Michal Zeman Vol. 2: Březfest Without Compromise – Dramaturgy, Behind-the-Scenes Stories, and the Harsh Reality of Festivals
Thirty years on the scene, hundreds of events, countless bands across multiple genres, and one new festival rapidly making a name for itself. Michal Zeman, founder of Březfest, speaks completely without filters about what organizing concerts looked like in the '90s, why he has no interest in building another generic "agrofest," and what stands behind the connection with Fajtfest through the Kořeny Vysočiny project. He also opens up about why Březfest has its own world, its own visual identity, and its own direction – a world filled with symbols that have followed him for years and appear throughout his projects as hidden links for those able to spot them.
If you haven't read the first part of the interview yet, you can find it here.
In the second part of the interview, we dive straight into the backstage reality of Březfest. The conversation revolves around booking bands, uncompromising festival dramaturgy, event organization, and the harsh reality of today's live music scene, where building a smaller quality-driven festival is becoming increasingly difficult without relying on safe bets. We also touched on finances, cooperation with Fajtfest, the demanding process of assembling a lineup, bizarre backstage requests from musicians, and building a real community around the festival. Michal also explains why he refuses to create just another interchangeable event, instead aiming for a festival with its own identity, atmosphere, and people who genuinely want to come back every year.
This year's lineup is absolutely packed – from legendary acts like XIII. Století through international names such as Induction all the way to modern metalcore. How do you choose the bands? Is it purely based on your personal taste, or do you sometimes have to compromise and think about what will actually sell tickets?
Choosing bands isn't about "what sells tickets," nor is it about what I personally listen to at home. The booking philosophy behind Březfest has a very clear direction: quality, diversity, authenticity, and absolutely no repetition. I don't want to create a festival where the same bands rotate every single year and play the region three times over the summer. That already existed back in the '90s at local dance parties – and that's exactly what Březfest wants to move away from.
I choose bands based on several factors:
- they need to have their own identity and energy, not just sound like "another version" of someone else
- they need to fit the overall concept we've built – rock and metal, but with different shades and styles
- they need to stand out in some way so people actually remember them
- they need to make sense within the two-day structure of the festival
- and most importantly: they can't be overexposed acts people have already seen everywhere
That's why the lineup mixes legends, international names, modern genres, and bands that either haven't played here in a long time — or have never played here at all. And thanks to the collaboration with Kořeny Vysočiny, there's now a shared programming vision with Fajtfest as well. Friday carries a completely different energy than Saturday, but together it forms one cohesive experience.
Of course, you still need to consider what appeals to people. But compromises like "let's book a band I don't even enjoy just because it sells tickets" – that's not something I do. It would go against everything Březfest stands for.
Březfest should be the kind of festival where everyone finds something they love while also discovering something new. And when people come up afterward saying, "I didn't know that band before, but they were amazing," that's when I know the booking worked.
How difficult is it these days to book bands for a smaller festival? Is the biggest challenge the budget, scheduling, or competition from other events?
Booking bands for a smaller festival is much harder than most people imagine. It's not just about "making a call and setting a date." It's a combination of multiple moving parts that all need to fit together like a puzzle.
The first issue is scheduling. Good bands have their calendars booked months in advance. And if you don't want the same overplayed bands that tour the region three times every summer, you need to plan far ahead and align with their tours, studio sessions, or festival runs.
The second challenge is the budget. Smaller festivals don't have the multimillion budgets of major events. And if you want quality bands, you have to invest. There's also another thing people rarely talk about: actually figuring out where the money comes from is a massive job in itself. Even when you try to keep things modest, you're still talking about hundreds of thousands in costs. And somehow, you need to secure that money – through partners, the city, ticket sales, your own resources – while making sure the whole structure holds together so the festival can even happen.
And the third factor is competition. Summer is overloaded with festivals, so bands get to choose where they want to play. I don't want to take the route of "let's book whatever is cheap and recognizable." I want bands that truly fit the Březfest identity – original, powerful, interesting, and not overexposed.
And thanks to Kořeny Vysočiny, this year is even stronger – two stages, two sets of experience, two networks of contacts. That connection benefits everyone: festivals, bands, and fans alike.
So how hard is it? It's demanding. But when you have a clear vision, fair communication, and know why you're doing it, it becomes possible. And worth it.
Do you have any funny or bizarre stories from negotiating with bands? Do some musicians come with real "rockstar" demands, or are most of them pretty grounded?
