CzechTek starts

Preparations for the thirteenth techno music festival CzechTek are reaching their peek. Most of the sound systems are by now positioned. Some of them are already playing the hard industrial electronic music, the rest is still being put together to play and produce light shows during the climax of the festival this weekend.

The situation this morning was rather surprising in a sense that there were only two to three thousand techno fans on the site whereas the expectations were much higher as was reported previously. The reason may be the change in the way the festival is being organised – with the aid of the state. All of the previous years were characterized by a great deal of concealment. Both the time and the place were kept secret until the very last minute and the information was spreading through secret web pages.

The visitors, many of whom are travelling from abroad, praise the festival for its uniquely friendly atmosphere and a sense of freedom. Some of the foreigners will not be able to enjoy the music, though. Police held up at the border people heading for the festival who had hashish and cocaine with them. The latter was meant not only for private use but also for further distribution.

Police do not want to be concrete about the numbers of policemen ready to go on duty. Allegedly, it is as many as will be needed. Fire-fighters will also be alert because, given the current hot weather, the meadows and forests are extremely dry. Any cigarette end could thus result in fire with possible catastrophic consequences.