights underneath a black sky. But then house beats brought the house down (metaphorically) with Japanese DJ ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U.
Interactive Parts
For my first time at Colours of Ostrava, I was mainly focused on experiencing the music and didn’t really stop by workshops, interactive zones or the Meltingpot talks.
But if you want to experience it all, it’s a good idea to aim for 12 to 3pm for this, since concerts start afterwards.
There are specific tents and setups with live DJs and dance workshops, in case you’d like more of an intimate dancing setting. They also had live tinder, karaoke and pub quizzes.
If you come here with kids, there is a special family park that hosts fun activities (in Czech).
Meltingpot
There are also over 150 speakers on around 8 stages during the Meltingpot forum, giving both Czech and English talks. In 2025, the main theme was around biohacking with special expos around it, too.
You can listen to scientists, actors and scholars and join the discussion forums with your own questions and responses.
How to Prep for the Festival
There are a few things to know in advance to make your festival experience in Ostrava even better.
For one, check the weather report, of course. We had rain predictions, but then the sun came out and it was super-hot for a few hours and cooled down at night. Definitely wear layers, so you can adjust as necessary.
There isn’t a dress code and people had all kinds of outfits, from casual jeans looks to colourful and sparkly. You can pretty much wear whatever you want. Just know that you’ll be walking and standing a lot. Comfortable shoes are therefore highly recommended.
You cannot bring an umbrella, so pack a small rain poncho just in case. And for sunny days, sunscreen to reapply.
You can always buy food and drink, but if you want to bring your own water bottle, it should be empty and not made out of glass. There are water stations for you to fill up your bottle.
It’s super handy to bring sanitiser, tissues and dry soap sheets with you, as toilet paper and soap empty out pretty fast. The venue has a few ceramic toilets and many porta-potties.
I saw a lot of people also bring their own picnic blankets (easily foldable with carrying straps) so they could chill on the lawns and didn’t need to find seating. Very smart!
Is English widely spoken?
It’s a kinda from me. The information desk at the Gong stage definitely didn’t speak English and couldn’t help me with directions (even when I showed my text in Czech). Security also didn’t seem to understand English much.
Food vendors somewhat spoke English and many menus had a small English print underneath. But you can always point to the pictures.
There are brochures with the map and programme in Czech and English. Plus, you can download the free app to also navigate more easily.
Festival App
For your convenience, you can download the free Colours app that includes the program and a map. You can download it for Android and Apple.
How accessible is it?
In 2011, Colours without Barriers was established to provide more inclusivity and accessibility.
There is a special information desk and you can also request a trained assistant to help you, or rent a wheelchair. If you a certificate of disability, you get a reduced ticket price and your caretaker gets in for free.
The festival area is mostly level with wide and straight paths connecting the different venue locations. There are also ramps to buildings.
There are a few hills and stairs to smaller party venues, but the main stages are all on flat ground as are the campsites. Plus, there are also exclusive sections for wheelchair users and elevated stage for people who can’t stand up or be in crowds.
What I found fascinating was that some artists and concerts also have a sign translator for the hearing impaired.
Moreover, you can get backpacks that transmit sound vibrations and there is also a designated area in front of the main stage for deaf people to see the interpreter. Lectures and debates at the Meltingpot forum are also interpreted.
If you have a visual impairment, the map and guide are available in braille and there is a portable 3D model of the gong hall.
Autistic people can recover from overstimulation in relaxation zones and inflatable tents with Snoezelen therapy.
If you want to read a more indepth report, here is a case study about accessibility at Colours.
- More information
- Inquiries: bezbarier@colours.cz, +420731 932 768
Getting to the Festival/Public transport
Ostrava has its own network of buses and trams that will make it convenient for you to reach the venue, without having to rent a car or find parking. There are no parking spots.
You can use the website or app of DPO to check live connections. It’s possible to buy a special pass that allows you to use public transport anytime for the duration of the festival.
Just make sure to show your confirmation email with the bar code at the Colours venue so they can activate the pass on your bracelet. Otherwise, the ticket is not valid.
There are two tram stations at the festival site. The one for the North entrance is “Dolní Vítkovice Hlubina” and for the south entrance it’s “Dolní Vítkovice”.
The Central Bus Station, which also connects to cross-country and international busses, is about 500 metres away from the festival area.
Accommodation
I planned my trip to Ostrava pretty much last minute, which meant most hotels were already booked. It’s advisable to reserve your stay in advance. If you use Booking, like I did, you can usually change dates easily with free cancellation for a few days or weeks before the actual stay.
The hotel I picked was Mini Hotel Akord, a 20-minute tram ride away, located in a residential area with a small supermarket and bus stops nearby. They also host their own concerts and events. You can reserve your room here*.
It seems to be a common factor that hotels in Ostrava offer rooms that are more like small, furnished apartments than simple hotel rooms. I found that interesting.
If you want to stay close to the venue, look for hotels near the central bus station in Karolina. You have quite the selection of holiday rental boutique apartments, like the Apartmán Ostrava (bookable here*).
More regular hotels are found closer to the old city centre in the Elektra area, which isn’t far either. Kampus Palace is a highly rated Ostrava Hotel you can check out here*. An alternative is Hotel Palác Elektra*.
If you want a low budget option, you can also camp on the festival grounds. There are three campsites available. Either, you bring your own tent or you can rent one. To reserve your spot, you can make your booking via the official festival site.
The Food
There’s seriously a lot of choice. You can have the classic fries, burger, pizza and kebabs. Since you’re in Czechia, there’s also langosch. Or, you can have Chinese noodles, Korean grilled meats, ramen and pad thai. For your sweet tooth, you could enjoy ice cream and cakes. These are just a few examples.
Two yummy dishes I had were a quesadilla and a huge fried potato pancake with yogurt dressing.
You don’t even have to drink beer (of which there was plenty), there were many opportunities to fill up on Kofola. I love that drink! (And it was actually the first thing I bought once I landed in Czechia.)
Festival Fashion
I really loved how creative people were with their looks at this Czech festival. There is no dress code, many just wore casual jeans and shirts.
But some seized the opportunity and really made it their runway, added layers, colours, accessories. You really can go all out with your fashion choices, or keep it simple. Since fans also sought out their idols, you can spot top-to-bottom merch looks as well.
Conclusion
If you want to check out this bustling festival in Ostrava, Czechia, it’s a good idea to at plan your trip in advance. I was there for two full days and totally exhausted after.
Spacing everything out and giving yourself room to rest and explore is certainly a more clever approach. Getting all four days therefore makes sense.
Plus, add a day before or after, so you can also check out the town. The old town is pretty, there are lots of parks, restaurants and even a castle you can visit. In summer, they seem to also stage plays. You can make your visit to Ostrava a fully-packed cultural event, for sure!
