NeverMore 68 to Commemorate the Stories of Exiles in Prague This August

The fifth edition of the festival will be dedicated this August to the people who left Czechoslovakia following the suppression of the Prague Spring.

Prague's Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds will once again host one of the country's largest commemorative events marking the events of 1968 on 21 August. The fifth edition of the NeverMore 68 festival will focus on the lives of those who went into exile following the occupation of Czechoslovakia.

Under the motto "Stories of Those Who Were Missing Here" (Příběhy těch, kteří tu chyběli), the event will commemorate both well-known figures and hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens who left their homeland after the invasion by Warsaw Pact troops. Many sought the opportunity to live a free life abroad.

Foto: Na Výstavišti

According to the organisers, their absence not only affected families and local communities but also had lasting consequences for culture, science, education and Czechoslovak society as a whole.

Remembering the occupation and the loss of freedom

NeverMore 68 is a cultural and social festival commemorating the occupation of former Czechoslovakia while also addressing contemporary issues surrounding freedom, democracy and historical remembrance. The concept was created by Barbora Šubrtová and is organised in cooperation with the programme department of Prague's Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds.

According to the organisers, NeverMore 68 has grown over the past five years into the largest commemorative event dedicated to the events of 1968 in the Czech Republic. The festival also serves as a platform for cultural, educational and remembrance institutions.

Video: NeverMore 68 na Výstavišti 2025 (CZ)

"The fifth edition of NeverMore 68 commemorates the people who disappeared from our streets, schools, theatres, newsrooms and laboratories after 1968," said Tomáš Hübl, Chairman of the Board of Prague's Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds.

Many did not leave voluntarily, he said, but because the communist regime gave them no other choice. Their departure left gaps that have never been fully filled.

The festival therefore aims not only to highlight these historical stories but also to warn of the consequences that the loss of freedom, education and democratic values can have for a society.

Foto: Na Výstavišti

Debates, exhibitions and film screenings

This year's programme includes discussions with historians, journalists and eyewitnesses, themed exhibitions, as well as documentary and film screenings. A live broadcast by Czech Radio's Radiožurnál is also planned.

The focus will be on the lives of people who went into exile following the occupation. At the same time, the programme will explore the consequences their emigration had for Czechoslovakia.

The stories of emigrants and exiles illustrate what Czechoslovak society lost. Among them were many people who refused to subordinate their lives and values to a totalitarian regime.

Admission to the event on 21 August is free of charge. Further information is available on the website of Prague's Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds.


NeverMore 68
Friday, 21 August, 2.00 pm – 11.30 pm
Výstaviště Praha Holešovice