About Park 360

The Czech Republic produced 39 million tonnes of waste in 2022, which is an average of 3 643 kg per capita (source Czech Statistical Office). And this is certainly not an insignificant volume! We believe that the best waste is no waste. That is why we have developed our own hierarchy of waste management methods. We prevent waste, for example by applying the principles of the circular economy. Some materials do not become waste because we find them new uses. Such as barrels, pallets or shipping containers. For more information on the use of second-hand resources, see the Materials section. We have our own reusable cups that we offer to event organisers so they then don’t have to resort to disposable solutions. In cooperation with Hradecké služby (thank you!) we have focused on sorting a wider range of waste. We currently distinguish seventeen types. At events in the area you will most often encounter plastic (or separately PET bottles as at Rock for People festival), metals and cans, paper, mixed waste and sometimes even biodegradable waste. Other waste is consistently separated in the backstage. We also separate glass, beverage cartons, metals, paper cartons and boxes, or wood. We also focus on textiles, hazardous waste and electrical waste.   But it doesn’t end with container collection. We follow the path of waste to its final recovery. Do you want to know what happens next? Plastic -> handed over to Hradecké služby -> sorting according to types -> then production of recycled products or building materials. Such plastics include for example candy wrappers, potato chips bags, PET bottle caps. Unfortunately, some of the plastics cannot be recycled and end up as solid alternative fuel in cement plants, or in the worst case without further use in landfills. That is why we want to further reduce our plastic footprint in the future. PET bottles -> separate them from the rest of the plastics -> hand them over to Hradecké služby -> recycled PET is produced (e.g. fleece, fibres for sleeping bags, new bottles). Metals/tins are handed over to Hradecké služby -> a new tin can is created at the recycling operator. Paper -> we hand it over to Hradecké služby, where it is cleaned, pressed -> then processed in paper mills. Bio-waste and compostable tableware -> we separate them -> we hand them over to the composting plant, which is also located on the premises of Hradec Králové Airport -> it produces very high quality compost -> we use it for planting of greenery on the premises. Note: only plant residues (not meat, eggs, dairy products) belong to the bio-waste. Bio-waste management is a great example of circularity of material in practice. Gastro-waste -> we send it to the biogas plant in Rybitví near Pardubice -> here it is used to produce heat and electricity. Gastro waste is collected from refreshment vendors. Glass -> we hand it over to Hradecké služby for processing -> the recycling processor produces impurities in the new glass.

We aim for energy self-sufficiency by 2030. At the Rock for People festival, we (the same team behind the management of Park 360 is behind the festival) have already tried out different energy sources. For example, one of the stages was powered by solar panels. In 2021, Rock for People saw a world premiere – for the very first time, one of the stages at a music festival was powered by a hydrogen generator. In 2023, we replaced the original lightning on the hangars and lamps in the venue with LED lighting. It is more energy efficient, allowing us to reduce overall energy consumption and generate savings. We also added switches to the lighting to control the lighting based on the ambient light levels. In the future, we want to give space to renewable energy sources (RES). We are fans of innovation and community energy.

Water is an important resource, so we strive to both prevent waste and conserve it. At Rock for People festival, we have tested a system that returns water from showers back into circulation and uses it to flush toilets. We are currently working on a project that would allow us to efficiently capture rainwater and then use it for flushing or watering the greenery.

We support shared, public and low-emission transport. You can come to Park 360 by bike, train or bus and use public transport in Hradec Králové. Of course, we’re prepared for cars too –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ideally if you arrive in a packed car. We are establishing local partnerships and looking for regional suppliers to reduce mileage. And thus our carbon footprint.

Genius loci. Atmosphere. Cosy corners. Original decoration. Unusual realization. In short, Park 360 is a work of art, a place for relaxation, great photos and meetings. We issued a challenge to ourselves – to work as much as possible with materials we already have or that someone else considered waste and threw away. Pallets are our favourite material. We use pieces that no one else wanted or found no original use in logistics due to damage. They still serve us in many ways. For example, we have used them for seating or a navigation system. Who are the globetrotters who finally docked in Hradec Králové? The shipping containers that crisscrossed the world. We use them as a bar, a café, a campsite reception, a bicycle storage room or even a mobile phone charging station. And we’ve adapted one such second-hand container for wheelchair accessible showers and toilets. You can find out more about how we are breaking down barriers in the Accessibility section. The venue is decorated with a gate made of leftover wood. We also use the scraps and wood residues for navigation signs, elsewhere as protection for waste bins or as design elements in the grounds. Metal barrels are a perfect example of circularity. We filled them with compost from a nearby composting plant (thanks to Hradecké služby) and planted them with greenery. For example, a main Rock for People festival entrance inspired by the equalizer was built from discarded water barrels several years ago. Thanks to lighting effects, it creates a backdrop and atmosphere on the stages now. Festoons with colourful flags have become an unmissable decoration of the grounds fluttering in the wind. They are made from leftover fabrics from swimwear production. We also use and reuse OSB boards, chipboard, planks, sheets and other leftover material. But the absolute best is the waste that is not generated at all. You can find out how we manage and prevent waste in the Waste section.

