Mighty Sounds 2026: Four kilometers of piping, six pumping stations, and nearly 40 degrees Celsius

Čápův Dvůr Airport in Tábor. Five stages, over 120 performers, and water management infrastructure that none of the visitors see—but without which the festival couldn’t function.

At the start of the week, Čápův Dvůr Airport was empty. No music, no crowds—just a team, equipment, and a plan that needed to be carried out. By Thursday evening, thousands of people were already streaming through the venue.

Mighty Sounds has been held since 2005 and, over the past two decades, has established itself as the largest punk and ska festival of its kind in Central Europe. Every year, it takes over the Tábor airport grounds for three days—five stages, over 120 performers, and visitors from all over Europe. For Water Worx, this meant providing a complete temporary water management infrastructure: from the first day of installation through the final dismantling.

The Airport as a Venue: Limited Permanent Infrastructure Connections

Airports have their own unique characteristics. An open area with limited fixed infrastructure means that, unlike urban events, it is not as easy to connect to the existing network. Every pipeline route, every water intake point, and every pumping station is planned from scratch—taking into account the layout of stages, campsites, booths, and restroom facilities.

The total length of drinking water and wastewater distribution lines across the site reached 4 kilometers of piping. Water pressure and distribution are ensured by connecting to a fire hydrant or, where necessary, by pumps. Wastewater disposal over long distances was handled by six pumping stations—one of which was high-capacity.

Wastewater Disposal Without Septic Tank Trucks

One of the key challenges of any large-scale event is wastewater disposal. At Mighty Sounds 2026, we took a direct connection to the sewer system located 1,200 meters from the venue. Six pumping stations, including one high-capacity station, helped bridge this distance and ensure smooth wastewater disposal throughout the festival. While a remote connection places higher demands on the installation and sizing of the system, the result is a cleaner and more operationally reliable solution. No vehicles driving around the premises and no risk of overfilling the bins. Furthermore, it is an environmentally friendly and, in many cases, more economical option.

40 degrees and drinking fountains with built-in filtration

That weekend brought one of the hottest heat waves of the summer. Temperatures at the site exceeded 40 °C, and it is precisely under such conditions that drinking water consumption rises significantly above standard projections.

To ensure that every visitor could refill their bottle for free, drinking fountains with built-in filtration were placed throughout the venue. They operated continuously throughout the festival. In extreme temperatures, free access to drinking water isn’t just a matter of comfort—it’s a matter of safety.

We’re the first to arrive, the last to leave

Visitors enjoyed three days of the festival. The Water Worx team was on site for much longer—setup took place several days before the event began, and takedown continued for several days after it ended.

Network design is always based on the maximum possible load, not the average. When will the line at the water station be longest? Which sections of the network will bear the heaviest load? Where is there a risk of drainage failure? These questions are answered during the design phase—not when the system fails.

Result: The network operated without any outages throughout the entire festival, despite record-breaking temperatures.

Key Outputs

• 4 km of drinking water and wastewater pipelines across the site

• 6 pumping stations, including one high-capacity station, ensuring wastewater discharge over a distance of 1,200 m

• Direct connection to the sewer system—no holding tanks, no sewage trucks

• Drinking fountains with integrated filtration, free of charge for all visitors

• Nonstop service throughout the festival

• Uninterrupted operation even at temperatures exceeding 40 °C

Are you planning a festival or a large event and need to figure out the water management infrastructure?

Get in touch with us → waterworx.cz/en/contact