Negotiating with bands is a chapter of its own. Most musicians are completely cool – normal people who simply want to play, put on a great show, and have fair conditions. But every now and then, something pops up that really makes you raise an eyebrow.
Like when a band sends over a rider and you start wondering whether you're organizing a concert or opening a wellness resort. Or when someone is obsessed with towel colors, specific water brands, or insists on having exactly three kinds of fruit backstage – but only one of them is actually allowed to be eaten… hehe.
Then there are moments when a band comes with demands so detached from reality that you honestly wonder if they're joking. Like asking for a fee high enough to fund half the festival, or sending a rider better suited for a stadium show than for an event with a completely different scale and atmosphere. We're still at the beginning – and honestly, anything can happen.
But fortunately – and I genuinely mean this – most of the bands I work with are very down to earth. Especially the ones I choose for Březfest. They're professional, fair, easy to communicate with, and they understand that a smaller festival isn't a money-printing machine.
And sometimes it's genuinely hilarious. Like when a band writes: "Look, we don't need anything fancy… just good sound, cold beer, and a crowd that's alive." Those are exactly the kinds of bands I love working with.
And when you have a clear vision, fair communication, and a festival with a strong identity and direction, bands recognize that – and behave accordingly.
So yes, occasionally there's a "rockstar moment," but most of the time it's more of a funny story than an actual problem.
I'm curious – how financially demanding is it today to organize a festival like Březfest?
Financially, it's far more demanding than it might appear from the outside. But since we already touched on that in previous answers, I'll keep this one short:
We're still at the beginning, so I have to move carefully to make sure the whole project has a strong future. Every band, every piece of equipment, the sound, lights, stage, backstage, power supply, staff… everything costs money. And even when you try to keep things reasonable, the numbers grow very quickly.
So yes – it's a challenge. But when you have a clear direction, know why you're doing it, and keep the budget under control, it's manageable. And most importantly: once you see the atmosphere live in front of you, you realize it's all worth it.
What's the single most expensive part of the Březfest budget? Is it international bands like Induction, or do technical production, sound, and security eat up even more money?
Honestly, trying to decide what the most expensive part is feels a bit like arguing whether a toothache hurts more than back pain. Everything costs money — and everything is necessary.
One year it's the production, another year it's the bands, then it's electricity, backstage facilities, or support services. There isn't one single "most expensive" item – it's the sum of everything that needs to function together for the festival to even exist.
And most importantly: people come for the experience, not for an Excel spreadsheet.
That's how I see it – every part of the budget has its purpose, and together they create Březfest.
Where does the funding for all of this actually come from? Is Březfest dependent on city or regional grants, or is it mainly sponsors and your own personal investment and risk?
Those are more internal matters that the average visitor probably doesn't need to worry about. Anyone who attends concerts knows that festivals cost money – that's hardly a secret 🙂.
The financing behind Březfest is a combination of multiple sources: some comes from partners, some from ticket sales, some from personal investment, and so on. Since we're still at the beginning, I'm approaching everything carefully to make sure the project has a strong future.
But one thing is important: Březfest exists so people can enjoy it – not so everyone debates where every single crown came from.
And honestly, if someone wants to know where the money really goes? Just come to the festival. The atmosphere, the bands, the sound, the lights, the stage… that's the best answer 😉.
Can you actually enjoy the festival as a visitor yourself? Do you get to watch at least one full set, or are you basically "the guy with the walkie-talkie" the whole time?
I try to enjoy every festival – even my own 🙂. For me, Březfest isn't just work; it's also a place where I meet friends, familiar faces, and bands. I have access everywhere, so I can hang out backstage, chat with musicians, laugh, make new connections, or grab a beer with bands after their set. Those are moments regular visitors never really get to experience, and I genuinely appreciate them.
And yes – I always make time to actually watch the bands. That matters to me. I'm only "the guy with the walkie-talkie" when it's necessary 😅. But I spend the entire year preparing things so that on festival day, everyone knows what they're doing and nobody needs to call me over every tiny detail.
On the day of the event, I mostly supervise to make sure everything runs smoothly – while also experiencing the festival just like everyone else. I enjoy it, I live it, and I soak in the atmosphere.
What drains the most energy from you as an organizer – administration, technical production, people, or communication?
Everything is interconnected somehow, but communication definitely takes the most energy. With bands, partners, suppliers… something is always being adjusted, changed, or revisited. Very rarely do things get solved perfectly on the first try 🙂.
