Festivals others

Under the auspices of the Mayor of the City of Prague Pavel Bém and the Mayor of Prague 1 Petr Hejma the second year of culture is organized.

Why a carnival? Celebrating the joy of life, fantasy, talent, craft, and creativity. Director of the festival Zlatuse J. Müller informs :

“Festivals of this type belong to the all-European culture heritage. They were usual in the Czech lands, as in other parts of Europe, for more than seven centuries and they have its historic tradition, that we would like to bring to life again at the Bohemian Carnevale festival.”

To held marches of masks clearly has long tradition in the Bohemian lands, even when until recently it was for some reason kept outside of big cities. Metropolises like Prague has to find the way to its roots, and Bohemian Carnevale is one of these moments Prague wakes up and brightens with joy, food, and masks.

The organizers have divided the event into four parts, having exotically sounding names; Divertimento Furioso, Cuisine d’Alchimiste, Praga Mysteriosa, Bohemia Divina. Those are quite describing – Divertimento Furioso means ‘Furious Fun’ – that is the part when the masks march the city in joy.

The main theme of this, the second Bohemian Carnevale, is Metamorphosis.

The event in Prague, January 31 – February 5 2008, at Clam-Gallas Palace, Husova 20, Prague 1, and in the centre of Prague. Tickets to Clam-Gallas Pallace at ticketpro.com, or since the day before start at the desk.

Detailed information on Bohemian Carnevale in Prague here

At the beginning of February, Carnival parade, dancing in masks, and Czech traditional pork meat fest are being prepared at Prague 3 Zizkov.

The Year 2008 is devoted to Fantisek Sauer and writer Jaroslav Hasek (He wrote the Good Solider Svejk story)

2nd February 2008, Saturday, is the starting day. During the day, there is programme for kids in Zizkov Palace Akropolis, masquerade is planned for evening, with music of Czech group Buty. Sunday continues with fest and entertainment in Zizkov notorious pub U Vystrelenyho Oka, or for kids Kino Aero cinema offers ‘kids afternoon’

Tuesday the 5th Feb. is the main day, the parade starts from Namesti Jiriho z Podebrad square and continues to the Zizkov City Hall. The parade ends there, but programme continues with concerts and performances until the morning.

Although each international book fair is unique, all book fairs aim to create a climate for successful business negotiations between exhibitors and visitors. Book fairs draw attention to new releases by publishers and booksellers, and they showcase companies and institutions active in the book market and culture. Like other international trade fairs, Bookworld Prague balances commercial and educational goals.

The first day of the fair is reserved exclusively for trade professionals and members of the press the organizers focus on attracting as many booksellers, librarians, information professionals, literary agents, and representatives of publishers and printers as possible.

Bookworld Prague features numerous programmes for visitors: professional seminars and conferences, meetings with writers, author readings, presentations by publishers, and awards ceremonies for outstanding publishing and creative achievements.

On the humorous note, the Translators Guild presents the annual Rack Anti – award – a prize for the worst translation of a foreign work into Czech.

Bookworld in Prague 2008 – 14 th International Book Fair, 24th – 27th April 2008, At the Industrial Palace Prague – Holesovice Exhibition Grounds.

If you are looking for an unusual experience, and you like weddings, the Marriage festival in Prague would be your choice. They say it is going the biggest event of this kind in Europe. Last year of the festival demonstrated how huge is the demand for such an event. On the programme are companies presentations, that has something to do with weddings organization, but also entertaining culture programme.

There are concerts, fashion shows, theatre, belly dance or hair and barman shows. The fair offers wedding saloons, agencies, hotel-keepers, goldsmiths, photographers, florists, pastry-cooks, stylists, limo rental services and travel agencies. The cherry on the cake of the programme will be an actual wedding of a couple on Saturday 3 pm.

Wedding Festival Prague, 11th – 13th January 2008, Exhibition Ground Holesovice.

About fifteen thousand people came this Saturday evening to see the ‘tree lighting ceremony’ on the Old Town Square. The pine tree wasn’t switched on all at once, Prague mayor Pavel Bem, with assistance of children, lighted it up slowly, step by step. Small red light bulbs at the bottom of the tree were the first, followed by golden ones. Larger silver lights were the last.

After the light performance the Old Town square vibrated with noels. The next day in the morning, festival markets opened.

The markets are traditionally at Wenceslas square and Old Town square until the 1st January.

The annual exhibition of historic and new Christmas cribs is going to lighten up the highest burgrave of Prague Castle on 23th November 2007. You can also meet real curiosities there, like the one which is older 200 years and made from cardboard (on the picture)

According to the organizers, last year the exhibition proceeded with great interest of the wide public. This year they have decided to widen the exhibition, so until 6th January you can come and admire more than forty of the cribs. The opening hours: everyday 9 – 16 in the enclosed area of Prague Castle. Profits go, of course, to charities.

The highest entrance fee for adults is 35 CZK (1,2 €)

On Saturday and Sunday, 13th and 14th October, at 9:24 you can catch a steam train Albatros made in 1947, going from Prague train station Branik, to the Krivoklani Festival at the Krivoklat castle.

Have you ever gone to a festival by a steam train?

Krivoklani is a presentation of medieval tournaments, Gothic music, and crafts. The whole event is annually organized by the Krivoklat Castle and the professional fencing group Merlet. To such an event a fair belongs inherently, so masters of blacksmithing, pottery, glass-makers, wood-carvers and many others come to present their skills. Taverns serves mead, mull, home-made plump spirits, and other traditional medieval drinks or foods.

