Brutal Assault: How does it compare to UK festivals?

Brutal Assault: How does it compare to UK festivals?

Words: Oli Gonzalez

“You’re gonna love the fortress!”
“Brutal Assault just puts our festivals here in the UK to shame”
“You’ll never want to go to another festival again after Brutal Assault”

Just a few words from friends about the infamous Brutal Assault (BA) festival. Taking place inside Josefov Fortress, Czechia, fans from across the world flock here every August not just for its mouth watering lineup but for the reported unparalleled festival experience on offer too! With a lineup featuring the likes of Wardruna, Primus, Body Count, Amenra (just to name a very select few) you can understand why. Still, like many Brits, my summer is often spent at Arctangent, Bloodstock, or both. Not this year though as 2026 saw my passport getting a new stamp for my first ever trip to Czechia and BA. So, how would BA compare to those other fantastic festivals in the UK? Had the bar and my expectations been set too high, or has BA really raised the standard for UK festivals to follow?

To answer this, we’ll examine everything about the festival experience – the campsite, the fortress itself, food and beverage options – as well as the value for money before wrapping this all up. As well as the bands too! First though, let’s talk about the nation’s capital…

A World Class City?

Many festival attendees decide to spend a day or two in Prague prior to or after heading to Josefov. I was one of those plodding around the historic cobbled streets sporting my black band t-shirt armour on the Sunday and Monday before BA. With an endless choice of bars, restaurants, and night life in a vibrant cosmopolitan city, you’ll never be bored here! If that’s not your thing, a visit to Prague Castle should be done or just exploring the city and marveling at the glorious architecture. For Brits, your money goes pretty far given the favourable exchange rate too. Add to this a ridiculously efficient public transport system and we’re onto a winner. So, if you’re considering coming to BA, a quick stop in Prague is highly advisable and for me, had already made the journey feel worth it even before the festival had begun!

Brutal Express Banter and Campsite Chaos

Getting to BA seemed a little daunting at first, but in retrospect it was so simple! Especially with the Brutal Express train option! Being sat on a camping chair in the middle of that train drinking beer and rum with some new Eastern European friends whilst listening to Asesino wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned. But it was awesome! Whilst it’s more expensive than other domestic options, it’s a rights of passage and should be done for first timers. Especially those who are anxious about travelling to the festival grounds for the first time (like me), providing an unofficial meet and greet.

Though navigating to and finding my way to Dagon campsite was a little more difficult than it needed to be, amplified by carrying a week’s worth of camping supplies in heat well north of 35°c. Some staff and/or volunteers seemed to be unsure on how and where to direct confused festival goers, so perhaps there’s a knowledge gap that needs to be addressed there. Or having some visual aids, road signs, and arrows would help, especially with many different languages being spoken here. In either case, once the bags were thrown into the tent, it was time to decompress and reflect. It seems like there’s a learning curve and a bit of research prior to this should have been done by myself. Still, the pre-pitched tent option was a wise choice; who really wants to be pitching tents up in near 40c heat after all? Also, with the unlimited access to showers and flushing toilets, and shaded areas from the trees and fortress walls, this is something I hadn’t seen in the UK before. The small things that made a huge difference as the festival progressed. As well as having friendly neighbours. First timers or those who like their sleep, definitely consider a prepitched tent in Dagon.

To wrap this section up, BA does some things better than the UK festivals I’ve attended, whilst offering valuable services we have here. Making the camp sites easier to find would be greatly appreciated as this seems so much easier in the UK.

Pre-show Antics, Arena Layout & Billing Ballaches

Festivals constantly walk a tight rope of offering a pre-show of bands that feels like it should be worth coming to, but not so stacked that it feels like you’re burning yourself out on day one! BA balanced smaller, up and coming acts on the Obscure stage (as well as the Keep Ambient Lodge, KAL, stage) alongside some larger established international heavyweights up on top of the bill (Filth, Ahab, and Sarcofago played by The Laws; more details coming later). This gave plenty of time for socialising and settling in without feeling guilty nor experiencing FOMO. The way a pre-show should be. Some in the UK have done it better, some have been worse. A solid effort from BA.

