Chicago 2025

Group photo of the Ištvánci band at the Moravian Day Festival

Since then, it has become the largest celebration of Czech, Moravian, and Slovak culture in the USA. It takes place annually at the Lithuanian World Center in Lemont and is part of the broader Czech Heritage Week program. The festival celebrates our roots – from brass music to folk costumes to homemade specialties. And being a part of it meant a lot to us.

A Welcome Like Home

We were looking forward to meeting our compatriots perhaps the most. We already knew many of them from Strážnice, where they participated in the International Folklore Festival (MFF) in June 2025. Back then, they performed in the program "Our People Abroad," which was dedicated to expatriate ensembles from the USA. It was touching to see how strongly these people, often born in America, are connected to Czech and Moravian culture. They shared traditions with us that their ancestors brought across the ocean more than a century ago – and which they proudly preserve to this day.

Thanks to this meeting, we knew a warm welcome awaited us in Chicago – and that's exactly how it was.

United Moravian Societies logo at the club entrance

Right from the start, we felt like we weren't playing for a foreign audience, but for friends. They sang along with us, applauded, laughed – and what touched us the most, they chose songs from our CDs and learned to sing them in Czech. That was a truly powerful moment for us that we won't forget anytime soon.

Czechs Across the Ocean

Meeting with compatriots was not only touching but also enriching. We talked to people who left for America decades ago and stayed. We shared memories of their native villages – whether it was Ježov, Dubňany, Dolní Bojanovice, Vacenovice, Napajedla, Kunovice, and others – and together we reminisced about how those places have changed since their departure.

Visit to the T. G. Masaryk Czech School in Chicago

It was created on the initiative of Czech immigrants who wanted to preserve the language and culture of their homeland even in their new home. Today, the school is a modern center of education and culture, offering language courses for children and adults, teaching Czech history, culture, and even traditional cooking and baking.

Thanks to the support of the Czech government, a pedagogue sent from the Czech Republic works here, and teaching takes place using textbooks and materials directly from Czechia. The school has thus become a place where generations meet – from small children to seniors – and where the Czech language and Moravian traditions are passed on. The building also houses the Museum of Czechoslovak Heritage, and besides teaching, cultural events, lectures, and meetings of the compatriot community take place here. It was inspiring to see how strongly the local people care for their roots and how actively they participate in maintaining Czech and Moravian identity even across the ocean.

A City That Charmed Us

Chicago completely amazed us. For many of us, it was the first glimpse of skyscrapers, busy streets, and the iconic Lake Michigan. We were accommodated in the premises of the Czech Catholic Mission of St. Cyril and Methodius, located in Brookfield. This mission is not only a spiritual center for the Czech community but also a place where cultural and social events, language classes, senior meetings, film screenings, and traditional Czech lunches after Sunday masses take place.

Church of the Czech Catholic Mission Velehrad in Brookfield

The mission complex consists of a church, a rectory, and a spacious garden with a playground. The buildings house classrooms, clubrooms, a library, a kitchen, social spaces, and facilities for visitors and guests. The entire complex is the result of the enormous dedication and self-sacrifice of local believers and volunteers who devoted hundreds of hours of work and considerable financial resources to its restoration.

Rehearsal at the Czech Catholic Mission in Brookfield

Walk through downtown Chicago

Chicago skyscraper panorama

Thanks to them, we enjoyed our stay not only on stage but also off it. Among the biggest experiences were a visit to a baseball game, a museum of vintage cars, or the famous United Center – the largest NBA arena and the second largest in the NHL, home to the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks. This is where the legendary Michael Jordan played, whose iconic statue stands in the adjacent atrium today, as well as Stan Mikita, a hockey legend of Slovak origin, whose statue adorns the space in front of the arena.

By the statue of Michael Jordan

Elevated train in Chicago

We also visited the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower), which rises to a height of 442 meters and was the tallest building in the world for nearly a quarter of a century. The Skydeck observation deck, the highest in the USA, offered us a breathtaking view of all of Chicago and Lake Michigan. For many of us, it was one of the strongest moments of the entire stay.

View from Willis Tower

An unforgettable experience was also a short boat ride on the Chicago River, which offered us a unique view of the city from the water level. The cruise along the river, lined with iconic skyscrapers, allowed us to admire architectural gems from a completely different perspective. Even though we didn't take the full architectural cruise, even the short ride was a refreshing and inspiring experience.

River cruise among skyscrapers

We also visited the house from the movie Home Alone, which we knew from childhood, rode in an iconic Ford Mustang and a futuristic Tesla Cybertruck. We saw a museum with famous American cars, some of which were props in well-known Hollywood movies. And we also visited the famous Buckingham Fountain, known from the opening theme of the series "Married... with Children".

Buckingham Fountain

A stop at one of the city's biggest attractions was not missing either – Cloud Gate, known more as "The Bean". This monumental stainless steel sculpture in Millennium Park weighs 100 tons, measures 10 meters in height and 20 meters in length. Its mirror surface reflects the skyline and sky, offering fascinating views from the outside and inside. You can walk under its arch, hide from the rain, or just enjoy optical illusions that resemble a mirror maze.

Famous Cloud Gate or 'The Bean'

And we must not forget the visit to the well-known American fast food Hooters, where we improvised a birthday celebration for our artistic director Marek Rapáč – with laughter and an unforgettable atmosphere. These moments will remain in our memories forever.

Celebration at Hooters

Experience blues right in the famous Kingston Mines club? It was founded back in 1968 and is the largest and oldest continuously operating blues club in Chicago.

Kingston Mines Blues Club Chicago

And what kind of visit to the USA would it be if we didn't get to see a popular sport there. We went to a Chicago White Sox baseball game.

Ištvánci at baseball with the later competition winner

Our Performance at the Moravian Day Festival

The official performance of the Ištvánci band took place during the Saturday and Sunday program of the festival. At both events, we played for dancing and alternated with other performers who brought diverse musical genres to the program. On Saturday, it was Jarek Filgas, a former member of the band Argema and Jana Vox Band, who brought energy and a rock touch with his performance.

Sunday festive mass

Meeting with the Consul General in Chicago - Mgr. Jakub Utěšený