Sold now as the Czech Woodstock, local legend tells us that the original gathering began in the 1980s in the garden of soon-to-be playwright President Vaclav Havel's nearby cottage during his time as an employee of Trutnov brewery. So much fun was had at this first mini-festival that underground musicians were invited along the next summer, but the party was brought to an abrupt halt by the police (known derogatorily in Czech as 'bengos') who dispersed revellers with water cannon, using pig urine instead of water.
Havel was never broken by the totalitarian state and regularly attended the festival post-communism, relocated from his garden to the leafy edges of town. By then he was leader of the nation, and also Trutnov Chief.
This is how it went ...