BUDĚJOVICE EXPERIENCED ITS FIRST INTERNATIONAL SKATEBOARDING FESTIVAL OF ITS KIND!
Recently, České Budějovice hosted the unique Skateholders Forum, the first event of its kind in the Czech Republic. In addition to competitions and concerts, participants enjoyed engaging workshops and, most importantly, international discussions, which were the main highlight of the festival.
It all began on Saturday with a skatepark competition at 4Dvory. Despite the sweltering heat, many competitors and spectators turned up. The event was officially kicked off by a speech from the mayor of České Budějovice, Dagmar Škodová Parmová, and the contest was ready to start. To the tunes played from vinyl records by DJ Skinny Boy, local and visiting skaters showcased their best tricks. The program then moved to the post office, where two great bands, Ida the Young and Sinks, performed.
Sunday's Workshop and Competition
Exhibition Opening and Discussion on the History of the South Bohemian Skate Scene
On Monday, after intense preparations, the opening of the Southside Skateboarding exhibition took place, curated by Jakub Novotný. To the surprise of both the curator and attendees, the turnout was so large that the space was nearly overflowing. The skateboarding history of our region is rich, and the opening saw many veteran skaters coming to reminisce.
Following the theoretical discussion, the action moved to the front of the South Bohemian Museum, where Adam Križovenský presented his skateable sculpture. Museum director Filip Lýsek, who has a close connection to the skate community, introduced this segment with a heartfelt speech. Despite the challenging nature of the installation for skating, several tricks were successfully performed and captured, bringing joy to the spectators.
After cooling down, everyone moved inside the museum for a debate titled “History and Stories of the South Bohemian Skate Scene.” Representatives from four generations—from the youngest to the oldest—participated in the discussion. Several significant figures from our scene also joined the debate from the audience, and if it weren’t for the time constraints, the reminiscing could have continued well into the night.
How Can Skateboarding Help Integrate Children into Society? And What Can It Bring to Public Spaces?
On Tuesday, most of the international guests arrived in České Budějovice, making the afternoon session at Stromovka skatepark even better. Due to the challenging surface, very old, and haphazardly placed obstacles, the park had not been widely used by skaters recently. However, on that day, the skaters embraced the park's shortcomings as a challenge, resulting in a very enjoyable contest.
The next event took place at the former post office, where the first international debate, From the Streets to the Benches, began. Representatives from several non-profit organizations around the world shared their perspectives on educating and integrating children from diverse backgrounds into society. After the debate, festival participants tested their knowledge of skate culture in a pub quiz held at Žižkárna.
Wednesday focused on urbanism with a workshop by U/U Studio titled Revive Your Hood. The morning walk took participants to several locations in České Budějovice that could benefit from revitalization. Each team was then tasked with creating a 3D model of their proposed public space improvements. At the end of the day, the models were presented to the rest of the participants, and we must say that all of them were worthy of realization. In the evening, the most significant debate of the festival, Skate-Friendly Urbanism, took place. The inspiring discussion received very positive feedback from both skaters and enthusiasts of architecture and urban planning.
Skateholders Forum in Tábor
On Thursday, the festival moved to Tábor for Transform. The day was more relaxed, with the skateboarding program featuring only the opening of a photography exhibition by Hsin Zhao. Zhao showcased photos from various creators around the world, documenting DIY skateboarding.The following day, everyone gathered at the traffic playground by Jordán Lake for the competition titled Vozová Hrotba. Randomly assigned teams first had to collect materials through mini-challenges to build their own obstacle. The next day featured a contest where teams accumulated points not only for the quality of their obstacles but also for the tricks performed on others' obstacles. Friday was focused solely on construction, allowing festival attendees to watch five groups of skaters working hard to create the best possible obstacle.
By Saturday, there were more spectators, but fewer skaters due to the successful evening events at the festival. The contest still took place, and some participants earned valuable points for their teams. All the obstacles (more or less) withstood the trick pressure, and no one was injured—a positive outcome. The awards ceremony was held in the rain at the transformer station, and participants could enjoy the final evening of the festival.
“As skaters, we’re quite used to meeting people and quickly making friends wherever we go within our community. This was certainly the case at the Skateholders Forum with international guests. However, these encounters were even more meaningful because, besides skateboarding, we shared a common interest in social and urban topics, which were the main focus of the forum. From that week, we created not only unforgettable memories but also, I dare say, strong friendships that may advance this direction in the future. That, for me, is the greatest benefit of the entire event.”
- Antonín Záhorka member of the Skateholders Forum organizing team
