We Fully Recognize the Impact of Štěrkovna Open Music
We are fully aware of the importance and influence that the Štěrkovna Open Music Festival has on its surroundings.
Our goal is to become a leader in sustainable event organization.
With full commitment, we focus on all key areas – the economy, society, environment, and culture.
We don’t just want to “paint everything green.”
We aim to engage with sustainability topics deeply and long-term, while also offering our festival as a platform for testing innovations and sharing knowledge.
Only in this way can our sustainability efforts become both reality and inspiration for others.
That’s why we stand by our motto: Sustainable Entertainment!
Waste
Do you know the 3R principle?
In sustainability, it stands for Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
We follow this principle especially in the area of waste management, since large amounts of waste are generated during the festival in a very short time.
1. Reduce
We serve as many drinks as possible in reusable cups, which have already become a festival standard.
Wherever possible, beverages are tapped from kegs rather than sold in PET bottles, helping us significantly reduce plastic waste.
2. Reuse
A large part of our festival equipment is reused year after year.
You may notice that most of our banners don’t feature specific dates or years, which extends their lifespan and reduces unnecessary printing.
3. Recycle
During last year’s edition, we managed to separate nearly 70% of all waste, leaving only a very small amount of mixed waste.
Thanks to thorough sorting, much of the material can be recycled into new raw resources instead of ending up in landfills.
Water
One of the most welcome improvements introduced in 2023 was the installation of a fresh drinking water distribution system throughout the site.
This ensures that visitors have unlimited access to free water and allows us to eliminate the use of disposable PET bottles.
Thanks to these connections, we are now able to replace most chemical toilets with ceramic ones, greatly improving comfort and hygiene.
Our long-term goal is to completely eliminate chemical toilets from the festival.
Transport
While the festival’s program and atmosphere attract visitors from across the Czech Republic, a large portion still comes from the Hlučín region.
For them, we strive to make transportation as comfortable and sustainable as possible.
We are aware that individual car travel has a major impact on the festival’s overall sustainability.
That’s why, in cooperation with the regional government, we reinforce the busiest public transport lines every year. Last year, we even operated a special festival train.
Residents of Hlučín can also use Nextbike shared bikes or arrive on their own bicycles, which can be stored safely in our free bike parking area.
We plan transportation based on visitor data – knowing where attendees come from and when they travel allows us to design routes that are efficient, safe, and convenient.
The festival also actively promotes electromobility.
All on-site production and staff transport is handled using electric vehicles, helping to minimize emissions and showcase sustainable transport solutions.
Local Action
Caring for the local environment and festival grounds is one of our top priorities.
We know that such a unique location deserves not only our deepest respect but also active maintenance.
That’s why we participate in the national initiative “Let’s Clean Up the Czech Republic”, joining forces with our fans to clean up the Štěrkovna surroundings.
Our mission, however, goes beyond cleanliness – we strive to improve local biodiversity and enhance the overall quality of the ecosystem.
Offsetting
Our vision for 2028 is to achieve a NET ZERO festival.
This means identifying the areas that contribute most to our carbon footprint and significantly reducing their impact. For emissions that cannot be fully eliminated, we plan to offset them through tree planting, achieving overall carbon neutrality. In 2024, we conducted our first carbon footprint measurement during the festival.
What did the results reveal?
You can find the full report here.
Community
Our cooperation focuses primarily on local partners – from technical equipment and stage construction to promotion and services.
In this way, we not only support our region and its economy, but also help sustain local jobs.
And what do we proudly emphasize?
Our close connection with Hlučín-based companies.
We promote their services through festival marketing and joint activities, ensuring that they reach our visitors.
Local cafés offering special festival menus are just the tip of the iceberg!
We also actively support students and seasonal workers who are eager to gain experience and contribute to the festival.
They help with site setup, waste collection, and dismantling after the event.
Importantly, no one at our festival is paid the minimum wage – we provide above-standard pay, because we believe that satisfied workers do better work, creating a positive atmosphere for everyone involved.
When it comes to our visitors, we want them to feel at home.
For several years, we’ve been using a cashless payment system, which allows attendees to easily track their spending.
Any unused credit is refunded for free.
This system not only increases event security but also ensures fair and transparent relationships between organizers, vendors, and visitors.
After all, transparency is the key to mutual satisfaction!
Special Projects
Since 2016, we have focused our program on extraordinary projects that visitors can experience only at Štěrkovna Open Music.
Thanks to our initiative and determination, we have brought to Hlučín a range of unique musical productions, including:
- Michal Horáček – A Tribute to Petr Hapka
- Bohemia (a modern interpretation of Czech folk music by Jiří Burian)
- Balkan Battle (a clash of Balkan brass bands)
- David Stypka with an orchestra of young musicians from the Hlučín region
- Tata Bojs – Nanoalbum
- Poletíme? with the Láska nebeská Choir
- Tomáš Klus with the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others
Some of these special projects were created directly by our production team, such as Symphonic Dance Music – a show we designed combining the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, DJ Lowu, and singer Dasha, featuring the biggest hits of world dance music.
Together with Tomáš Klus’s production, we also prepared a collaboration with the Permoník Children’s Choir.
These projects reflect our long-term mission: to connect genres, generations, and talents in innovative and inspiring ways.
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