Visit the imago zone at the Fantastická Ostrava 2026 festival!

We are once again the main partner of the Fantastická Ostrava festival, which will hold its seventh edition on June 27th and 28th, 2026, at Trojhalí Karolina. The festival has quickly become one of the biggest events in the Czech Republic, and it takes place right in our hometown. We simply have to be there! Especially since the legendary Warhammer author William King is coming this year!

imago has taken over practically half of the smaller Trojhalí hall, known as Ústředna. In addition to our sales booth, you can play Warhammer or Conquest in the imago zone. On Saturday, you can attend a workshop to learn the basics of working with EVA foam. It’s a popular material for making anything you need for your cosplay costume. On Sunday, pros will show you the basics of miniature painting.

Part of the imago zone will also be a chill-out zone. You can sit down, chat with guests, get your books signed, or check out titles published by our own publishing house, Mytago.

Discussions and lectures will take place on the imago stage. What have we prepared for you?

imago stage program

Saturday, June 27, 2026

10:00 - 11:00 Cosplay contests: From idea to stage - Alithea

How to succeed in a cosplay contest and what to watch out for? Experienced cosplayer and judge Alithea will guide you through the entire process – from the initial crazy idea and complex costume production to a confident presentation in front of the jury and audience.

11:00 - 12:00 Audiobooks yesterday, today, and tomorrow - Vladan Hýl, Marek Skřipský, Petra Slováková

How is sound magic created? Director and founder of the Ostrava-based publisher Ova Audio, Vladan Hýl, along with authors Petra Slováková and Marek Skřipský, will offer a behind-the-scenes look at audiobook production. You will find out how to find the right atmosphere for fantasy stories and what inspiration this genre can draw from Ostrava's unique vibe.

12:00 - 13:00 When an RPG turns into a novel - Michael Bronec, Radovan Kolbaba, Slavomír Blažek

Do books based on RPG games have their own rules? A trio of well-known authors will open the topic of writing fiction inspired by popular tabletop RPG worlds and show you what makes such work both unique and tricky.

13:00 - 14:00 Non-American astronautics - Dušan Majer

Everyone knows NASA and SpaceX, but what about the rest of the world? Renowned space popularizer Dušan Majer will take you on an excursion beyond the American space program. We will look at current and planned space projects from China, Europe, Russia, India, Japan, and both Koreas.

14:00 - 15:00 Kingdom Come: Firearms, truth and fiction – David Křížan

How faithfully does the popular Czech game depict historical weapons? Expert David Křížan will examine bows, crossbows, and other firearms from a period perspective and compare game fiction with hard historical reality.

15:00 - 16:00 How to run a fantasy adventure sandbox - Jiří „Markus“ Petrů

Sandbox is the platonic ideal of a fantasy campaign where players move freely through a world full of fantastic locations. Jiří „Markus“ Petrů will show you how this style of game mastering works, what its pitfalls are, and how to handle it in practice (not just from the perspective of OSR games).

16:00 - 17:00 Discussion: Fantasy in every way - Ondřej Blaho, Anna and Jiří Kouřil, Petr Opršal

Come listen to a debate among popular authors and creators about how diverse, surprising, and innovative fantasy can be today and where popular literary genres are heading.

17:00 - 18:00 Armor roasting - Marek Vidlička

From plate-mail swimsuits to functional epics! Giant shoulder pads, nonsensical spikes, and anatomical absurdities are the sins of movies and games. Artistic blacksmith and historian Marek Vidlička will shine a light on these design blunders. When armor has logic, it loses none of its magical charm – on the contrary, it looks much tougher and more believable!

18:00 - 19:00 Dragonaer or when a world is born for Jeskyně a Draky - Petr „Gergon“ Neumann

The release of Dragonaer is approaching, and you can be there! Petr „Gergon“ Neumann will present his extensive module for the popular RPG Jeskyně a Draky. Get a peek behind the scenes of years of development, the upcoming release, and join the final discussion.

Sunday, June 28, 2026

10:30 - 11:00 Hogwarts online - Markéta Byrtusová

How do you play a roleplay from the Harry Potter world in the World of Warcraft environment? Get to know a unique community project that has fantastically connected a magical universe with the engine of a popular MMORPG.

11:00 - 12:00 Kids' cosplay contest

The cutest part of the whole festival! Come support the youngest cosplayers, admire their enthusiasm, and applaud the imaginative costumes of their favorite heroes.

12:00 - 13:00 Princess Academy - Chavismatic, Martini cosplay, Adnil, Kaya, CzechMando

We invite everyone, young and old, to our Princess Academy, where you will find out what it takes to be a real princess. Can you master an elegant bow? And watch out – princesses aren't just ideal role models. Each of them has their quirks, from tasting poisoned apples to running away from home!

13:00 - 14:00 The Lost Perfume: Detective game with the CREX team - Petr Holý and co.

Luxury, elegance… and a daring theft. Right under the nose of security, a unique diamond flacon disappeared from a department store. Six employees, six motives, one big scandal. Will you be able to uncover the thief in this fast-paced competitive game before the scent of crime fades away?

14:00 - 15:00 How Dračí doupě was created: A first-hand look - Martin „Bouchi“ Kučera, Michael Bronec

How was the phenomenon born that started the wave of tabletop RPGs in the Czech Republic? We will take you back in time to the very beginnings of Dračí doupě. Come hear the story of a Czech RPG legend directly from those who were there at its birth.

15:00 - 16:00 Blood Flower - Anežka Kočová

Dive into the fascinating world of Blood Flower. A discussion with the author, who will introduce the third volume of the Flower Wars trilogy. The book launch will take place at the end.

16:00 - 17:00 Choose Cthulhu: Live reading to the rhythm of synth-electra - Garadrak

Forget passive listening, here you play for your life! Join an interactive live reading of the Lovecraftian gamebook Choose Cthulhu. Where the story goes depends only on the audience. Garadrak will provide a dark and pulsating musical backdrop live.

You can find the complete Fantastická Ostrava program, including other stages, on the official festival website.

But that's not all! What else are the organizers preparing? Among the biggest highlights of this year's edition are international guests, led by writer William King, the legendary author of Gotrek and Felix stories from the Warhammer world. The international lineup will also be complemented by English actor and voice artist Harry McEntire, known from the series The Last Kingdom or games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Final Fantasy XVI. Domestic names will include, for example, the first lady of Czech fantasy Františka Vrbenská, writer and streamer Sterakdary, or space popularizer Dušan Majer.

In addition to interesting guests, the festival will offer a rich accompanying program, including cosplay contests, lectures, and the Czech premiere of the Star Wars exhibition Forest Moon by Piotr Mintura. The gaming zone has been significantly expanded this year, and thanks to a partnership with Into Games, it will feature independent developers as well as representatives of well-known studios like Warhorse. Of course, there will also be an artist alley, zones for board games, virtual reality, LEGO, and other festival staples.

So, are you looking forward to Fantastická Ostrava yet? Now you can look forward twice as much and win a two-day ticket for free! Just participate in Contests for tickets to Fantastická Ostrava 2026.