Respect Festival Open Air 2026

Respect Festival Open Air 2026 takes place on June 13–14 on Prague's Štvanice Island.

The festival's world music programme spans a wide spectrum — from authentic roots in African villages to contemporary fusions born from artistic vision. The Egyptian-Belgian trio The Handover draws from folk melodies of the Nile valley set in an almost psychedelic frame. Ogoya Nengo is among the last living singers of "dodo" songs, which served as a communication channel in rural Kenya. Contemporary African music is represented by the trio Guitari Baro, combining acoustic and electric guitar with the percussive balafon. Pakistani singer Muslim Shaggan will present the intimate and introverted side of pop from the Indian subcontinent.

Madagascar's tsapiky — a trance dance style born half a century ago with the arrival of electric guitars on the island — will be introduced to Prague for the first time by Bobo & Behaja. Cape Verdean music, bridging Africa with Portugal and Brazil, comes via Mario Lucio and his Pan African Band. The Zawose Queens duo from Tanzania consists of the daughter and granddaughter of musical visionary Hukwe Zawose, whose albums were released by Peter Gabriel 40 years ago. Dutch singer Meral Polat, with Kurdish roots from Turkey, will perform in Prague for the third time.

The trio of Lebanese-French musician Wassim Halal will this time connect Balkan styles with a Roma synthesizer player from North Macedonia and a Bulgarian drummer. Moroccan Berber group Araw N Fazaz from the Atlas Mountains combines female vocals, traditional instruments, and European violin.

From June 13–15, Prague's Punctum hosts therapeutic sound sessions by two Nepalese instructors under the title Himalayan Singing Bowls.