Freedom that sounds: Trenčín, Slovakia, will commemorate the Velvet Revolution with the festival „Sounds of Democracy: Velvet.” The Polish band Hańba! will also perform here.
Discussions, concerts, film screenings, and public samizdat creation—all this will be offered during the evening event „Sounds of Democracy: Nežná” at the KKC Hviezda in Trenčín. The event will open with a look back at the revolutionary days of November 1989 from outside the capital cities, celebrating civic courage and reminding us that freedom takes many forms. The festival is part of the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026 program, and the Polish band Hańba! will perform during the commemorative evening.
On November 14, 2025, the festival evening will bring a program to Trenčín that celebrates freedom in its various forms – as the courage to speak out, as a memory of social change, and as a cultural expression of individuals and communities. The event will include a discussion on the course of the revolution in the regions, concerts by the bands Karpatské chrbáty and the Polish group Hańba!, a screening of the documentary film Spievajúca revolúcia (The Singing Revolution), and the public creation of a samizdat anthology of citizens’ testimonies.
The discussion entitled „Nežná pod oknom: How did November ’89 unfold in the regions of Czechoslovakia?” will offer a glimpse into the revolutionary days outside the major cities. What role did local initiatives and „small histories” play that did not make it onto television but were essential for society-wide change? The discussion will be moderated by Michal Havran.
Visitors will be able to visit the Samizdata ’26 workshop throughout the evening. This will be a space inspired by the samizdat tradition, complemented by thematic backdrops, where visitors will have the opportunity to leave their own testimony, thoughts, memories, or poems using typewriters. Volunteers will be on hand to explain how to use the machines and help visitors with the recording process. These contributions will become part of a collective anthology—a living samizdat that will be created without censorship, publicly, and freely distributable.
The music program will open at 6 p.m. with Karpatské chrbáty, a band with roots in the underground scene, known for its humorous attitude and clear civic stance. This will be followed at 9 p.m. by a concert by Hańba! – an energetic group from Poland that combines punk and brass band music and reflects on historical and contemporary challenges to democracy through its music.
Another highlight of the evening will be the screening of the documentary Singing Revolution, which depicts Estonia’s path to independence through singing as a form of resistance.
The public space of Trenčín will also come alive thanks to the Freedom Studios, which visitors will find on Sládkovičova Street and Mierové Square. These intervention points will recall the historical content of the newspapers published in 1989 and 1990 by the Trenčín Verejnost proti násiliu (Public Against Violence). Passers-by will be able to read original articles from the time of the revolution and the following months and reflect on what freedom means to them today. The atmosphere will be complemented by a sound installation – the jingling of keys, an iconic symbol of the Velvet Revolution. Each of us holds the key to freedom in our hands.
„Curiosity is not just about knowledge. It is also about the need to talk, ask questions, and express who we are. That is why the festival will offer space not only for remembrance, but also for creation—free, bold, and public,” said Jarmila Husáková, project manager from the Trenčín 2026 team.
The event „Sounds of Democracy: Gentle” is part of the broader format Sounds of Democracy – a series of cultural and civic activities that, within the framework of Trenčín 2026 – European Capital of Culture, reflect on the democratic struggles of the past and present. From autumn 2025 to the end of 2026, the festival days will commemorate important historical milestones such as the Velvet Revolution, the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, and the restoration of independence of the Baltic states.
The ambition of the entire project is not only to remember, but also to seek parallels with current threats to democracy—growing nationalism, populism, and extremism—and to open a dialogue on how culture can contribute to solving them.
The Sounds of Democracy project is part of Trenčín 2026. Trenčín 2026 is financially supported by the City of Trenčín, the Trenčín Self-Governing Region, and the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. The European Union is a partner.
