Darkshire Castle – opening times

Parking: Saturday 12:00 – Sunday 15:00
Camping: Saturday 12:00 – Sunday 15:00
Festival Area: Saturday 15:00 – Sunday 06:00

Venue is located at the address Horní Hrad 1, Krásný Les-Ostrov Nad Ohří. Campsites and parking opens on Saturday 17th May at 12:00 and closes on Sunday at 15:00. Festival area with stages opens on Saturday 17th May at 15:00 and ends on Sunday 18th May at 06:00.

GPS Location: 50.346180951069336, 13.018242039184882

Darkshire parking will be on sale at the doors, and is cash only – 300 czk / 15€. The rest of Darkshire Castle will be cashless in cooperation with NFCtron. For top up you can use cash (CZK, EUR) and cards. Top up your credit now via this link, and read everything about cashless here.

Tickets & camping spots are on sale. Tickets at the doors will be available for 1500 czk. Event take place in 17th May 2025 at Hauenstejn Castle, Krásný Les-Ostrov nad Ohří, Czechia. Prepare for 15 hours of nonstop raving, day and night, across multiple stages. A campsite and parking area will be conveniently located near the castle. The capacity is limited.

Please dress up warmly and take jackets with you, it’s gonna be cold during the night. Also, bring rain protection just in case you would need it.

The official Darkshire Merchandise Store will be open from 3:00 PM to 1:00 AM and will offer the new “Oathbreaker” t-shirt edition, along with the last pieces from previous editions available in our online shop.

There will be a sufficient number of well-stocked bars on site, and both indoor and outdoor zones. Two stages will be located indoors, with the main stage outside.

Castle Food stand will offer Grilled Pork Leg, Giant Hauenstejn Sausage, Grilled Camembert, Grilled Corn and Bread.

There will be depository for your bags (150czk per bag) at the event. There is no lockers or cloakroom.

SHUTTLE BUSES

You can get to the event by return buses from Prague, which are now on sale. The buses depart from Prague Main Station on Saturday at 12:00 / 12:15 / 12:30, and the return trip from the festival back to Prague is at 06:30 in the morning after the festival ends.

Bus nr. 1 – sold out
17. 5. at 12:00 Praha hl.n. > Darkshire Castle parking
18. 5. 06:30 Darkshire Castle parking > Praha hl.n.

Bus nr. 2 – sold out
17. 5. at 12:15 Praha hl.n. > Darkshire Castle parking
18. 5. 06:30 Darkshire Castle parking > Praha hl.n.

The bus stop is right in front of the Prague central train (“Praha hlavní nádraží”) station building, directly on the highway (not in the park below). The bus is waiting a maximum of 5 minutes. It’s forbidden to bring glass bottles to the bus. Please do not consume food and beverages during the trip. If you don’t show, the ticket is no longer valid. Passengers are responsible for any damage caused to the bus company. The driver has the right to expel intoxicated individuals from the bus without a refund.

GPS SHUTTLE BUS STOP PRAGUE: 50.08348456574203, 14.435214726349006

FESTIVAL TAXI

A festival taxi service will be operating in the area around the festival, which can take you from nearby villages, your hotels, and guesthouses. The rates are as follows:

Karlovy Vary: 700 CZK / small car (4 people), 900 CZK / large car (7+1/8+1)
Up to 5 km from the festival: 250 CZK / small car
Up to 10 km from the festival: 400 CZK / small car
Over 10 km = 30 CZK / km for car up to 4 people; 40 CZK / km for car over 4 people, no base fare
Prague: 3200 CZK small car (4 people) / 3900 CZK large car (7+1/8+1)

Phone contacts for written bookings on Saturday (does not apply to Sunday, when pre-bookings are unavailable and the vehicle must be caught directly at the festival site):

Bookings via WhatsApp: +420 722 915 155
Bookings via email: festival@driveco.cz

Taxi cars will also be available on Saturday at the Karlovy Vary train station. Payment is possible in cash, and with selected drivers also by card.

SAFETY

Your safety is our top priority. We’ll have a strong security presence throughout the castle to ensure a safe experience for everyone. We kindly ask all visitors to be extra cautious when moving around the area. Please avoid climbing on the walls or crossing barriers, as this could lead to serious injury or falls.

Keep in mind that the event takes place at an elevated location, so any risky behavior could have serious consequences. We truly appreciate your understanding and cooperation in keeping the atmosphere safe for all.

