Artists all across the Czech Republic are forced to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic each and every day. Many of them are doing their best to help their communities even though their own income is currently second to none: theatres and galleries are closed, concerts cancelled and living off of their online activities cannot grant them survival. We are facing a very real danger that some institutions might simply be wiped off the cultural map. There is, however, a way to support them directly – Hana Třeštíková, a producer and Prague City Councillor has joined forces with GoOut to create the NIC 2020 (Nothing 2020) project.

Have you heard about Zažít město jinak (The Different City Experience)? This is quite similar: in April, we will all have a different city experience. NIC 2020 is a festival that doesn’t exist. Cultural institutions cannot offer you real experience due to the state of emergency but you can show them your support nonetheless – by buying a ticket for nothing. The symbolic event will take place on the 1st of May, the Czech Day of Love, in collaboration with various cultural organisations across the country.

How does it work? As usual: Choose the event that you want to “attend“ in your favourite venue’s programme. Pick your seat in the booking system (first row, stalls, balcony – as you wish, the better the seat the bigger your donation for your favourite artists). Your ticket is valid for one seat in the venue – the capacity is unlimited so that everyone can join.

From the 1st of April we will be adding new venues and events from across the Czech Republic. We will ask them to join our campaign, but they can also apply themselves – any cultural institution interested in selling tickets for nothing can join. The presale will be on for a whole month, until the 1st of May when we will count all sold tickets and donate the income to the said institutions.

Once the world is back to normal, we will be sure that our favourite theatres, clubs, venues, galleries, cultural hotspots, concert halls and other islands of cultural freedom will be able to continue to do what they can do best: broaden our horizons, bring us joy and most of all, provide us with unforgettable experiences.

Hana Třeštíková – producer and Prague City Councillor Lukáš Jandač – Business Development Specialist, GoOut

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