When and where was Festival na Hrádku 2026?

On Sunday 20 September 2026 in the Hrádok forest park by the observatory in Michalovce. It was the third edition of the regional astronomy festival, organised by Krajská hvezdáreň a Zemplínske kultúrne centrum with Košický samosprávny kraj.

Can a humanoid robot perform outdoors in a park?

Yes, if the surface is level and firm and it is not raining. We walk the route in advance, avoid steep slopes and loose gravel, and in hot weather we plan breaks in the shade. The robot is supervised by an operator the whole time.

Is the robot safe around children?

The robot is always controlled by our operator, who keeps a safe distance from people and stops its movement immediately if needed. Children can take a photo with the robot and shake its hand, but it is never left unattended.

How much does a robot for a festival cost?

We price it according to the length of the programme, the venue and the script. For a multi-day rental, the MONTARI humanoid robot starts at 1 000 € per day with an operator, excluding VAT. We price a one-day event and transport in a quote within 24 hours.

Humanoid robot at Festival na Hrádku in Michalovce

On Sunday 20 September 2026, the Hrádok forest park in Michalovce turned into a space station. Krajská hvezdáreň a Zemplínske kultúrne centrum (the regional observatory and Zemplín cultural centre), together with Košický samosprávny kraj (the Košice Self-Governing Region), organised the third Festival na Hrádku, the only astronomy festival in the Košice region. Among the planets, the telescopes and the first Slovak cosmonaut, our humanoid robot was also making its way around the grounds.

A festival where you can get hold of space

Festival na Hrádku is a family event held at the observatory in Michalovce. This year the programme was opened by Ivan Bella, the first Slovak cosmonaut. It was followed by the puppet show Čert a Káča, an AstroKvíz quiz with Gregor Mareš, the Robot Bobot programme for children and a concert by the band Sám sebou. Alongside the main stage there was a planetary trail, solar observation in the observatory dome, a planetarium programme and giant 3D models of the Moon, the Earth and Mars.

Children followed a Journey through the Solar System, with stations such as a zip line ride, a meteorite hunt and black holes, and received a reward for completing them all. A humanoid robot fits naturally into a programme like this: it is a piece of the future you can see up close.

What the robot did at the festival

The robot did not do a single performance and call it a day. Throughout the afternoon it moved to wherever the people were, and it appeared on the main stage in the Robot Bobot children's programme alongside the presenters. It wore a Košický samosprávny kraj lanyard and a badge reading Organiser, so it was officially part of the team too.

Humanoid robot on the main stage of Festival na Hrádku in Michalovce during the Robot Bobot children's programme — The main stage, Robot Bobot children's programme. The robot and presenters in front of a full amphitheatre.

Humanoid robot walking along a stone path in the Hrádok forest park, with families and children behind it — Arriving at the amphitheatre. Families stop to watch before the robot even reaches the stage.

The ordinary moments worked best. The robot sat down on a bench among the audience in the amphitheatre, with a giant model of the Sun behind it. At the entrance it posed for a photo with a girl in a spacesuit. People take shots like these themselves, share them and remember them longer than any stage act.

Humanoid robot sitting on a bench among the audience in the amphitheatre at Hrádok, with a giant model of the Sun in the background — One of the audience. A giant 3D model of the Sun in the background.

A child in a spacesuit holding hands with a humanoid robot by the observatory in Michalovce — The young cosmonaut and the robot. A photo people queued for.

Why a robot makes sense at an astronomy festival

The theme fits. Space, technology and the future. A humanoid is a live demonstration of where robotics is heading, and children immediately ask how it works.
It draws people around the site. A robot moving between stations also leads visitors to places they would not otherwise have found.
Content for the organiser. Photos and videos with the robot are great material for the social media of the region, the town and the festival partners.
A bridge between science and fun. At an event about space flight and physics, the robot shows that technology is not just something in textbooks.

What we learned at an outdoor event

A forest park is not an exhibition hall. Stone paths, gravel and slopes are a real test for a walking humanoid, so we always walk the route beforehand and the robot only goes where the surface is safe. In sunny weather we plan appearances so that the robot has shade between sessions and time for a battery swap, as a battery lasts roughly two hours of active use.

Around children there is one rule: the robot always has an operator who controls it and watches its surroundings. Children can come close, shake its hand and take a photo, but one of our team keeps the robot's movement and its distance from people under control the whole time. We cover this in more detail in our article on humanoid robot safety around people.

Planning a festival or a science day?

We hire out our humanoid robot for festivals, town celebrations, STEM events and school events across Slovakia. Always with an operator and with a script tailored to your programme. Take a look at our fleet or simply write to us about what you are planning.

Related service: Festivals