Visitors of Darkshire should be aware of our community and its values. Treat others with respect regardless of gender, age, origin, religion or sexual orientation. Any kind of harassment or discrimination won’t be tolerated. Please contact members of our security if you have any issues.

Thank you and see you soon!

Darkshire Festival In The Woods 19. 6. – 22. 6. 2025

Darkshire Festival In The Woods will be cashless in cooperation with NFCtron.

Tickets & camping is on sale. Camping tickets are allocated per tent. Festival area campsite is sold out. Meadow campsite is located just 200m from main stage and is on sale. Cabins are completely sold out. Lockers, Shuttles, Car Parking, Caravan Camping will be on sale on 24th March 2025 at 15:00 CET through our tickets section. Festival site have showers, a restaurant, food stands, multiple stages, bars, lake for swimming and offer various activities.

Please find more information below.

Opening hours

Festival area opening hours are from Thursday 19. 6. 2025 15:00 until Sunday 22. 6. 2025 14:00. We would like to ask you to leave festival campsite by 14:00. Parking will close at 16:00.

Please do not come on Wednesday, we won’t be able to let you on the parking and into the camp grounds.

Payment methods at the venue

Venue

Parking

Caravans

Taxi service

During the festival, there will be festival taxis available that can take you from the stations in the surrounding villages and towns, and from your hotels and guesthouses. The rates are as follows:

Phone contacts for written orders on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (does not apply to Sunday, when pre-orders are not available and the vehicle must be caught directly on-site):
Orders in writing via WhatsApp: +420 722 915 155
Orders in writing via email: festival@driveco.cz

Long-distance transports
Hradec Králové bus station: 1600 CZK per car

Taxi vehicles will be stationed on Thursday at the following locations: Dvůr Králové Main Station, Chotěvice Train Station, Parking Lot, Festival Area.

Payment can be made in cash, and with selected drivers also by card.

Camping

Camping spots are available in the festival area (sold out) and on the meadow above the festival (on sale). Distance of campsite is about 250m from main stage (meadow) and 100m (festival area campsite), so it’s both very close. Camping tickets apply for the setup of one tent (max size 3x3m). If you setup bigger tent, you will need to secure additional tent spot ticket. We do not sell tents, please bring your own. All festival visitors have access to the camping grounds. You can take your own food and drinks to the campsite, but please don’t bring glass – pour your liquids into the plastic bottles. You can also take your own grill to the camp, but please use designated places for grilling. Making an open fire is restricted anywhere but in the designated area, and yes there will be one central fire behind the restaurant in the festival camp area.

Cabins

Check-in your cabin at tent next to locker boxes please. There is electricity available in each cabin. We recommend you to take sleeping bags. Cabins are completey sold out. If we refund any, it will be put back to sale in June after prior announcement.

Merchandise

Merchandise store will present a new summer edition and will be open from Thursday to Saturday every day at the evening.

Merchandise

Six well-stocked bars will be available at the festival site serving beer and premium alcohol.

Food

At the venue, there will be several food options available at festival stalls offering a variety of cuisines including vegan options, burgers, pasta, as well as restaurant serving Czech dishes. You can also bring your own food into the area.

Showers & Toilets

Showers are located near the restaurant at the festival campsite. Toilets are located at each campsite and stage. Please do not pollute your surroundings and the forest, use the toilet for your needs. We recommend to take your personal toilet paper with you to the festival.

Lockers

Lockers for rent are available in pre-sale. The capacity of lockers is limited.

Stages

There will be 5 stages at the festival – Main Stage, Forest Stage, Shrine Stage, Lake Stage a Ambient Stage.

Refundable cups

We will be using refundable cups in the festival area to protect the environment. Deposit for one cup will be 100 czk.

Shuttle Buses

Shuttle buses from Prague Central Train Station and back to Prague are now on sale! Capacity is limited, we recommend you to grab these tickets early.

Bus nr. 1
19. 6. at 12:00 Praha hl.n. > Darkshire Festival
22. 6. 12:00 Darkshire Festival > Praha hl.n.

Bus nr. 2
19. 6. at 13:00 Praha hl.n. > Darkshire Festival
22. 6. 12:00 Darkshire Festival > Praha hl.n.

Bus nr. 6
19. 6. at 17:00 Praha hl.n. > Darkshire Festival
22. 6. 13:00 Darkshire Festival > Praha hl.n.

Bus nr. 7
19. 6. at 17:30 Praha hl.n. > Darkshire Festival
22. 6. 14:00 Darkshire Festival > Praha hl.n.

