Pilsen will once again host the Liberation Festival Pilsen, with a WWII veteran, period camps, concerts, and other activities

Pilsen will once again host one of Europe’s most significant commemorations of the end of World War II. From May 1 to 6, the city will come alive with the Liberation Festival, which will once again be attended by an American veteran. Visitors to the event, which commemorates the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the West Bohemian metropolis, can look forward to period camps, flyovers by historic and modern aircraft, concerts spanning various genres, and much more.

“I believe that this year’s Liberation Festival will once again combine respect for history and war veterans with modern life in Pilsen, creating a unique atmosphere. I am very pleased to confirm that American veteran Joseph Thurmond plans to visit Pilsen. Thanks for coming to Pilsen go not only to him, but also to Mr. Jan Horsky, who is organizing his trip to the Czech Republic. We also have confirmed participation from most of the families of American and Belgian liberators.  They will all be honorable guests at this year’s celebrations as well,” said Pilsen Mayor Roman Zarzycký. 

Mr. Joseph Thurmond, a veteran of World War II, is set to arrive in the Czech Republic just a few days after celebrating his 100th birthday in April. He was a member of the U.S. Army’s 94th Infantry Division and entered the war in February 1945. He saw action in the Rhineland and Central Europe. His 94th Infantry Division reached Czechoslovakia, specifically western and southwestern Bohemia, in June 1945. He performed guard duty, for example in Klatovy and Střelské Hoštice.

„We were clearing the hideouts, destroying the weapons, collecting non detonated casings, filling up holes from the explosions and making sure the prisoners were held and filtered into the major prison holding centers. We were spending our time in the towns and cities of western Czechoslovakia such as Klatovy or Střelské Hoštice. By the end of 1945 I was transferred to the 51st Signal Corps outside of Munich. Guarding, transporting and working the German prisoners as they cleaned up areas that had been turned to rubble,“ recalled Joseph Thurmond.

This year, at the personal invitation and with the financial support of Jan Horsky, Joseph Thurmond is preparing for a journey retracing his postwar activities in southwestern Bohemia, and the Liberation Festival is one of the stops on this commemorative pilgrimage, which he is undertaking together with his son Michael. Their ten-day journey will take them not only to Pilsen and Prague but also to Český Krumlov, Rožmberk nad Vltavou, Střelské Hoštice, Horažďovice, Rabí, Sušice, and Klatovy.

“It is a great honor for me to accompany 100-year-old Joseph on his return to the Czech Republic. It is a unique moment, because relatively few veterans of the 94th Infantry Division returned to us after 1989. I appreciate the excellent cooperation with the Liberation Festival Pilsen team in preparing Mr. Thurmond’s trip. Joseph and I met last August at his home near the capital of Indiana, after he was first contacted by historian Jiří Klůc on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings in 2024. Since then, I have visited him three times in person, and we have become friends,” said Jan Horsky. 

Period Camps, Convoy of Liberty, and Thank You, America!

The 2026 Liberation Festival Pilsen program will begin on Friday, May 1, when the gates of the military history camps open. In the park behind the Plzeň Plaza shopping center, the focus will be on the Czechoslovak Independent Armored Brigade and the RAF; there will also be a 1:1 scale replica of a Spitfire fighter plane and demonstrations of civilian life during the Protectorate. Křižíkovy sady in the city center will be taken over by the 16th Armored Division Club of the U.S. Army, featuring an authentic field kitchen and heavy equipment, while on Pobřežní Street, visitors will find a military history club representing the modern U.S. Army. The historical atmosphere will be complemented on Saturday, May 2, by a gathering of American cars called “Freedom of America” at the DEPO2015 complex and a stylish retro hair salon for ladies in the NAVA arcade, which will bring visitors back to the fashion of 1945.

The highlight of the program will be the traditional Convoy of Liberty. On Sunday, May 3, at 11 a.m., a convoy of historic military vehicles will depart from Sukova Street. Accompanied by flyovers of period military aircraft, it will run along Klatovská Avenue to Tyršova Street. The celebrations will then symbolically conclude on Wednesday, May 6, at 10 a.m. with the main commemorative ceremony at the “Thank You, America!” memorial, accompanied by flyovers of current Czech Army aircraft. People will also pay their respects to the heroes at many other locations, such as Chodské Square, Husova Street, Míru Square, or during Saturday’s commemorative ceremony at the Liberty Linden Tree on Bolevecká Square, which will feature a concert by the band Tuten Swing.

Cultural Events on Multiple Stages and the Hurvínek Trail

Due to reconstruction, the area on Republic Square will not be used for any of this year’s celebration events. The cultural program will therefore be spread across several other stages. On Friday evening, the amphitheater behind the Plzeň Plaza shopping center will host the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra with a program of film songs by John Williams, while Saturday will feature rock rhythms as part of the “Best of America” block performed by excellent revival bands, and Sunday will offer a folk afternoon with Petr Kocman and the groups Samson a jeho parta, Cop, and Taxmeni. For lovers of swing and period atmosphere, the 40’s Stage at Proluka is ready with Lindy Hop dance workshops and a dance hall. The contemporary music program will be presented on Friday, May 1, on the Libé rty stage next to the J.K. Tyl theatre, organized by Memory of the Nation: Pilsen Region, and on Saturday with the Beats For Liberty audiovisual show on the Radbuza riverbank. The atmosphere in the city center on Friday and Saturday will be enhanced by Slowmarket with its design products and a farmers’ market exceptionally located on Bedřicha Smetany Street.

The youngest generation can join in the celebrations thanks to the interactive Hurvínek Trail of Courage, which will commemorate not only the resistance activities of puppeteer Josef Skupa but also the 100th birthday of the Hurvínek puppet. Sports enthusiasts can support a good cause on Friday morning by participating in the Run for Memory of the Nation. On Sunday afternoon, Moving Station will offer an intriguing blend of theater and history in the performance Madamme M., which tells the story of a prisoner of the concentration camp in Holýšov near Domažlice, Mrs. Marie-Marguerite Michelin.

The complete program of the Liberation Festival Pilsen is available at www.slavnostisvobody.cz