Record-breaking Beats for Love 2025 – a vibrant spectrum of electronic music, an audiovisual feast, and charity.
The eleventh edition of the Beats for Love festival, held from 2 to 5 July in the (post-)industrial complex of Dolní Vítkovice, concluded with a phenomenal success. The showcase of premier electronic dance music, accompanied by original new visuals, attracted a total of 164,000 visitors. This represents a new attendance record for the entire festival.
The fascinating festival visuals also featured an industrial dragon. Photo: Beats for Love
Approximately 550 performers from both the Czech Republic and abroad appeared across 18 stages. The event featured the cream of the genre, encompassing both renowned names and newly discovered talents. Among the artists were Richie Hawtin, Ben Klock, Axwell, Armin van Buuren, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Timmy Trumpet, Claptone, Sub Focus, and MK.
A captivating innovation was the unique visual concept of the entire event. The festival grounds were divided into thematic areas, each distinguished by visually characteristic design features (Industrial, Space Love), while another zone (Pulse) served to connect these areas.
For the third consecutive year, Beats for Love also featured a discussion platform called Talking Beats, situated in the former control room of the coking plant, where selected guests publicly debated various cultural, social, and relational topics. One discussion, titled “How Festivals Breathe Life into Ostrava,” was led by Ostrava’s mayor Jan Dohnal and deputy mayor Lucie Baránková Vilamová.
The eleventh edition also remembered charity. Festival attendees supported grandparents from the Přerov region, who are caring for their grandchildren following the death of their daughter, as well as one-year-old Eliška from Karviná. The fundraising campaign had already raised several hundred thousand Czech crowns during the festival itself (the exact amount is unknown, as donations are still being received), and those interested may contribute to the aforementioned projects until 31 August 2025. Contributions can be made easily via payment through a QR code linked to a transparent account. Full details are available on the festival’s website.
Among the principal partners of Beats for Love was the statutory city of Ostrava.
