The first edition of Meltingpot took place in 2016. The impulse behind its creation was our strong desire to explore, learn, and understand. We built on the tradition of discussion stages at the music festival Colours of Ostrava, with the ambition to create an independent and original space for sharing opinions and ideas – a place for dialogue and innovation. Our goal became Ideas Without Borders, a multi-genre discussion forum open to the general public.

Between 16 and 19 July 2025, Ostrava became the venue of the eighth edition of the international discussion forum Meltingpot.

Across eight programme stages, more than 250 speakers appeared over four days in 152 programme sessions, including debates, interviews, lectures, film screenings, autograph sessions and workshops. Once again, the forum became a vibrant platform for the exchange of ideas and discussion of topics resonating in global society.

The artistic dimension of the forum was once again shaped by the Meltingpot Art powered by ČEZ project, presenting artists and collectives from various countries.

For the third time, the Biohacking Expo took place as an exhibition and sales zone focused on longevity, health, performance and modern trends in biohacking, nutrition and wellness.

Meltingpot introduced eight thematic areas reflecting a broad social and personal context. International guests included notable figures such as Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry Morten Meldal, longevity expert Nir Barzilai, sailor and writer Mick Dawson, optometrist and advocate of healthy vision Joseph Allen, biohacker Tim Gray, yoga teacher and actor Bijay Anand, journalist Greg C. Bruno, designer Leesle Hwang, psychologist Deirdre Barrett (via online transmission), and representatives of the Brazilian indigenous tribe Huni Kuin.

All foreign-language lectures were traditionally interpreted into Czech. On two stages, AI technology was used to enable simultaneous interpretation of all lectures, including those delivered in Czech. As part of this project, online subtitling via mobile phone interface was offered for the first time. Visitors could choose the subtitle language according to their preferences. This innovation significantly expanded the accessibility of the programme and also opened it to deaf visitors, who were able to select Czech subtitles for all performances. In addition, 20 further lectures were interpreted using sign language.

The traditional Voices of Meltingpot project also continued, resulting in 12 filmed interviews with selected speakers.

Between 17 and 20 July 2024, the seventh edition of the international discussion forum Meltingpot took place in the Dolní Vítkovice industrial area in Ostrava, running alongside the multi-genre music festival Colours of Ostrava.

Over four days, Meltingpot featured 330 speakers across 192 programme sessions, including debates, interviews, lectures and workshops, held on 12 stages.

The programme was enriched by new stages. The NYC Stage connected the world of the music festival with the intellectual scope of the forum, and a new theatre tent styled as a New York club hosted jazz concerts and entertaining stand-up shows, as well as lectures, debates and theatrical performances. Another new addition that year was the Storytellers’ Tent, a space for sharing stories and natural wisdom in an open yurt.

For the second time, the Biohacking Expo took place as an exhibition and sales zone focused on longevity, health, performance and the latest trends in biohacking, nutrition, healthy lifestyle and wellness, featuring a total of fifteen exhibitors. Through interactive presentations, visitors could test their physical fitness and biological age, try red light therapy, or recharge with superfoods.

The artistic dimension was provided by the Meltingpot Art project, presenting eight visually striking installations created by Czech and international artists.

As in previous years, all foreign-language lectures were translated into Czech; however, for the first time, a pilot project introduced AI-powered interpretation with online transcription into Czech subtitles on four stages.

Selected debates were recorded and their recordings are available on the Meltingpot YouTube channel. The forum also traditionally included the audiovisual project Voices of Meltingpot, featuring exclusive filmed interviews with 15 selected speakers.

From the very beginning, the aim of the project has been to build an open platform for presenting diverse opinions and topics to both domestic and international audiences, and this goal was successfully achieved again this year. The presence of many international guests, most of whom visited the Czech Republic for the first time, represents a benefit not only for the city, the region and the country as a whole, but also has an international impact.

The Meltingpot forum is a cultural and social event that contributes to raising awareness and building a positive reputation of the region both at home and abroad.

From July 19 to 22, 2023, the jubilee 20th edition of the festival and the 6th edition of the Meltingpot Forum took place, once again surpassing previous years in scope. Across 11 stages, the forum welcomed more than 200 inspiring speakers from around the world and attracted approximately 30,000 visitors. The main thematic focus was health, longevity, and biohacking, reflecting the global trend of caring for physical and mental well-being, alongside visions of the future, technology, and many other fields.

