E-Day 2026 Sets a Record
When we evaluated E-Day 2025 last year, my colleagues and I agreed that it should continue to be held at the Zahrada Čech Exhibition Centre in Litoměřice. We immediately began discussing possible dates with the exhibition center’s management.
When we evaluated E
-
Day 2025 last year,
my colleagues and I agreed that it should
continue to be held at the Zahrada
Čech Exhibition Centre in Litoměřice.
We immediately began discussing
possible dates with the exhibition center’s
management. Unfortunately, it was already
quite late — dates are reserved as early as the
beginning of the year, whereas we didn‘t make
our decision until mid-October. Consequently,
the only available dates were 26–28 June;
the exhibition centre could not offer us any
others. At the time, we reluctantly accepted
the dates, knowing they weren’t ideal.
Summer vacation was just around the corner,
and we didn’t yet know that there would be
another unpleasant surprise later that year:
the Minister of Education would announce
a shortened school year, ending it on Friday
– the very start of E
-
Day. So our prospects
weren’t exactly rosy. As we planned the
schedule with our colleagues, we hoped that
E
-
Day wouldn‘t be rained off. At the back of
our minds, we also had the thought that it
might be hot, maybe even sweltering.
Even in our worst-case scenarios, we didn’t
imagine that all-time temperature records
across the whole of the Czech Republic would
be broken on E
-
Day. In fact, not only was the
temperature record in neighboring Doksany
broken on Saturday with a reading of 40.6 °C,
it was broken again on Sunday with a reading
of 41.9 °C. I have to tell you, none of us really
expected this. When we started checking
the weather forecast a week before E
-
Day
and these catastrophic scenarios appeared,
we made funny jokes about how we’d be
swimming in our own sweat. And that’s
exactly what ended up happening. Our
colleague Zdeněk Nožička sweated through
three T-shirts on Friday alone while setting
up the booth. At the start of the week
leading up to E
-
Day, we immediately began
planning our cooling system. We bought
hoses with nozzles to create mist gates,
and we discussed with the exhibition center
what other water features were available.
Fortunately, Litoměřice is a small town where
everyone knows each other, so thanks to our
friends on the catering team, we were able
to get the number for the local volunteer fire
department. We would like to thank them once
again for regularly driving out to spray us and
the visitors with water and for joining us in
a spontaneous ‚hurrah‘ action to disperse
a demonstration against repeated suppression
of less known types at the expense of Mustang.
On behalf of my colleagues and myself, I can
say that I have never seen so many positive
comments about the organization of the
event in the history of E
-
Day. Of course, we
can’t control the weather. However, in terms
of organization and the program for visitors,
this was perhaps the most positive E
-
Day
for me. It was also one of the most relaxed.
The two-day format allowed visitors and us
to enjoy E
-
Day to the fullest. The afterparty
on Saturday evening also attracted a fairly
large number of participants, and I hope they
enjoyed sitting around with a beer and some
good food.
What didn’t go so well, though I must admit
I was somewhat expecting it, was the lower
turnout of modellers in the competition
categories. Of course, Czech modellers aren’t
used to two-day events. I can see why some
might think it a waste of time to travel to
Litoměřice with their models for the whole
weekend. However, a group of Italians arrived
in good numbers, having packed up with their
friends and hopped into two big cars. They
competed, spent an evening exploring the
town and its restaurants, enjoyed Saturday
night at an afterparty with other modellers,
did some shopping at the stalls during the
event, strolled through the exhibition and
chatted with friends. When they left, they told
me that it was just like Disneyland—they had
everything they could have wished for that
weekend. Except for the heat – I’m sure they
didn’t wish for that!
I’d like to remind Czech modellers in
particular that E
-
Day used to be a two-day
event, attracting many more competitors. It‘s
worth coming as a competitor — you get free
admission and, as a reward for participating,
you receive a model. Registration is free!
You won‘t find that at any other competition
in the world! If Czech modellers aren’t
interested, I believe we can gradually
turn E
-
Day into a much more international
exhibition. Foreign modellers will come
if we prepare a good program for them,
among other things. This means that E
-
Day
will become more international in future.
For example, next year we are planning to
invite more foreign guests and hold more
presentations and workshops in English.
I hope this will also boost the competition’s
prestige. I’d like Czech modellers to have the
chance to compete against the international elite
right here in the Czech Republic. My plan for the
future is to collaborate with other prestigious
competitions worldwide to organize something
akin to a modelers’ Champions League or Grand
Slam. But maybe we’ll talk about that another
time. I already know when that will be. Everyone,
mark your calendars for 18–20 June 2027. I look
forward to seeing you at the next E
-
Day!
E
-
DAY 2026 SETS A RECORD
Text: Jakub Nademlejnský
INFO Eduard106
July 2026