Kuba Siňor / Mighty Sounds: We managed to create society of our own.

We had to move our photo shoot for the article half an hour earlier. Shortly after our meeting, they already needed him in Lucerna Music Bar. "Thanks to Mighty, I started working in music full-time: I work in clubs, organize concerts, play in bands."

Anyway, the punk rock immediacy has turned into hard pragmatism over the course of two decades. "Making a festival means so much hard work and nerves that it's not worth any money. If people go into the organization of such an event with the intention of making a profit, they´re screwed."

Mighty Sounds will blow twenty candles next summer. The festival's parent and one of the best-known figures of the music scene background in Czech Republic, Kuba Siňor, explains why he prefers sustainability to massiveness or how the Czech festival scene has developed over the past twenty years.

Kuba in Mighty Sounds office, Prague.

What mistakes must a person learn from as soon as possible so the festival can live for twenty years?

There were probably more mistakes, but today we already know that above all one must learn to count and guard one's sources of income. We were punks back in the days and we delayed cashless, we didn't have a token system or anything like that. We have only been cashless for the last three years and it is a slight change and we feel that we could have had more income before. We do Mighty mainly for fun, so it's not about harvesting fortune for ourselves. Everything always goes back to the festival, so that, for example, the facilities for visitors can be a little better, or that we can enjoy some lesser-known band here and there that only entertains us, and so on. And as you can see, we're still here, so it's ok.

The first bands for next year have been announced and they are already very attractive names. Can visitors expect other special features that will be present at the festival exclusively in connection with your jubilee?

We try to give our best in every year, so all I can say is that we will try to give it a little more than the last year. More ideas, more energy... As for bands, every year their booking depends on three fundamental things: 1. whether the band is suitable for Mighty at all, 2. how much it costs and for 3. and this is the most important thing, whether participation in Mighty is even possible as part of the band´s tour. In the end, there is always something to choose from, but it doesn't always have to be big names. It would be nice to have a few, but it's not a requirement for a great year. 99% of visitors go for the whole three days and for them the overall experience is important and not one or three bands. So we will try to make the line up interesting for as many people as possible and continue to be "Mighty". But we are preparing small birthday surprises.

Kuba in Mighty Sounds office, Prague.

In a documentary that came out about Mighty Sounds years ago, you confided that you founded the festival on bands playing ska, reggae or rockabilly, which, according to you, nobody cared about at the time. Was it therefore difficult from the beginning to convince stakeholders and sponsors to cooperate with you?

At that time, we did not deal with sponsors that much. We simply flew into it and only over time did we start to find out what the possibilities were. From the beginning, we automatically cooperated with companies that had a similar set-up to ours. Young independent brands from Žižkov, Olomouc, Prachatice, etc. Mighty Sounds were actually just one of the platforms of such a large community of people.

Supporting young and local bands has always been part of your basic program equipment, and today you allow them to participate in the festival through the official band contest. In 2005, did local bands call you on their own, or did you first have to fish in the ponds of the scene yourself?

Of course, we choose most of the bands ourselves whom we know and the ones we think would be fun at the festival. But from the very beginning, a lot of bands came out on their own. And I have to say that every year there are more and more of them, but unfortunately - there won't be more days or more stages. I think we've found the sweet spot and it feels perfect for this festival.

Kuba with Woody, Mighty Sounds team illustrator at their headquarters in Prague.

People from your team still visit other well-known and lesser-known festivals around the world. What specifically are you proud of compared to other festivals and can you say that this is exactly what you manage to do better?

There´s chance to be inspired by something different everywhere, and at the same time we often notice that we have already solved a lot of things better. We have the advantage of a smaller and more compact area, which we refine every year. The massiveness of larger events is often at the expense of comfort and a relaxed atmosphere. One of the fundamental things, for example, is that only we have ceramic toilets. I think that in the Czech Republic is no other festival that have them yet. We have a children's corner, a polished acoustic stage and above all a clear concept, and with a squint you can say that we are not unnecessarily complicated. Which is a bit of a bad thing about festivals in general: trying to cram as much as possible into the area (be it bands, different zones, partners, carousels, etc.). We also sometimes have negative reactions to the fact that people don't have time to see all the bands they were looking forward to.

How do you perceive the domestic festival scene at the time of your beginnings compared to the present?

It is much more professional. From large to smaller festivals, almost all of us know how to create a nice area, good sound, good background for visitors, artists and festival crew. Overall, one feels good at festivals in the Czech Republic, and at the same time individual festivals have found their place in the market. Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems to me that at the same time it's not as competitive an environment as it used to be. All the festivals already know about each other.

Do you personally have ambitions to grow in capacity like Groezrock did (30,000) or the local Rock for People, which managed to attract a record 50,000 visitors this year?

We don't. Our ambition is to make the festival sustainable, enjoyable and even better. And that doesn't mean bigger. Music is not about numbers, but about emotions. And as I said above, our area is not inflatable. A few people could still fit in, but it is not a condition for everyone, and by that I mean us, to enjoy it more.

Kuba in the background during Gorilla Biscuits show at Mighty Sounds 2025 (Ingo / Donots singing with CIV / GB)

Will any of your unfulfilled promoter dreams be part of the program of next year's edition of the festival?

Almost every year I have a dream or dreams come true. Next year I'm really excited about The Menzingers, The Flatliners, Bridge City Sinners, The Chisel or HENGE. And we're far from done with booking, so we'll see what else pops up.

The biggest dreams that you personally, on the other hand, have already managed to fulfill as an organizer?

Probably Mephiskapheles. I never believed I would see them live. But it was similar, for example, with Rat Boy, Citizen Fish or World Inferno Friendship Society. Others who also really pleased me were Wolfbrigade, Hot Water Music, The Bellrays, The Meffs, Rancid, The Hives... there are more names. But the absolute biggest dream come true is finding a great team. Working on something that gives you meaning and doing it with people you like is probably the greatest happiness.

Kuba in Mighty Sounds office, Prague with festival crew photo behind him on the wall.

How much has Mighty Sounds changed your life?

Completely. When we started, I studied sociology and saw myself as a researcher and writing books about society. Finally, we created society of our own. And thanks to Mighty, I started working in music full time: I work in clubs, organize concerts, play in bands.

What do you think people should prepare for nowadays when starting a festival, and with what intention should they go into such a project in the first place?

They must know who they are doing the festival for, and they must enjoy it. If the intention is only financial, then they will be screwed. Because it's such hard work and nerves that it's not worth any money. It must be done with the heart.