After a two-year pause, which arose as a result of anti-pandemic measures, the traditional and very popular May Day celebration is returning to the premises of Villa of Tomas Bata and the adjacent garden.
The Tomas Bata Foundation has maintained the Bata tradition of May Day celebrations since its beginning. It also continues the idea of Tomas Bata, the founder, who considered it important to thank the co-workers and citizens of the city of Zlín for the year-long work.
Currently, the celebrations in Bata Villa traditionally offer a morning program for children, which is full of games and competitions, and each competitor shall be rewarded. It also includes a rich accompanying program for adult visitors.
Every year, members of the Bata family also participate in the May Day celebrations. "I am very pleased that the Bata family still considers the May Day celebrations to be an important event. Tomas Bata junior always looked forward to them. This year we will be visited by Rosemarie Blyth Bata - granddaughter of Tomas Bata, chairman of the board of directors of the Tomas Bata Foundation," said Mr. Pavel Velev, director of the foundation.
During the month of February, however, this year's edition was also threatened: "We found it strange to prepare the May Day celebrations with regard to the events in Ukraine. We therefore decided to dedicate part of the foundation's budget, which was set aside for the celebrations, to the support of war refugees. I am happy that the members of the board of directors not only approved our decision, but also financially supported it. It concerns both aid to Ukraine and the fact that the celebration of the first of May can take place," added Mr. Velev.
Tomas Bata started celebrating May Day in 1924. It was more or less his personal protest. The celebrations in the city were organized by the communist party, and Tomas Bata did not agree that the communist party should be in chargé of celebration of Labour Day should, so he decided to organize his own.
A rich cultural program has always been part of the May Day celebrations. The Tomas Bata Foundation successfully follows up on this part as well. "As part of the celebrations, we always try to come up with a new exhibition. This year we managed to do it in cooperation with the Bratislava agency Hiroäs, which prepared collages of photos from Bata time and contemporary Zlín. With my colleague Jakub Malovaný, we supplemented it with lesser-known information that can inspire visitors to visit the places themselves," said Gabriela Končitíková, project manager of the Tomas Bata Foundation.
The traditional celebration of the first of May in the Villa of Tomas Bata is a welcome event for many visitors from outside Zlín, which they always look forward to. Due to the long-standing tradition, it is quite common that the parents of the children who compete were themselves active competitors at the celebrations in Tomas Bata Villa twenty years ago.
"It is important to connect the legacy of Bata with the community so that it remains alive and has a concrete form even for the youngest visitors. We are pleased that the annual participation is so high and the companies that follow the Bata legacy support this event, which is largely for the little ones. This is how we teach our children that the legacy of Bata is not just history, but still a part of everyday life," said Jakub Malovaný, marketing manager of the foundation.
During the day, there is also a rest zone, refreshments, a photo corner and pleasant music prepared for visitors. The celebration will take place, among other things, thanks to the support of Baťa, a.s. and Fosfa, a.s. and the statutory city of Zlín.
The morning program is followed by events on Náměstí Míru and in the surrounding area organized by the city of Zlín.