Love goes through the stomach. Even love for our planet. That’s why we try to take a respectful approach to people, animals and nature at the events we organize or when arranging with other organizers. In addition to variety, quality of ingredients and great service, other key parameters such as reducing carbon footprint or organic quality are increasingly entering into our selection process. At the same time, sustainability and the gradual transition to a zero-waste model are in consideration. It won’t happen right away, but we have a goal, plans and we’d love to share them with you! What are we aiming for in the events we are organising? We are expanding our meat-free and plant-based food offerings. We are increasing the proportion of local suppliers from the region. We prefer Czech ingredients to imported ones. Drinks come in reusable cups, food in compostable dishes. We distinguish seventeen types of waste within the premises. Including gastro-waste and bio-waste. Find out more in the Waste section. We have established cooperation with gastro operators from Hradec Králové and region. We have also approached growers, farmers, fruit growers and breeders from the region to gradually minimize the transport of raw materials and food. We want to support Czech producers. So we prefer carrots to mangoes. We prefer Czech pigs to Argentine bulls. Rapeseed oil over palm oil from plantations in Indonesia. Every food and raw material leaves a carbon footprint – when it is grown, raised, processed, stored, transported, distributed… That is why we have developed a pyramid of preferred raw materials and foods, which takes into account not only the difficulty of production, but also the distance from the place of production and the regime in which it is grown/kept (organic, fairtrade). The days of disposable plastics are over. They are banned in the Czech Republic and the EU (straws, cutlery, cups…). That is why we use compostable utensils, which we then pass on to a nearby composting plant.

When managing and maintaining the site, we strive to find solutions that are friendly to nature and people. This applies, for example, to cleaning and washing products. Thanks to our partnership with Tierra Verde, we clean without unnecessary chemicals. Eco products help us wash, launder, clean, polish, disinfect and also care for visitors in many areas of the site. We use it from cleaning toilets and showers to washing sheets and hand soaps or shower gels in the washrooms. As we need cleaning products all year round, we are pre-stocked with large packages and cans. This also saves packaging materials and mileage.

We are making Park 360 greener! Thanks to a partnership with PlayStation, a 1 hectare park has been created on the site. It is called Playstation Park Horizon and is decorated with over 60 pre-grown trees and an equal number of shrubs. There are maples, beeches, cranes, birches, plane trees, sink trees and many other species. Together they help create a microclimate, retain moisture, prevent soil and wind erosion, and provide shade and shelter for birds and insects. The plantings are part of the campground area. Insects are welcome in Park 360! You can see small wooden houses with many hiding places of cavities, quirky nooks and crannies. These are our hotels for insects. Don’t worry, we’re not crazy. Insects aren’t just pesky mosquitoes or flies. They’re also solitary bees, bumblebees, ladybirds, beneficial beetles and other critters that nature and we can’t live without. In recent years, members of the insect kingdom have slowly but surely become homeless. The habitats where they could live and breed are rapidly disappearing from the landscape. Here and there we spray them with a pesticide, elsewhere we turn the varied landscape into meadows of monocultures. That’s why insects are disappearing at a frightening rate, with scientists saying that ¾ of insects have disappeared in the last 30 years. We welcome beneficial insects and provide free accommodation for them. We know we will get a rich return!

Our goal is to open Park 360 to everyone regardless of age, gender, religion or disability. We strive to systematically and effectively break down barriers, which is why we cooperate with organisations such as the Czech Association of Paraplegics, the Prague Wheelchair Sports Club and the Czech National Disability Council. Accessible parking is a matter of course. We have also equipment (ramps, walkways) made of recycled plastic that allows us to make the grounds, hangars and other corners of Park 360 accessible. We have over a decade of experience making the Rock for People festival accessible – we can provide everything from parking to elevated platforms for better views to the stage or providing space to relax or recharge a electric wheelchair. We’ve also adapted a second hand container into two wheelchair accessible showers with toilets and fitted it with euro locks. The container is thus also available when the venue is rented (festivals, corporate events, etc.).