Fluff Fest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fluff Fest |
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Fluff logo wall painting at Underdogs', a venue run by the organizers in Smíchov, Prague
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| Genre |
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| Dates | Thursday–Monday in late July |
| Location(s) | Rokycany, Plzeň Region, Czechia |
| Years active | 2000–2023 |
| Founded by |
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| Attendance | several thousand |
Fluff Fest was a popular independent music festival held every July in the town of Rokycany in Czechia. It was a big deal for Europe's Do-It-Yourself (DIY) music community and the punk subculture. The festival ran from 2000 to 2023.
Fluff Fest was known for more than just music. It supported ideas like veganism (a lifestyle that avoids using animal products), feminism, and anti-fascism. It featured bands from all over the world playing different kinds of punk rock, like hardcore punk, emo, and grindcore. The festival also had interesting talks, fan-made magazines called zines, and vegan food.
The festival started in 2000 as Y2K HC Fest in the city of Plzeň. In 2006, it moved to an airfield in Rokycany and grew bigger. By 2012, it had over 3,000 visitors. That year, a free side stage called the Psych Tent was added, which brought more experimental rock and electronic music to the festival.
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A Festival's Home in Rokycany
From 2006, Fluff Fest took place at an airfield in the town of Rokycany. The location was unique, set between a forest and a major highway.
For one weekend a year, the small town of Rokycany became a busy hub for thousands of festival-goers from around the world. This brought a lot of business to local shops, especially those selling vegetarian and vegan food.
The festival had a good relationship with the town's leaders. They liked that Fluff Fest brought international attention to Rokycany. The police were present to help with traffic and safety. Like at any large event, there were some problems with theft at the campsite, but overall, the town and the festival got along well.
The organizers felt that Czechia was the perfect place for the festival. It acted as a meeting point for punk fans from both Western and Eastern Europe.
The Story of Fluff Fest
Fluff Fest had a long and interesting history, growing from a small idea into a major European festival.
How It All Began: Y2K HC Fest
In the late 1990s, a few friends, including Michal Kočan and Tomáš Kadlec, were inspired by a punk festival in Belgium. They decided to create their own festival in Czechia. They used all their savings to plan the first event.
This first festival was called Y2K HC Fest and happened in August 2000 in the city of Plzeň. About 1,000 people came to see over 30 bands, including Good Clean Fun and Heaven Shall Burn. Just before the event, the venue had some trouble with the police, but the festival was allowed to go on. The event was so much work that the organizers thought it would be a one-time thing. But because so many people loved it, they decided to continue.
Finding a Name and a New Home
In 2001, the festival was renamed Fluff Fest. It was named after "Bellybutton Fluff," the name the organizers used for shows they promoted in Prague. For the next few years, the festival was held in different places around Plzeň.
In 2006, Fluff Fest moved to its permanent home: the airfield in Rokycany. This new location allowed the festival to grow. The number of visitors grew to around 2,500 people. The festival also added a Cinema Tent, which showed movies about human rights, animal rights, and music.
More Than Just Music
As Fluff Fest grew, it became about more than just the bands on the main stage. In 2012, a new free stage called the Psych Tent was created. It focused on more experimental rock and electronic music, adding new sounds to the festival.
Over the years, other side stages were added, like the Queer Noises Tent for electronic music and a special stage for super-fast grindcore music. The festival also became a place for learning and discussion. There were workshops, talks, and a "zine library" where people could read fan-made magazines. Important groups like Amnesty International and animal rights organizations also had stalls to share their ideas.
Famous Bands and Big Moments
Many famous punk and hardcore bands played at Fluff Fest over the years. Some bands, like Vitamin X and Birds in Row, played there four times. Others, like Heaven Shall Burn, Converge, and Loma Prieta, were also frequent guests.
The festival was a place for open discussion, which sometimes led to debates. In 2012, the band Defeater faced protests from some audience members because of a charity the band supported. The organizers allowed the band to play, believing the festival should be a space for different viewpoints to be discussed.
The Final Chapter
Fluff Fest celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019 with shows in both Rokycany and Prague. The 2020 and 2021 festivals had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of holding the festival, the organizers raised money for a charity that helps refugees.
The festival returned in 2022. The final Fluff Fest was held in July 2023, marking the end of an important era for the European punk scene.
See also
- List of punk rock festivals
- List of vegetarian festivals
- Hardcore punk
- Punk subculture
- Punk ideologies
- DIY ethic
