25. 11. 2025 | Barbucha Stardust
Fans of the cult series Red Dwarf and geocaching gathered once again for Gazpacho Day 2025, which took place in spectacular style at O2 Universum this year. Inspired by a legendary scene from the series, the event has been a traditional gathering for fans since 2010. The original idea to organize this event came about as a response to the „Nachystejte uzenáče“ event in Sokolov.
A new home for the Dwarf crew
The year 2025 marked a big move—the event left the familiar premises of the Ilf Hotel for the first time. The organizers described this change as something reminiscent of moving from Starbug to Red Dwarf. O2 Universum was chosen for its beautiful premises, ideal for Unicycle Polo, and especially for its excellent cuisine, which can handle even cosmic culinary experiments. The new venue offered more space and better technology.
A program full of quizzes and shocking discoveries
The Gazpacho Soup Day program was based on a combination of old favorites and new additions. There were classics such as online quizzes via Kahoot, prepared on various topics. There was even room for the Trpaslicon festival team, which tested visitors‘ knowledge of British humor, sci-fi, and fantasy.
The traditional „What’s My Fruit?!“ contest was also held. This identification game has become increasingly interesting over the years; while it used to start with dried fruit, recently, for example, participants identified fruit „flavors“ of condoms, and this year, fruit was identified by its pits. The organizers always enjoy seeing the expressions on the contestants‘ faces during the competition—a mixture of pure joy or slight shock.
New this year were the Universal Challenges, also known as the Universal Challenge. This challenge consisted of several stations where competitors competed in tasks such as finishing the quotes or popping Tension sheets. The competition was as fierce as Lister would be in his search for the last can of beer in the warehouse.
Gastronomic experience: Gazpacho soup was meant to be served cold
The highlight of the evening and the main point of the gastronomic part was, of course, gazpacho soup. Although this dish is an evergreen, perhaps only Rimmer would have wanted the soup heated up. Gazpacho soup is traditionally served cold.
The organizers recognize that the soup alone would not be enough for Lister for the whole evening. That’s why a Spanish buffet full of delicacies was prepared. Gourmets could enjoy:
The dishes were labeled so that no one would get lost in the Spanish names.
Atmosphere and Rimmer’s Manual
The atmosphere of the event is renowned. People return because of the mood that prevails here, which could only be found on Red Dwarf when playing „Better Than Life“ together.
If holographic officer Rimmer were in charge of the event, he would probably introduce mandatory morning reports and a five-page manual, and there would be a competition for the most upright posture. A similar competition, where holograms tried to salute as best they could, was even held ten years ago. However, according to the organizers, Kryten would have won the theoretical knowledge quiz (in the directives).
For those who hesitated to participate in Gazpacho Soup Day 2025, the old space wisdom applied: „He who hesitates will be left without gazpacho.“ Early registration by November 5 was discounted, which helped the organizers ensure that the chefs had enough tomatoes and didn’t have to improvise with ketchup.
The event was great fun and a wonderful experience for the Trpaslicon festival crew, who are already looking forward to the next edition in 2026.
