Slovakia's Pohoda Festival Under Threat as Ministry Seeks to Control Speech at Event

Michal Kaščák, the founder and director of Pohoda, one of Slovakia's largest and most internationally recognized music and arts festivals, has warned that the festival's future may be at risk due to government interference in what can be said on its stages. Kaščák stated that the ministry led by Ľubomír Kaliňák — a senior figure in the ruling Smer-SD party, the left-nationalist party of Prime Minister Robert Fico — is attempting to dictate what speakers and performers at Pohoda are allowed to say publicly. He said the situation must be resolved within a week, or organizers will be forced to implement a contingency 'Plan B,' though he expressed hope that it would not come to that and that the festival would not have to end. Pohoda, held annually at an airport near the western Slovak city of Trenčín, has long served as a platform not only for music but also for civic debate and free expression, making it a culturally and politically significant event in Slovakia. The dispute reflects broader tensions in Slovakia under the Fico government, which critics have accused of pressuring independent cultural institutions and media. Any restriction on programming at Pohoda would be seen as a significant blow to freedom of expression in the country.