Whilst the arena layout may have been confusing on the map, it was very simple to navigate here, taking advantage of the fortress’s blueprint and design. The music took place across five stages. The KAL being one of the smaller stages for experimental music, the Octagon also being on the smaller end, the Obscure being the unofficial third stage hosting local acts and huge international heavyweights, and then the main stages. Main stages, plural. With the Sea Shepherd and Marshall stages being side by side, this meant minimal changes between bands, allowing you to catch many sets in a short space of time! Utilising these five stages has given BA the opportunity to curate a line up that’s the envy of festival bookers globally! However, with such a stacked lineup creates problems. Clashes! Whilst it’s inevitable, some painful choices had to be made. Also, bands like Der Weg Einer Freiheit and Conjurer felt far too small for the tiny Octagon stage (maybe 300 people maximum?) whilst social media has pointed to the likes of Vader and Deicide playing on the Obscure stage as being a booking disaster. What felt particularly painful was having some bands playing very late into the night, well beyond midnight in some instances. Whilst you can’t please everybody, it does make you question why you should part with your money for a ticket knowing that you can’t see every single band. Add to this problem, the weather.

There’s only so much the festival can do to protect their customers from near 40c heat; and they did a lot. Water fountains were readily available to stay hydrated, whilst a fire engine came by periodically to soak the sacred festival grounds or anybody who needed to cool down (seeing people follow the fire engine like kids following the Pied Piper was a site to behold). Have you ever seen that in the UK? Using Lemmy’s Bar as an example, this illustrates how BA have best leveraged the fortress system of tunnels and cellars to create a naturally cool shaded area and protection from the elements. Playing cards in here over a beer served in a glass (yep, in a glass – how many UK festivals would do that?) was necessary.

Though in the mid-afternoon, when the big lamp in the sky was at its most fierce, it was almost impossible to watch any bands. The primary reason many were here. Looking around the fortress, it felt as though they could use the walls as leverage to erect canopies and shaded areas to make things a little easier (probably A LOT easier said than done though). That’s why feelings of homesickness came about when thinking of watching bands in either the Yokhai tent at Arctangent and Bloodstock’s Sophie tent and feeling less of a victim to the mercy of the sun (wouldn’t that sound like a cool death metal album title?).

Now something many of us aging metal heads can relate to; the pain of standing all day. Knowing that bringing your own chairs into the arena was daunting. Though BA provided plenty of seated areas, some shaded too. As well as providing one of the festival’s unique selling points; the Natural Stand. Available for an extra fee, this meant having somewhere to sit whilst watching bands from an aerial view, which paid for itself later on! Highly recommended.

To wrap this up, BA has well and truly leveraged the unique advantages Josefov Fortress offers, though it feels like there’s still some areas for improvement. If you have the stamina to go late into the night and catch multiple multiple bands, then you’ll love BA. If not, staying in the UK may be better.

Food & Drink; Is It REALLY that cheap?

Maybe a few myths about paying 1990s prices for a beer had been generated. Still, BA is VERY competitive and affordable. Most beers would set you back 90czk (roughly £3), a bit less for a cola, whilst you could comfortably find a solid meal for 300ckz (roughly £10.50). So less than you’d pay at most UK festivals. What cannot be debated is the sheer quantity of options available. As well as your standard burgers and pizzas, you could dip your toes into local Czech cuisine, oriental dishes, as well as Mexican, Chilean, and even Egyptian food traders, literally spread across multiple streets, including the vegan cruelty free street! And fries, of course. It made BA seem more like a food festival at times, making it feel untouchable in terms of quality and overall value!

For Brits, be aware of the cup deposit scheme which seems commonplace in Europe but not here. Essentially, if you don’t have a cup, they’ll charge you extra to ‘rent’ one. Bring that back to the bar for your next drink, or either take it to a dedicated stand to get a refund, or keep it as a souvenir. The side effect of this is a much cleaner festival; I mean who really enjoys being stood ankle deep in plastic cups ?

To be honest, I was a little skeptical about the cashless payments via a chip in your wristband. But with people coming from all over the world, managing all these currencies would be an admin nightmare. The cashless system was a breeze and made things so simple! Add this to the sheer value and quality of options, and it’s clear that UK festivals cannot compete with what BA has to offer!

Wrapup and Verdict

So, the big question; how does Brutal Assault compare to UK festivals? Is it really better?

Without sounding like a copout, it really is a question without an answer as it’s as multifaceted as it is complex to answer. What can be said is that BA provides a one of a kind experience that leverages the almost unfair advantage it has with the unique structural properties of Josefov Fortress. Whilst some work can be done to optimise the campsite layout and in making the arena more comfortable in extreme heat, they seem like people who genuinely care and will not only accept feedback but will actively seek and act on it (plus they already did a lot to help with this, it should be said). Whilst offering an insanely deep and stacked lineup, it felt too much like a test of mental and physical endurance at times. Though the value for money and bang for your buck cannot be understated, especially as far as food and drink goes, or the band lineup itself.

With this being said, here’s my two cents on the subject. There’s no festival experience quite like BA. This must be experienced by all metalheads at least once in their lifetime.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.