Fantastická Ostrava 2025 Festival: A World Beyond Reality

Back in the summer of 2017, while my friend Roman Bílek and I were having a beer and dreaming about hosting a sci-fi and fantasy event in Ostrava, we never imagined we’d be welcoming thousands of visitors every year. This year marks our sixth edition (not counting the two scaled-back COVID years). It’s really happening! The Fantastická Ostrava Festival has become one of the biggest events of its kind in the country, and it keeps on growing.

The program is packed again this year, and imago will be right in the middle of it! We’re contributing with what we do best – gamebooks and RPGs. Fans can look forward to a series of lectures featuring Skoro hrdinové, the Tam a zase zpátky podcast, various gamebook and RPG authors, and a very unconventional performance by the band Sukuba Ensamble. But that’s definitely not all!

Fantastická Ostrava 2025 – Guests and Program

Fantastická Ostrava, the largest North Moravian festival focused on fantasy and pop culture, opens the gates of Trojhalí Karolina from June 28th to June 29th, 2025. Visitors can look forward to a rich program full of physical activities, lectures, exhibitions, as well as competitions, sales booths, and special guests.

One of the main attractions is British actress and voice artist Tamaryn Payne. TV viewers know her as Annalise Appleton from Hollyoaks, while avid gamers will recognize her as the voice of Mizora from the critically acclaimed game Baldur's Gate III. She gained popularity in the series Hollyoaks, where she filmed 83 episodes over two years. Payne has also appeared in series such as Casualty, Vendetta, Sacrilege, and Vikings.

Another guest is Max Wrottesley, an English actor who has captivated audiences over his decades-long career with compelling performances in many roles—from the mysterious Michael in the film Open Grave and the charming Phil in Love Me Do, to his most prominent role as Ser Lorent Marbrand in the epic HBO series House of the Dragon. Max’s acting journey began in 1996 with the role of Vince in the series The Biz, which ran for two seasons. Since then, he has built an impressive repertoire, appearing in shows like Casualty, Holby City, 24: Live Another Day, Silent Witness, and Banged Up Abroad.

Besides actors, the festival will feature the popular cosplay competition with international qualification. This year’s jury chair is Rerenga cosplay, a professional cosplayer from Austria. What started as a self-taught hobby turned into a profession, and since 2022, she has been working as a full-time cosplayer. In the Cosplay competition, participants can win valuable prizes and qualify for two international contests.

Sunday’s program includes a children’s cosplay competition, and we haven’t forgotten about book fans with Bookcosplay! Registration for all competitions is still open.

This year, Fantastická Ostrava is attracting visitors with both international and local stars. Fantasy subgenres have been on the rise for years, as evidenced by the flood of book titles alongside popular series and films.

A special literary guest will be French author Cecilé Guillot, whose book Lullaby was published this year by Medusa. Moderated discussions with writers will take place throughout both days. Guests include Přemysl Krejčík, Ondřej Blaho, Antonín Mazáč, and Tereza Matoušková.

What else can you look forward to?

Lectures on popular topics like Harry Potter, costume making, gamebooks, or podcasts. A festival regular, Františka Vrbenská, will be giving lectures again.

A performance by the Saber art fencers from Brno.

Exhibitions by artist Ellienka and Czech illustrator Lenka Šimečková.

For the first time ever in the Czech Republic, the unique Project Mandalorium exhibition from Poland will be on display.

Special space will be dedicated to Pokémon and Lorcana, knights from MFC Slezsko, and various tournaments. There will also be a wargaming session for the game Conquest. All this and much more will be ready for you during the last weekend of June. All program details are updated on the event website.

author Karel Krajča