"No longer possible to sustain the free format." The Tutaka Festival will charge an entrance fee for the first time

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How much do entrance and accommodation cost?

Representatives of the team announced the dates of the next event on their Facebook page. The festival will take place from July 16 to July 19, 2026. For the first time, access to the territory will require payment.

• Children up to six years old inclusive do not need a ticket; camping accommodation is also free for them.
• For children aged 7 to 13, a ticket will cost 30 PLN (about 7 euros), and a spot in the campsite will cost another 50 PLN (about 11.5 euros). The total amount will be 80 PLN (about 18.5 euros).
• For youth (14–24 years old), a ticket is sold for 80 PLN (about 18.5 euros). Accommodation will cost 100 PLN (about 23.3 euros). The total for all days will be 180 PLN (about 41.8 euros).
• Adult visitors (25–63 years old) must pay 150 PLN (about 35 euros) for entrance. If they wish to pitch a tent, the cost will increase to 250 PLN (about 58.3 euros).
• People over 64 years old will pay 100 PLN for the musical part and the same for outdoor recreation (total 200 PLN (about 46.6 euros).

Why was payment introduced?

Pavel Stankevich, director of the Tutaka Foundation, explained to "Zerkalo" the reasons for abandoning free entry. According to him, the initiative requires a different approach due to its scale.

"The festival has grown, which means it's simply no longer possible to sustain the free format," Stankevich explains. "But on the other hand, it's also part of a process. We want to create the festival together with the audience. And we consider this ticket a public contribution. Because the festival is three days of various other events: concerts, discussions, lectures. The cost is symbolic. If you take any other festival of similar scale, it turns out that the price of one concert is comparable to the amount a person spends for an evening in the city."

Pavel Stankevich also says that in previous years, the free Tutaka festival heavily depended on sponsors. They are still present this year, but to achieve greater financial stability, it was decided to introduce an entrance fee.

"Every year we improve the conditions of the festival itself and the life at it, and this incurs huge expenses," says Stankevich. "It has happened to us before that suddenly one of the donors disappeared, and what should we do then? And how to develop at all? The festival is five years old, and every year we have managed it under very difficult conditions. I won't say that now, because of the tickets, it will be much easier for us, but this is an opportunity to truly develop the festival further. To make it even more interesting and convenient for people."

Answering a question about the participants of Tutaka 2026, Stankevich noted that the list of performers would be published later.

"For now, we're keeping it a secret. But we already know there will be at least six Belarusian bands. Now calculate how much a ticket for each separately would cost, and look at the entrance price for Tutaka," the organizer suggests. "It's important to understand that this is not just a music festival. In previous years, there were three times more other activities than concerts. And it is important for us that the festival truly serves as an occasion for Belarusian society (and not only – we also invite Poles) to develop in understanding its responsibility for the state, future, and culture."

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