Skateholders is an ongoing cultural project based in České Budějovice and the South Bohemian region (it is part of the European Capital of Culture 2028 programme in České Budějovice), aiming to support the development of skateboarding by strengthening community activities and activating public space. Together with skateboarders, architects, and local stakeholders, we work to expand skateboarding infrastructure in the city through small-scale architectural interventions.
At the same time, Skateholders uses skateboarding as a platform for international and local networking, education, and youth activation. As part of the sub-project Skateholders Forum, we organise a multi-day festival that includes performances, workshops, exhibitions, talks, and screenings with international guests. Connections established during the festival help us further develop social and cultural networks within the city and the region. We also seek to collaborate with local educational institutions and NGOs and to create an inclusive, low-threshold skate school with overlap into other creative and community activities.
For the next edition (1st week of July 2026), we are preparing an interdisciplinary programme exploring DIY skateboarding from perspectives of craft, art, urbanism, community, and resistance. The festival will host the premiere of a documentary on Czech DIY skateparks by Javier Varillas, and an exhibition featuring photography, visual art, and artefacts related to DIY scenes and guerrilla interventions in urban space. In collaboration with several Czech DIY collectives, we will also build a new skate spot in České Budějovice.