This year’s Sharefest focuses on sustainability

Sharefest (‘Sdílko’) is a vibrant alternative pop-up exhibition and shopping fair that will be launched on 10 May in one of Poruba’s main squares (Alšovo náměstí). It will be the second Sharefest of this year so far, and its central theme will be sustainability – with a particular focus on sustainable business and urban development. This Sharefest will last until 31 May, showcasing a range of local businesses and their unusual products, as well as presenting some of the strategic urban development projects being planned or implemented by the Poruba municipal district.

Alšovo náměstí (a square in the upper part of Poruba’s main boulevard) will come alive on 10 May with this year’s second Sharefest event. Lasting until the end of the month, it is a forum for sixty local producers and designers to present themselves to the local community – not only small businesses doing something fresh and interesting, but also larger, established companies promoting innovative new products. The products and services will be showcased in special glass-walled modules that will function as temporary points of sale. The event is a pop-up exhibition, featuring different businesses every day. Among the participants will be a new home bakery in Poruba and a company creating designer birdhouses. There will also be fashion, design, and a lady whose home-made marmalade has won prizes at the World Marmalade Awards.

Poruba’s deputy mayor Zuzana Bajgarová gave more details about the municipal district’s participation:

“Sharefest will also be a platform for us to present the district’s strategic projects and to discuss the content of our strategic plan with members of the public. We have prepared six talks about topics related to public space – including the visible and invisible elements which influence the appearance of public space, as well as the large and small treasures of Poruba.” Visitors will also be able to enjoy an exhibition tracing the changing face of this unique part of Ostrava.

The first Sharefest was held in the town of Kopřivnice. It then moved to Poruba, where it will take place for the second time.

Štěpánka Vontrobová, the organizer of the first ever Sharefest, commented:

“When the event was born in Kopřivnice, I had no idea that the idea would later be embraced by a group of enthusiastic people from Poruba. I never imagined that this pop-up festival would become a regular event. But now I’ve become a follower of developments in Poruba – and I can say that it genuinely is a city within a city. Poruba has a strong ethos of being smart, innovative, and supporting entrepreneurship. As the visionary architect Jan Gehl would say: it’s a city for people. In recent years, public space has become a major topic of discussion, especially with a focus on its usability and overall sustainability. It’s crucially important for communities to discuss issues related to public space – and our Sharefest is a playful, informal way of doing that.”

Businesses both large and small will be presenting their products and services daily from 9:00 in three pop-up exhibition modules. Visitors will also be able to enjoy delicious cakes made by a pair of local bakers, the unique banana bread made by the nearby Bubba bakery, home-made pasta and noodles, as well as raw cakes and pastries. There will be an opportunity to refresh your wardrobe – with handbags (purses) by local designers Dara Bags and Tašenka, hand-painted shoes by TanaGo, and designer socks by Ostrava company Soxit. There will also be soaps made by a small producer in the Beskydy Mountains, as well as Mamma Tea herbal and fruit teas.

In addition to the talks given by representatives of the municipal district, there will also be a number of workshops where visitors will be able to make paper lampshades, try out the basics of bookbinding, wiremaking and picture frame painting, learn about the correct techniques for bathing and massaging babies, as well as about baby dental care and early communication, try out Nordic walking, and attend a demonstration English lesson.

The main theme of May’s Sharefest is sustainability. Reflecting this focus, Sharefest is a partner event in European Green Week, and the participating businesses will be demonstrating how sustainability works in practice. Visitors will be able to see products made from upcycled fabrics by the Recyklátor company. (Upcycling is a form of recycling that increases the value of the original material – for example old T-shirts can be easily upcycled to create shopping bags.)

For more information on the programme for each day, see the Sharefest website www.sdilkoporuba.cz.

Source: https://poruba.ostrava.cz/cs/o-porube/aktualne/pristi-tyden-zacina-na-alsove-namesti-sdilko