On Friday, September 4th, 2007, gates of the military barracks opened after a long time. They welcomed wide public to witness the start of a month-long festival MOONRIDE. Military quarters had been subjected to a partial reconstruction, and the atmosphere of the event helped to pacify the anxious souls, which still held the memory of mandatory military service in mind. Among the things, which undoubtedly communicated with the visitors right at the entry, was the military brass band. Vibrant music filled the court yard of the barracks and attracted attention to the activities past the entry gate. After some waiting and appreciating the installed exhibits within the international workshop dedicated to spatial graphic art, the moment for the right light came – or better said for the dark and a voice from the megaphone – to announce the beginning of a theatre performance. Street theater from Poland TEATR A and their performance Genesis, a piece of genuine art, opened the evening. It was a spectacular audiovisual experience, underscored by excellent acting, impressive music and lighting. TEATR A used these tools skillfully to portray the first 9 parts of the Book of Genesis. Vivid light of burning flames, movable props, costumes and movement expressions of the actors narrated the story of creation – starting with banning from Eden, all the way to the Great Flood. The performance was interlaced with images projected onto a screen alongside the stage. The actors walking on stilts left an astounding and monumental impression. The applause at the end of the performance was well deserved – and i think it resonated in our minds well after. A voice from the megaphone invited the spectators to move on to another performance in the rear parts of the quarters. DIVADLO NA PERÓNE drew us into its performance named Waiting, and developed the plot and lives of three people waiting for a train. An official opening of the festival, which, as the title indicated, was to last for a month, followed the performance.

Mr. Mayor František Knapík introduced the event and handed the microphone over to Mr. Marek Kolarčík, project team manager, and Mr. Peter Radkoff, festival's director. Mrs. Zora Jaurová, festival's warrantor, concluded the series of speeches. Mrs. Magda Vášaryová took the role of festival's godmother , but she unfortunately could not attend the opening personally. She however addressed the visitors of the festival by letter.

After the opening, we could witness a fight – not a real one, but nonetheless a very impressive one – by the historical group SARUTS. Throughout the program, the "muse" of the festival was present everywhere and always – be it in feathers blown in the wind, or in a pervasive sound of a bell. I would not dare to omit to comment on a predominantly Roma nu-jazz band GULO ČAR from the Czech Republic, which had a memorable performance. Energetic and dynamic music was flowing from the stage onto the dancing spectators, and merging into a brilliant symbiosis with the singing of Irena Horváthová. They offered a mixture of music, which could compete in its energy with a small atomic plant.

The festival also hosted an exhibition named EAST OF EDEN, which chiefly aimed to present a distinctive phenomenon in Slovak modern art by fresh graduates of the Department of fine art at FUTU in Košice. Students of architecture at the Faculty of Arts in Košice presented their vision in another part of the exhibition called 2nd decade of the 3rd millennium.

You might ask about the launch of the MOONRIDE festival. Those who were there can only attest to the words of this article. Those who did not make it missed an amazing cultural and artistic experience, which shook the grounds of the former military barracks on September 14th, 2007 and opened a monthly ride in style and charm.