Himlhergotdonrvetr! Wild Boar Beer, Busty Decolletes and a Grand Bavarian Bash Take Over Plzeň for the Fourth Time

The first weekend of September in Plzeň was, as tradition dictates, dedicated to His Lordship Trautenberk and his annual grand aristocratic bash, HimlHergotFest. Now in its fourth year, the festival once again took place at the Plaza Amphitheatre, where all of His Lordship's friendly souls had been summoned. Among those accepting the invitation were several musical guests, including Walda Gang and their Slovak brothers-in-arms, Horkýže Slíže.

For the afternoon, several taverns and food stalls also opened up shop on the grounds – including the aptly named "Občerstvovna u bujného dekoltu", serving goulash and other delicacies. Alongside the usual draught beer, visitors could sample two of Trautenberk's own special brews: Kančí ležák 12°, already familiar from last year, and the newly introduced Elegán lager. Both beers were brewed in collaboration with Sokolov-based Pivovar Permon.

One Fairy Tale to Welcome Us… A Šumava One

The venue welcomed the first arrivals shortly after 1 PM, with the programme getting underway an hour later. This year, the opening came in an unusual form – a fairy-tale theatre performance. The invitation to this grand feast had also been accepted by the South Bohemian amateur theatre company Národní divadlo Čkyně, who came to present their best-known production, Šumavská pohádka aneb hříbky, bobky a borůvky.

The play tells the story of how Trautenberk once moved from the Krkonoše Mountains to the Šumava region. He changed his name to Winterberg so nobody would recognise him. He soon starts thinking about how to get rich and decides to collect Šumava mushrooms and blueberries and sell them at a profit in Germany. But then the scene is joined by Tetřev Žalobníček, who summons Lesa pán, the ruler of Šumava, to report the thief Winterberg. Lesa pán intervenes, turning the stolen mushrooms into spruce bark and the blueberries into rabbit droppings.

In addition to their traditional take on the fairy tale, the theatre company fully connected the performance with Trautenberk themselves. Even Miroslav Císler, one of the band's singers, was given a tiny role written especially for him – that of the regional councillor. Although he only appeared briefly, plenty of fans noticed his cameo.

Walda Opens the Feast, Followed by the Slovak Brothers

After the fairy tale came a brief soundcheck from the first band, followed only moments later by the curtain being pulled away and the first proper performance of the day – Walda Gang. They grabbed their instruments, brought out Lodivod and immediately had the entire audience hooked. Pověste ho vejš, Veď mě dál, Asi se mi stejská and Eldorádo also made the setlist.

During Lásko má, já stůňu, Miro Šmajda could probably have taken the afternoon off – the audience was so well trained that they sang the entire song themselves anyway. Atom's familiar CO₂ cannon was also put to good use, blasting the crowd. Naturally, there were encores as well. And since the band insists they are not quite smart enough to have an IQ of 3, they had to add four more songs. They finally said goodbye with the energetic Je tu léto.

The stage curtain went up again shortly afterwards, revealing the soundcheck of the Slovak Horkýže Slíže. They opened their set with Emanuel Bacigala, dressed in specially customised concert robes whose cut and gold-and-blue colour scheme made them look more like royal gowns. After a few songs, vocalist Kuko even got rid of his hoodie by throwing it into the crowd, where fans immediately scrambled for it.

There were plenty of the band's trademark references, including the line "Proč nehrají, preceptore?" before Líza a Wendy, borrowed from the film Tři oříšky pro Popelku, as well as the Pelíšky intro before Silný refrén. The set featured many of their well-known songs, including L.A.G. Song, A ja sprostá and Logická hádanka. And when it came to the encore, Maštal' simply had to make an appearance.

Plunging Necklines, a Red Opera and a Dog Named Žeryk

While the "Secret Guest" was busy soundchecking on stage, His Lordship the organiser was certainly not sitting idle. A long table had been set up beside the stage for the traditional "Signing Session". Some wise souls already knew what was coming and were waiting in the front row for the next band, while others were grabbing some last-minute refreshments and gradually joining the autograph queue.

Alongside signed cards and CDs, the band happily signed jackets, baby onesies and all manner of other fabrics – as well as hands and, naturally, the ample cleavage of several local ladies in traditional costumes.

It was then time to head back towards the stage and into the red room for Noc v Opeře, courtesy of the arch-rockers Panoptiko. Their set included Mozartovy kule, Gilotina and Escobar. Their stage room was transformed into a Ďábelský bál – a V.I.P. party where people danced and played cards. They said goodbye with Poslední Tango and Bathory, wishing everyone a fantastic rest of the arcihimlhergotfest festivities.

Panoptiko packed up and headed off to their next show, while five of the festival's best costumes were invited onto the stage. The audience then had to decide which costume deserved the top prize – and, naturally, the only acceptable voting system was to use their voices.

The first prize, a crate of His Lordship's special beer, eventually went to a costume depicting a lovestruck married couple accompanied by their dog Žeryk. The other finalists – including a female farmer dressed as a sow – received signed albums and caps.

And One "Krkonošská" to Finish…

The sun was slowly setting, and the moment everyone had been waiting for had arrived – His Lordship himself was about to make his appearance. Well, with his band, obviously.

The entire performance opened with an intro consisting of the Krkonošské pohádky theme, played on violin and sung by a group of charming conservatory students. But there was no time to linger. The band soon stormed onto the stage, bringing out Buržousta, Umaštěný tváře and the mighty Vzpoura kanců. There was no turning back now – the grand aristocratic feast had reached its peak.

More than once, a cannon went off, blasting an enormous amount of giant confetti into the area below the stage – just in case the farm girls needed some oversized bows for their hair. Anička was there, too, as was her earlier incarnation as a Mužoretka, accompanied by dancers, just like JeBál. There was also a tribute to Obrouš, Pán Udíren, a founding member of the band who, sadly, has been gone for more than a decade.

And, of course, there was no way they could leave out the mosh-pit "love lane" during Pytlák. Pan Pilous also made an appearance, as did Pyroman Roman, who brought along his own "pyro".

The set ended with Himlhergotdonrvetr, the song that gave this four-year-old extravaganza its name, followed by Netáhlo. For the final farewell, the speakers played a classic: Hajný je lesa pán.

The Fourth Edition Is in the Books – See You Next Year!

And that, dear children – and especially you adults – concludes today's visit from His Lordship Trautenberk. But don't despair! If you happen to find yourself in Prague, be sure to catch them at the Great Hall of Lucerna on November 19. And if Prague is a little too far out of your way, next year's fifth edition of this grand aristocratic revelry will take place on September 4, 2027. You heard it here first, so shhh – we wouldn't want to scare away the jay. Quietly, from the comfort of your estates and country manors, open GoOut and grab your tickets now, so you can make it back here next year.

Once again, a huge thank you to Trautenberk, the organisers at ZL Production, and all the other performers for letting us be part of this glorious feast. We'll see you next year – hopefully with another serving of wild boar goulash, Bavarian sausage and perhaps even a brand-new lager.

Šári