The Festival and Sustainability

A sustainable approach as a natural part of the festival

The festival is a living organism that transforms and evolves every year. As it does, so does our responsibility toward the place where it takes place and toward the people who create and attend it together.

We therefore approach the topic of sustainability systematically and with a long-term perspective—we are not interested in one-off measures or symbolic gestures, but in gradually building a festival model that is sustainable over the long term, respects its surroundings, and serves as an inspiration for visitors, partners, and other cultural institutions.

Sustainability in practice

We have already implemented a number of measures in recent years and are continuing to develop others.

• Digitization is an essential part of the festival’s sustainability efforts. Since 2020, the festival catalog has been published exclusively in digital form, and we are gradually transitioning to fully digital accreditation and festival passes, which help reduce paper and plastic consumption. Starting in 2024, we will offer a digital video library for those who cannot attend the festival in person. This not only broadens access for audiences but also reduces the environmental impact associated with travel.
• We have long been working in accordance with the principles of the circular economy. This means that approximately two-thirds of the materials used in the construction of festival venues and decorations are stored in the Karlovy Vary Region and reused in subsequent years.
• In cooperation with the city of Karlovy Vary, the Ohře River Basin Authority, and other partners, we also take care to protect green spaces and sensitive areas in the city center—for example, when installing posters along the Teplá River.
• We promote more sustainable modes of transportation for visitors. Festival pass holders can use the bike rental service and regular bus routes —which the festival organizes every year—free of charge, helping to reduce private car traffic. We are also gradually increasing the proportion of electric vehicles in festival operations.
• A significant portion of the festival staff comes from Karlovy Vary and the surrounding region. The festival thus supports the local economy while reducing the burden associated with transportation and lodging.
• A social dimension is also part of our efforts to make the festival sustainable. We support local businesses and develop projects that make the festival accessible to the widest possible audience, for example through the No Barriers project.
• We have also been working long-term to reduce the festival’s energy consumption. In recent years, we have reduced our use of diesel generators and, in cooperation with Karlovy Vary Spa Forests and Parks, installed electrical connections for outdoor installations. For the festival’s technical operations, we use energy-efficient solutions, such as LED lighting and modern projection technology.
• In the area of waste management, we are working with the Thermal Hotel to improve the waste sorting system and its subsequent processing. In cooperation with Mattoni, reverse vending machines for plastic bottles are also available on the festival grounds.
• In collaboration with Kärcher, we use biodegradable cleaning products for the maintenance of the festival grounds.
• We have reduced the number of physical gifts and promotional items distributed by both the festival and its partners.

This year’s new initiatives and future direction

The festival is celebrating its anniversary this year—a remarkable 80 years since its founding—but it continues to seek new and “fresh” solutions in the area of sustainability. This year, we’ve focused on waste and are looking for ways to sort it more effectively. Together with Hotel Thermal, we’re working to oversee the final transport of waste to sorting facilities, and in collaboration with Mattoni 1873, Kärcher, and the Zálohujme.cz initiative, we plan to conduct a waste analysis. On Monday, July 6, a one-time analysis will be performed on waste collected during the previous day of the festival. Experts will evaluate waste from public spaces, city trash cans, and recycling bins. Among other things, the results will show what percentage of beverage containers end up in mixed waste, in recycling bins, or outside the collection system entirely.

The results will provide important feedback for even more efficient planning of cleaning vehicle routes, optimal collection logistics, and the real-time deployment of innovative cleaning technologies.

In addition, we have again increased the proportion of electric vehicles in our fleet this year; they will make up half of the festival’s fleet.

We create the festival together

A more sustainable festival isn’t just the result of the organizing team’s efforts. Every visitor can contribute, through their actions, to ensuring the festival leaves the smallest possible environmental footprint. We’d appreciate it if, when visiting the festival, you’d use public transportation or bike rentals, sort your trash, and help us take care of the public space where the festival takes place.

Thank you for being a part of it.