And then there are people. Most are fantastic, but every now and then you meet someone who talks big but delivers very little 😅. That's part of the game – every project attracts a few "experts" who'd probably struggle to organize more than a backyard barbecue.
Technical production, administration, and organization are demanding too, but those are things you can control. Communication is a living organism – and that's what consumes the most time and energy.
Where do you see Březfest in five years? Do you want it to become a major regional open-air festival, or are you happy with its current scale?
I have a long-term vision and a very clear direction for where Březfest can grow. It's a long-distance run – step by step, without unnecessary rushing. I already know where the festival could move next year, and I've got a multi-year growth plan prepared 🙂.
I don't want to build another generic "agrofest" like the many festivals in the Czech Republic that only differ by name. Březfest should be an alternative – interesting in its programming, distinctive, and full of character. And if people keep coming back, the festival will naturally continue to grow. How far can it go? Time will tell 😉.
How important is the community around the festival to you? Do you feel like a real "family" is starting to form around Březfest?
Community is absolutely fundamental to me. Without people, there is no festival – it's that simple. And even now, a group of fans is forming around Březfest who already see it as "their" festival. That's the biggest motivation I could ask for 🙂.
And one more thing: I'm not competing with anyone. Music isn't football or hockey where one side hates the other. Music should connect people, not divide them. Some people constantly compare festivals and ask which one is "the best," but honestly, that mindset completely misses the point for me.
I don't want to position Březfest as competition for anyone. I want it to be an alternative – a place built around experience, emotion, community, and quality programming. Not around who has the bigger stage or louder marketing.
If people keep coming back, feel happy there, and feel like they're part of something meaningful, then that's the real "festival family."
What's the exact moment during the festival when you think: "Yeah, all this stress was worth it"?
It's the moment when I see the area in front of the stage completely full – people enjoying themselves, singing, laughing, and living the music. That's when I feel that everything I spent the past year building has truly come alive right in front of me 🙂.
Sometimes it's something much simpler too – like when a fan or a band stops me to say they loved being there. And the thing that hits me the hardest is hearing: "We'll definitely come back."
That's the moment when I realize all the stress, nerves, and preparation were worth it. At that point, I'm not just the organizer anymore – I'm simply part of the festival experience together with everyone else 😉.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to organize their own festival, what would it be?
They should understand that it's not some romantic dream – it's a tough world full of people, money, competition, and sometimes even people who don't want you to succeed. That's why patience, experience, and a very strong idea of why you're doing it are essential 🙂. And above all – you have to truly believe in it. Without belief in what you're building, you simply won't survive long term.
And don't try to copy others. Every festival should have its own face, atmosphere, and direction. It's not about who has more lights or bigger billboards – it's about having soul and giving people a genuine experience.
They should also expect an enormous amount of work, communication, and stress. But when someone has a clear vision, believes in it, and does things honestly, people recognize that. And in the end, that's what really matters 😉.
What would you say to people who are still unsure whether to buy a ticket? What makes Březfest different from any other festival in the Czech Republic?
If someone's hesitating, they should simply come and experience it for themselves. Březfest isn't just another date in the calendar – it's atmosphere, energy, and a community forming right in front of your eyes 🙂. We do this honestly, with heart, and without artificial polish. We're not chasing flashy effects; we're chasing experiences people carry home with them.
Březfest has its own identity, style, and world. We've created a futuristic visual aesthetic you won't see anywhere else, along with our mascot BřezRunner – the protector of the festival from the year 2076, symbolically watching over both the event and the people who make it what it is. He represents the community growing around the festival year after year.
People should expect something intense, honest, and full of energy. Anyone who comes becomes part of something with its own soul and direction. And once people experience it, they usually come back.
So if anyone is still thinking about it… June 19–20, 2026, Jihlava, Summer Amphitheatre Březinovy sady. Come. Experience it. And you'll understand 😉.
Hard Open Air, Jihlava
We'd like to thank Michal for an open and honest interview, in which he offered a glimpse not only into his long-standing experience as a concert promoter, but above all into the very heart of Březfest – a festival that has been carving its own path from the very beginning, following a clear vision and never being afraid to do things differently.
If you're curious what that philosophy looks like in practice, Březfest isn't just about words or ideas – it's first and foremost about a live experience, energy, and an atmosphere that simply cannot be conveyed in any other way than by being there in person. So come and experience it for yourself on June 19–20, 2026 in Jihlava, at the summer amphitheatre in Březinovy sady. Two days of open-air music, powerful moments, and a festival that has its own identity – and a growing community forming around it.
Kačí