We introduced several new features, including the pilot Biohacking Expo – an interactive exhibition and sales zone dedicated to longevity, health, and performance, showcasing the latest trends in biohacking, nutrition, healthy lifestyles, and wellness. Other highlights included the new dance and workshop-oriented Cacao Stage, connecting the music festival with its conference dimension, as well as secret concerts and specially designed stages, including industrial sculptures installed across the venue.

Notable international speakers: Matthew Walker (UK), Jamie Catto (UK), Patrick McKeown (IR), John Perkins (US), Carmen A. Medina (US), Bill McKibben (US), Helena Norberg-Hodge (SE), Julia Mossbridge (US), Barbara Paldus (CZ/CA)

Notable Czech speakers: Petr Pavel, Petr Fiala, Pavel Kolář, Dana Drábová, Míla Fürstová, Marian Jelínek, Martin Dorazíny, Igor Lukeš, Klára Kolouchová, Karel Och, Jakub Szántó, Erik Tabery, Martin Wichterle, Jitka Vodňanská, Brain We Are, and many others.

After two pandemic years spent online, the Meltingpot Forum returned as a live event, featuring 10 stages and more than 250 speakers. Attendance confirmed the audience’s strong appetite for education, inspiration, and entertainment, exceeding our expectations. New additions included the Europe Stage, created to mark the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Gamechangers Stage spotlighting leading figures in innovation, science, education, and travel, and the SUper Stage of the Silesian University.
In the week following the festival, we organized the very first Meltingpot Retreat, a relaxation-focused event with renowned instructors in meditation, movement, and spiritual development, set in the beautiful natural surroundings of the Moravian-Silesian Beskydy Mountains.

Due to the unfavorable epidemiological situation, the Meltingpot Forum was held for the second time (and we hope for the last time) in an online format. In November 2021, we organized a four-day online conference titled Meltingpot Virtual Forum, offering more than 100 Czech and international speakers and a wide range of current social, scientific, and artistic topics. This conference also marked the launch of the website coloursuniverse.cz, a shared interactive platform for the Colours of Ostrava festival, the Meltingpot Forum, and the Czech Music Crossroads music conference and showcase festival.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Meltingpot Forum program had to be postponed to the following year, along with the entire Colours of Ostrava festival. It was a challenging year, but thanks to the tremendous support of audiences and speakers alike, we were able to launch the Meltingpot Online project in the spring and bring the motto Ideas Without Borders to life. Until the end of 2020, Meltingpot regularly presented interviews and debates with prominent figures from various fields several times a week on its Facebook and YouTube channels. At the same time, we were preparing exciting new projects for 2021, not only in the virtual space.

In 2020, the following partners supported Meltingpot in the realization of the Ideas Without Borders Online project: Česká spořitelna a.s., Google Czech Republic s.r.o., Heimstaden Czech s.r.o., the U.S. Embassy in Prague. Financial support was provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the Czech–Polish Forum, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, and the Moravian-Silesian Region.

We thank all of them for their support.

Meltingpot expanded with two new stages: the physics-focused Big Bang Stage and the innovative George Stage. Across a total of 10 stages, we welcomed the highest number of speakers and visitors to date, with more than 30,000 attendees. The forum program, spanning a broad range of topics, was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci and the unity of science and art. As in previous years, we recorded interviews with selected speakers as part of Voices of Meltingpot.

Speakers included: Joe Davis, Donna de Lory, Mark Gungor, Ingrid Formanek, Manari Ushigua, Andrew Keen, Yan Mei, Tuvia Tenenbom, Devakant, John Perkins, Jim Clancy, Jeffrey A. Winters, Clemens Kuby, František Koukolík, Mnislav Zelený Atapana, Martin Hilský, Přemek Forejt, Petr Pavel, Tomki Němec, and others.

Meltingpot is born. The very first edition of the international discussion forum attracted around 14,000 visitors. Across ten stages, we presented lectures, discussions, artistic performances, film screenings, educational activities, and creative workshops, featuring nearly 150 speakers from 26 countries.

Speakers included: Daniel Shechtman, Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry; leading American theoretical physicist Leonard Mlodinow; writer Robert Fulghum; Steven Lee Myers; Clemens Kuby; Chris Hedges; Yusef Komunyakaa; Guillaume Basset; Sidney Strauss; Timothy Snyder; Andrei Zubov; Jan Švejnar; Margit Slimáková; Jan Zrzavý; Andrew Urbiš; Zdeněk Kratochvíl; Clemens Kuby, and others.