From Iggy Pop to talks on AI: Colours of Ostrava 2025 kicks off rich lineup of acts
Colours of Ostrava, the biggest international music festival in Czechia, is this year bringing Iggy Pop, Sting, Snow Patrol, The Chainsmokers and many more acts to the Silesian city. Before the 2025 edition’s start on July 16th, Danny Bate spoke to the festival’s spokesman, Ondřej Bambas, to find out more.
Colours of Ostrava, this incredible festival that gets larger every year, has been going on now since 2002. When does the planning for each edition begin?
“I have to admit that the planning for the next edition, in 2026, is already happening. We have to be in contact with the management of the headliners really on time. Now, our team is already trying to negotiate with some headliners for next year.”
And when does the team need to have the programme ready by?
“It's a tough question, because sometimes changes happen up to the last day. We were struggling last week, one week before the festival. One of our musicians cancelled their show. Our team did an amazing job, and we were lucky that we found another musician who is for some festival goers an even better solution than the original act.”
And who are some of the standout acts who are performing for the first time at Colours of Ostrava this year?
“We've got about 130 shows – and that's just the music section; I'm not talking about the discussions, theatre or cinema that we have. We are really happy that we have found acts that are ‘present’, for the young generation. But on the other hand, we are showing some legends.
“This year, it's definitely Iggy Pop, who is ruling all the festivals around Europe. We had some messages from our friends from other festivals that Iggy Pop, even though he's quite old, is still in shape and the show is really amazing. A little bit younger is Sting, but still it's something that people appreciate and it's one of the biggest names in our lineup.
“But what I would like to mention is definitely our Asian focus. This year we've got nine acts from Asia, including DPR Ian, who's originally from Australia, but he's got Korean origins and he's playing with K-pop. We also have in our lineup Jung Jae-il, who is a famous composer. He's responsible for the music of the Oscar-winning Parasite and the series Squid Game.”
And alongside all of these great musical talents that you have performing there, what exactly is Meltingpot? That seems to be happening alongside all of the musical performances.
“Meltingpot is in its eighth edition this year. It's a programme that combines discussions, debates and ideas that people listen to. We've got guests from all around the world. We are focusing on topics like longevity, healthy life, technology, AI. We try to combine all the topics that people discuss on a daily basis, which can give festival-goers some inspiration. It's really popular, and we are happy to have something like that at the festival, so that it's not only about music, but also about inspirational talks.”
I'm curious: do you know how international acts find the experience of performing in Ostrava? Do they like the location, the city, and performing in front of Czech crowds?
“If you talk about concerts, big shows in the Czech Republic, usually they’re happening in Prague. But it's amazing that we can talk about Ostrava, which is close to the Polish and Slovak border. I think that responses from the musicians are really great, and we are happy that their teams and management are also sharing these stories together.
“For example, last year when we had Sam Smith, the production asked us if they could have for the whole crew, which was about sixty people, a barbecue after the show. So we managed to make it happen, and they were gathering through the whole night. It was amazing.”
