Summer Punk Party 2026: Two Days of Punk, Crowdsurfing and Swimming at the Volyně Outdoor Pool

On August 14 and 15, Volyně's First Republic-era outdoor swimming pool once again turned into a place where peaceful bathing gives way to moshing, stage diving and a punk atmosphere everywhere you look. This year, Summer Punk Party celebrated its fifteenth edition and, over two days, offered Czech and international bands spanning punk, hardcore and other genres. It is precisely the swimming-pool setting that gives the festival an atmosphere that would be hard to find on a traditional festival field.

While the first mosh pits were getting underway in front of the stage, just a few metres away people were swimming, jumping from the diving board or relaxing around the pool. Some visitors also took advantage of the option to camp directly on site, meaning the swimming complex lived and breathed the festival for practically the entire weekend.

Friday: Punk and Crowdsurfing in Full Force

Friday's programme was opened by Bez Šance, followed by Shogun Tokugawa and one of the mainstays of the Czech punk scene, Znouzectnost. Within the first few hours it was already clear that simply standing still in front of the stage was not going to be an option. The moshing and crowdsurfing quickly kicked off, and a steady stream of people made their way above the crowd, choosing to watch the show from a slightly different perspective, at least for a while.

Hopes came next, turning up the intensity and pushing Friday's programme more decisively towards hardcore. The punk atmosphere was complemented by everything you would expect from an event like this, including flares that appeared right in the middle of the pit and lit up the space above everyone's heads.

Among the international acts on the first day were Britain's Rat Boy, who brought a different kind of energy to the line-up with their mix of punk, indie and more alternative influences. Friday night was then closed by Ravebombs, a band from Beroun combining electronics and post-hardcore with samples reminiscent of The Prodigy, downtuned bass, hybrid drums and distorted vocals. Their set worked as an intense stylistic detour from classic punk.

Saturday Got Heavier – and Brought a Few Surprises

The second day began at noon with the now-traditional Žabák Contest 2026, in which competitors try to impress the judges with the best possible jump from the diving board costumes and inflatable companions included. Folk-punk band Fail Together were the first musical act of the day. They were followed by Mad Rabbits, whose set offered several special moments. For one song, the band invited a friend from Pyroman on stage, and during the show they also paid tribute to Lou Koller of Sick of It All. They performed Get Down, which became one of the more emotional moments of Saturday's programme. The singer delivered several songs from the middle of a raging circle pit, while the guitarist even ran a few laps with his instrument in hand.

Next came Brno's Rabies and metalcore band Abbie Falls, who brought a significantly heavier sound to the predominantly punk festival and handled their set brilliantly despite being short-handed. They normally perform as a five-piece, but due to health problems only three members made it to the pool. The singer was also unimpressed by how few people were going wild in the direct afternoon sun at three o'clock, so he encouraged the crowd in his own way: "Stick a finger up your mate's ass, piss on his leg – anything goes, but for fuck's sake, do something, Volyně!" And so, naturally, the second day continued with mosh pits, crowdsurfing and constant movement in front of the stage, while another part of the audience made the most of the warm August day by taking a swim.

A slightly more personal moment came during The Fialky's concert. At the very end of their set, the band turned their attention to one fan who was celebrating her eighteenth birthday. They wished her a happy birthday from the stage, and there was even a birthday cake.

After The Fialky, American band The Drowns took over the stage, followed by one of the most visually striking performances of the entire weekend.

Krav Boca: Acrobatics, Masks and an Angle Grinder

French band Krav Boca are certainly not the kind of group where you simply watch musicians standing in their assigned spots. Their concert quickly transformed into a combination of musical show, performance art and organised chaos.

Masks, constant movement across the entire stage and the singer's acrobatic elements kept giving the audience reasons to wonder what would happen next. And just when it seemed that there was already enough going on, another band member appeared with an angle grinder, sending a shower of sparks flying around him. It was wild, slightly bizarre and, above all, an incredible show – exactly the kind of concert that also produces fantastic photographs.

After the French chaos came one of the biggest names of the entire edition. American hardcore punk legends H2O showed why they have remained on the scene for several decades, and things once again became properly lively in front of the stage. Their concert was one of the highlights of Saturday's programme and, in many ways, the symbolic climax of the entire festival weekend.

H2O did not quite have the final word, however. Shortly before midnight, Czech band Foggy Dude took the stage with the difficult task of following one of the biggest names on this year's line-up. Their set ultimately brought the fifteenth edition of Summer Punk Party to its definitive close.

The two days at the Volyně outdoor pool offered everything that belongs at a festival like this: loud music, moshing, crowdsurfing, flares and several moments that simply cannot be planned in advance. Add to that the swimming pool, diving-board jumps, camping and an atmosphere far more intimate than at large-scale festivals.

Summer Punk Party is, quite simply, a festival where one moment you can be standing in the middle of a hardcore mosh pit and the next listening to a punk band with a button accordion, bass and washboard. A few minutes later, a crowdsurfer flies over your head, and then you turn around to watch other visitors jumping from the diving board into the pool – perhaps on an inflatable unicorn. And it is exactly this combination that makes the Volyně swimming pool a place where punk simply belongs.

More photos can be found on our Zonerama!   

Lin