Reggae Festivals in the Czech Republic

Because reggae music is so popular worldwide and Prague is located in such a convenient European location, the Czech Republic is know to hold several music festivals encompassing Rastafarian and Reggae ethnic musical styles. Some of the more popular Festivals include:

the Realbeat ethnic session
This bi-annual, three-day festival includes local Czech sound and headlines a popular artist in the reggae genre.

The Mighty Sounds Tour
This multicultural Ska/Punk festival brings together the most popular Ska bands from around the world.

Rock for the People
Prague's most popular music festival, Rock for the People began in 1995. This annual festival features over 30 bands performing over three days.

Reggae.CZ

Reggae.cz is a great site to discover reggae bands in the Czech Republic. It is a compiled list of most of the popular bands playing music in the Ska, Reggae, Dancehall, Dub, Acoustic Reggae, even salsa! The site provides links to the bands websites, information on festivals, and a calendar of concerts local to the Czech Republic.

Reggae in Prague

Because the Czech Republic has become a recent drug and culture hotspot, musical genres like reggae, dubstep, and drum'n'bass have become popularized. The liberal drug laws and location in Eastern Europe make the Czech Republic a a great place to chill out. The Reggae culture in Prague is heavily influenced by the drug culture. Synonymous with drug use, Reggae and World style bands have started taking root. The inclusion of the Czech language adds a new spin on a genre of music known worldwide. While some bands sing in Czech, for instance SvihadloSvihadlo, others sing in English, like The Spankers, or a combination of English and Czech. Other bands have taken it as far as singing in a combination of Czech and English while including a jamaican accent!.

Liberal laws in the Czech Republic

Pot
Though the Czech Republic is a young country, it adopted a constitution in 1992, The Constitution of the Czech Republic. It replaced the previous 1960 Constitution of Czechoslovakia. Included in the Czech Republics bylaws are its very liberal drug laws, reminiscent of most Eastern European countries. Because of these laws, the Czech Republic has been given the nickname the "Amsterdam of the East". The laws in the czech republic include the possession of
Marijuana: up to 15 grams
Heroin: up to 1.5 grams
Cocaine: up to 1 gram
Methamphetamine: up to 2 grams
Amphetamine: up to 2 grams
Ecstasy: up to 4 tablets
Hashish: up to 5 grams
Hallucinogenic mushrooms: up to 40 pieces
LSD: up to five tabs

compared to laws in the US, these are extremely liberal! Because of the Netherlands recent decision to ban smoking for non-citizens, it is very possible that Prague will soon become as popular or even more so with travelers interested in drug culture.

History of the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic, formerly Czechoslovakia, is a young country. Formed as recently as 1993, the country quickly rose to development after being a communist nation only four years earlier. Through a peaceful regime change known as the Velvet Revolution, the Communist government stepped down, allowing for a democratic government to vote for its first president. So, a quick recap of Prague's quick birth:

1945 - Established as an independent state
1946 - Becomes Communist
1989 - Communist government resigns after Velvet Revolution
1989 - Vaclav Havel becomes first president
1992 - Czechoslovakia splits into the Czech Republic and the Slovac Republic

Though the country is only nineteen years old, the history is just as diverse as any European country.