Signal Festival 2020 will illuminate Prague once again this autumn

The eighth edition of the Signal Festival will take place October 15 to 18 in the streets of Prague. The festival presents works of art that use light as a medium.

This year will offer a new route taking visitors to places in Prague where the festival has not previously been. It will exhibit works by both important and undiscovered Czech artists this time. Much of the festival program is in flux, as the situation regarding the coronavirus is constantly changing.

Festival director Martin Pošta says the top priority is to ensure safety for all visitors. Measures will be based on the recommendations from epidemiologist Rastislav Maďar, who is working with the festival.

The coronavirus has fundamentally impacted the entire Czech cultural scene, including the Signal Festival. “We already know that the crisis has hit us economically. We have therefore developed several scenarios for how the festival could take place in October, and it is clear that further changes await us. We will work mainly with Czech artists, discover new locations for visitors outside the center and bring a new route,” festival director Martin Pošta said.

“And I do not rule out that there will be fewer installations compared to previous years. The final form of the eighth year will be influenced by the events of the summer months,” he added.

Epidemiologist Rastislav Maďar said he is providing the festival team with expert opinions on the current epidemiological situation and its possible development. “We are deciding how to introduce effective preventive measures in order to reflect the requirements for the safety of the premises in relation to the protection of the health of the persons who will move in them,” he said.

The theme of this year’s festival is Plan B — the works of art will focus on environmental issues and the future of human coexistence with the planet. Signal Festival 2020 will present both works that respond to the current state and consequences of our behavior, and projects that are optimistic about possible solutions that could bring a healthy future to the entire terrestrial ecosystem.

The festival will take place on four autumn evenings and its program will include lighting and interactive installations as well as artistic videomapping.

Signal began in 2013, with free exhibits around the city center. Attendance the first year was estimated at 250,000 people. It expanded every year and by 2016, attendance reached over 578,000 based on estimates tracking mobile phone usage. Over the course of its history it has had close to 3 million visitors. Videomappings on public buildings such as churches have been the most popular installations.

In recent years, the free exhibits have been complemented by a gallery zone of installations that required a ticket for entrance.