The bus stop is right in front of the Prague central train (“Praha hlavní nádraží”) station building, directly on the highway (not in the park below). The bus is waiting a maximum of 5 minutes. It’s forbidden to bring glass bottles to the bus. Please do not consume food and beverages during the trip. If you don’t show, the ticket is no longer valid. Passengers are responsible for any damage caused to the bus company. The driver has the right to expel intoxicated individuals from the bus without a refund.

GPS SHUTTLE BUS STOP PRAGUE: 50.08348456574203, 14.435214726349006

Public transportation

There are also various options for how to reach the venue with public transportation. From Prague with direct bus from „Černý Most“ – to „Chotěvice“, // or to „Trutnov“ (and then by train to Chotěvice), // or to Vrchlabí (and then by train to Chotěvice). From „Hradec Králové“ – to Dvůr Králové (and then by bus to Chotěvice), // or to Jičín (and then by bus to Chotěvice). From „Mladá Boleslav“ by bus – to „Jičín“ (and then by bus to Chotěvice). If the capacity of public transport to Chotěvice is full you can always use festival taxis from Trutnov or Dvůr Králové. All public transportation times can be found at www.idos.cz

Trips around the venue

Short walking circuit (7 km)

Walk with your backpack and enough water behind the techno stage and up on the hill, find out the Buddha Stones, Karolinina Viewpoint. You will find a yellow route here, follow it into the town of Hájemství. Cross the main road and follow the yellow route to the “Hájemství – Osada” where you hit the green road and turn left in the direction of Kocléřov. Just before you enter Kocléřov you will see a beautiful church in the woods “Navštívení Panny Marie”, where you hit the left on the road behind the church and walk towards the festival area on the main road.

Long walking circuit (20km)

Walk with your backpack and enough water for at least 4 hours behind the techno stage and up on the hill, find out the Buddha Stones and Karolinina Viewpoint. Here you will get on a yellow route, start following it into the Debrné. Then you will hit the green route in Debrné, which leads you over the “Martinská Stěna – Wall of Martin” beside the Labe river into the town of Dolní Nemojov and finally to the dam of Lesní Království “Kings Wood Dam”. From the dam, you will head north on the blue route through the “Kings Forest” into the town of Hájemství, where you turn left on the green route following it in the direction of Kocléřov. Just before you enter Kocléřov you will see a beautiful church in the woods “Navštívení Panny Marie”, where you hit the left on the road behind the church and walk towards the festival area on the main road.

By car

10 km south of the venue is the beautiful dam of Les Království (Kings Woods).

20 km north of the venue is the town of Janské Lázně with magnificent “Černá Hora” (The Black Mountain).

30 km north of the venue is the town of Pec Pod Sněžkou with the tallest mountain in the Czech Republic – Sněžka. There is a cable car running up and down.

Restrictions

It is prohibited to bring animals, pyrotechnics, weapons, spray paint, graffiti sprays, generators, gasoline and glass bottles into the festival area. We are in middle of the forest, please respect the nature.

Bringing large audio systems into the festival area is prohibited. Please respect the sleeping hours of other visitors between 6 AM and 10 AM; refrain from playing loud music during this time and let others gain some energy for next day.

Grilling and starting fires are forbidden in areas other than designated spots, especially in the forest. Violations may lead to severe penalties and could be investigated as criminal offenses. Nature is sacred – please treat it with respect.

Visitors of Darkshire should be aware of our community and its values. Treat others with respect regardless of gender, age, origin, religion or sexual orientation. Any kind of harassment or discrimination won’t be tolerated. Please contact members of our security if you have any issues.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information. We look forward to enjoying a wonderful event with you!

Visitors of Darkshire should be aware of our community and its values. Treat others with respect regardless of gender, age, origin, religion or sexual orientation. Any kind of harassment or discrimination won’t be tolerated. Please contact members of our security if you have any issues.

Thank you and see you soon!

Contact

If you have any questions, just reach us via info@darkshire.cz, Instagram or Facebook messages.

Darkshire Boat 12. 7. 2025

Info regarding Darkshire boat will be publish two weeks before the event.

Opening times:
Boarding: 16:00 – 16:45
Event: 17:00 – 21:45
Disembarkation: 21:45 – 22:00

Darkshire Festival In The Valley 29. – 31. 8. 2025

General Sale will be available through GoOut on 20. 5. 2025 at 15:00 CEST. We offer festival passes, car camp & tent spot tickets, caravan spots and acommodation in cabins. More info regarding Darkshire Festival In The Valley will be published in the upcoming weeks.