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The longest party

Dozens of bands turn out for summer solstice
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By Frank Kuznik
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 20th, 2007 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
2005: A party-hearty crowd overwhelms the courtyard at the French Institute.
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COURTESY PHOTO
2006: French rock star Rodolphe Burger battles bad acoustics in Smíchov.
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Summer solstice party

When: Thursday, June 21
Where: French Institute, 20 additional venues
Tickets: Admission to all the events is free
For a complete schedule, check
www.svatekhudby.wordpress.com

After an off-year in 2006, the French Institute summer solstice party is back with a flourish this year, with nearly 60 bands lined up to play at 20 different venues. It’s not quite Paris, where, for the past 25 years, hundreds of bands have taken to the streets on the longest day of the year to play free music for the masses. But it’s another step in the right direction.
“It’s quite a big change this year,” says French Institute staff coordinator Nathalie Frank. “We’ve partnered with United Islands to offer as much music as we can.”
Last year the party was held in the courtyard of an unfinished office building in Smíchov, after an overflow crowd in 2005 overwhelmed the French Institute. The Smíchov courtyard was big enough, but still under construction, with revelers literally tripping over piles of lumber. And acoustically the space was a nightmare.
This year, the organizers worked hard to replicate the celebration that started in France in 1982 and has spread to more than 100 countries since. The idea is that anyone can take to the streets and play — amateur, professional, classical, rock, jazz, whatever will draw a crowd. The only stipulations are that the performances are outside, and free.
Unfortunately, Prague City Hall waffled on the idea of setting up a limited line of bands stretching from náměstí Republiky to Jungmannovo náměstí. By the time city officials agreed, it was too late to pull together the logistics. In the meantime, however, the smart folks at the French Institute were working with the United Islands staff lining up as many indoor venues as possible and contacting bands. In the end, so many agreed to perform that there were not enough clubs to hold them all.
“We had 80 bands say yes,” Frank says. “And all the clubs agreed to let people in free that night. It’s great that the idea has been embraced, and next year we hope to move it outside.”
Aside from the heat, no complaints about being indoors this year, especially at popular clubs such as Lucerna, Kaštan, Delta, Akord, Vagon, PopoCaféPetl, Futurum, Cross Club and Rock Café. There are some atypical venues as well, such as the Slovak Institute, Hungarian Institute and Belgian Embassy. And the French Institute will host another full night of performances ranging from nouvelle chanson to Cuban dance music, capped by a DJ playing world beats.
Otherwise the music is mostly rock ’n’ roll, though there’s a nice sprinkling of ethnic variety throughout. Local favorite Feng-yün Song will be singing Chinese songs at the Slovak Institute. The Moberg Ensemble brings its distinctive brand of Moravian folk music to Café Mlýnská in Kampa Park. And the rhythmic drums of TiDiTaDe kick off a night of African sounds at the Parukářka hospoda in Žižkov.
Few of the groups that will be playing are headline acts, but that’s deliberate. The idea is not to park in one spot for the evening, but stroll from place to place and sample as many different groups and types of music as possible. “We’ve arranged the venues so that they’re closely grouped in central Prague and in the neighborhoods,” Frank says.
One day Prague will join the rest of the world and fill the streets with song and laughter on the brightest night of the year. For now, this is the closest thing to a citywide solstice party. And, by any standards, it promises a sweaty good time.
    

Frank Kuznik can be reached at fkuznik@praguepost.com


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