In recent days, České Budějovice 2028 launched a call for proposals as part of the SOUTH SPECIFIC 2028 festival.

South Specific is a theater biennial that brings unusual performances to unusual places throughout South Bohemia. Instead of traditional venues, performances take place in city streets, in the countryside, on village squares, in industrial buildings and in places we normally pass by unnoticed. The festival connects contemporary theatre with the spirit of the region, its history and atmosphere. Each performance is tailored to a specific location and often counts on the active participation of the audience. Thanks to international collaborations and strong local roots, the South Specific festival brings theater to the Czech Republic that is both an experience and an encounter.

It is a celebration of the region's uniqueness, openness and creative energy –  a festival that turns South Bohemia into a stage worth visiting. After a successful pilot year in 2024, which attracted more than 20,000 spectators, the first official year of the South Specific festival will take place in the summer of 2026. Budweis 2028 will transform South Bohemia into a stage — the largest project of the South Bohemian Theatre, that will offer over forty exceptional productions connected to the genius loci of the region. Each performance takes place in an environment that creates its own stage set – whether it is historical sites, nature or spaces where theatre is not typically found.

The Open Call

The South Specific Festival is a unique theater festival that focuses on immersive and site-specific projects, connecting live art forms with unusual locations in the South Bohemian region. The festival is organized by the South Bohemian Theater with the support of the city of České Budějovice and České Budějovice – European Capital of Culture 2028.

In 2028, it will present an international program, for which it is now announcing an open call. The open call is intended for professional foreign teams or individuals, or for international co-productions. In April 2026, a second open call will be announced, which will be intended only for ensembles from the Czech Republic.

The festival's concept builds on the values and long-term strategy of the České Budějovice – European Capital of Culture 2028 project, with which it shares the ambition to strengthen the cultural scene in the region, make it accessible to new audiences, open a dialogue with foreign countries, develop long-term domestic and international cooperation, and thus bring new opportunities for cooperation to the cultural scene in South Bohemia. This document describes the conditions of the first public call for the Jižní Svéráz 2028 festival. The call was announced on December 18, 2025. The application period ends on February 26, 2026 (11:59 p.m. CET).

The number of projects supported and the total amount of support allocated under the first public call for the South Specific Festival 2028 are not fixed in advance but are flexible depending on the applications received and their quality. The organizer reserves the right to change the call before the deadline for submitting applications. The organizer will always announce any changes on its website and in this document.

The aim of the call is to enrich the cultural program in South Bohemia (Czech Republic) in 2028 with foreign productions, to introduce high-quality European site-specific and immersive theater productions, and to spread artistic projects beyond traditional cultural centers in line with the objectives and strategy of České Budějovice – European Capital of Culture 2028.

The call gives international artistic teams the opportunity to become part of the official ECoC 2028 program.

The open call is intended for professional artistic teams that will create a new site-specific and/or immersive work in České Budějovice or anywhere in the South Bohemian Region (Czech Republic). Teams from the Czech Republic are eligible to apply if they have at least one foreign co-production partner, as are teams from around the world, which may participate independently or with other co-production partners.

The call is open to applicants from the fields of theater, dance, music, new circus, audiovisual production, visual installations, happenings, new technologies, and other forms of performing arts.

Applicants undertake to prepare their projects so that they can be premiered between May and September 2028 in the South Bohemian Region (Czech Republic). The applicant is requested to provide precise details of the project location in advance, particularly with regard to the type of space (indoor, outdoor, open air, multiple rooms, complex, etc.), its condition and originality, the possibility of exclusive use (enclosed space, shared space), safety, available infrastructure, capacity and frequency of use, the character of the surrounding landscape, the possibility of modifications and technical equipment, facilities for creative work, and any operational facilities. If applicable, the exact location can be provided if it has already been selected and preferred by the team.

You can find more detailed information here.