The castle of Krivoklat belongs to the oldest and most important castles of the Czech princes and kings. The history of its construction starts in the 12th century. You can see a beautiful castle chapel, the Great Royal and Chivalric Halls with an exhibition of Gothic paintings and sculptures, the castle library containing over 52.000 bands, a rich museum and a painting gallery of the Fürstenberg, a famous castle prison with torture chambers and torture instruments, a monumental tower with a collection of hunting trophies and a view of the surrounding area, a pleasant walk around the castle walls, the tower Huderka with an open-hearth kitchen and an observatory gallery, the seat of the captain with temporary exhibitions…all of this and much more belongs to Krivoklat, a national cultural monument.

As we informed you before, annual Prague Vintage Festival is a famous Prague event. Now, we bring you a report by a devoted burcak fan, who went for the quest for you;

Our Saturday objective was to get to Gröbeho vila, drink as many burcaks as possible, and spend the rest of the money on burcak in bottles that we would drink later at home. This pocket money was specially devoted to this event and was taken from a piggy bank. There was a grape harvest festival in Havlickovy Sady, and since I love this young wine, I couldn’t miss this event.

Finally, when we got there, the real fun begun. I mean, we started drinking burcak. And I’ve never thought how quickly can one glass of burcak bring a smile to one’s face. But the other program was good, too. Lots of mead, roasted pig, lots and lots of traditional products made at the spot, people in historic costumes, entertainers, original medieval beggar, jugglers, castle parade, swordplays, archery range, etc. Ideal for children. And for old children like us, back to the wine quest. The prices were very friendly, 2dcl cup for 18 CZK, or 1 litre for 70 CZK. It was a pity that you could buy red burcak only at one stall, where was an endless queue. We drank a litre there and brought another two home each of us.

Read the whole reportage HERE

The traditional Prague vintage festival starts today! What is to be seen? Actors, performances of fencers, jugglers and singers and much more. This is a traditional occasion that is very popular in Prague, as we are famous for our liking of alcoholic drinks. Part of the performances is the arrival of the ‘royal family’. Charles IV was the most popular Czech king, who really took care about Czech matters, and launched, among others, Czech wine tradition.

The main celebration will be at Jiriho z Podebrad. If you like the contemporary music, you shouldn’t miss the Hudba Praha (Music Prague) music group, that start at 19.30 Clou is going on stage at 21. Namesti Miru is going to change into a medieval square as well, and you can have various medieval delicacies there. The final performance is going to be a fireshow at night.

Celebrations will be held on Saturday too, at Jiriho z Podebrad you can be watching fencing and jousting.

To present and revive old industrial heritage is the main aim of the biennial Vestiges of Industry 2007. The organizers of this event have prepared a rich programme full of concerts, exhibitions, lectures and discussions.

In the Old Town City Hall you can see unique period photographs from the archive of the National Technical Museum in an exhibition called The Portrait of the Industrial Age (open until 31st October). M Factory in Prague-Holesovice (Osadni 35) will present how old industrial buildings can be transformed and used again (open until 26th September).

Today you can visit a concert of Berg Orchestra called VIDEOart KONtra KLASIKA in the spaces of the former sewage treatment plant (Papirenska 6 street). On Thursday at the same place you can enjoy a concert of Why Not Patterns called Roaring Ramp With Words. For more information about the Vestiges of Industry biennial click here.

All those who like young wine and good entertainment can visit the 11th Prague’s Vintage Festival that will take place in Havlickovy Sady in Prague on 21st and 22nd September 2007.

Visitors can look forward to 5 kinds of young wine and to performances of fencers, jugglers, singers of pop music or large fireworks. Visitors can also see the interiors of newly reconstructed Greboho villa in Havlickovy Sady.

Young wine and goodies from pork meat can be tasted from today until Sunday in O2 Zlute Lazne in Prague-Podoli. On Friday there is also a medieval market in Namesti Miru (metro line A).

More than 20 kinds of sport and 10 musical bands will wait for everybody who comes to the sport-music festival JoyRide, one of its kind in Europe, to Cisarska louka in Prague-Smichov on Sunday 9th September at 12:00. The entrance is for free, as well as the boat transportation to the island.

The organizers want to show that there are much more sports than just football or ice hockey. Visitors can look forward to such sports as bike trial riding, wakeboarding (also called ‘summer snowboarding’), water scooter racing, surfing, kite boarding, poweriser, footbag, dragon boat racing, airsoft, paintball or parachuting.

The visitors of the festival doesn’t have to be only passive watchers. They can try paintball, airsoft, climbing wall, archery or beach rugby.

The 4th international folklore festival Prazsky Jarmark 2007 will host artists from the whole Europe, Ecuador and China. More than 1,200 people from 25 groups from the world will show their traditional clothes, dances, music or handcrafts in the centre of Prague from 28th August to 2nd September 2007.

Prague’s audience can also see traditional Chinese dragons in the centre of Prague, as there will be a march of people in folk costumes through the city that will start in the Old Town Square on 29th August at 14:00.

The daily programme will be divided into two blocks. The first one is devoted to children (14:00 – 15:45), the second one will offer the main programme (16:00 – 22:00).

Those who want to take part in this festival in a more active way can try one of the handicrafts themselves at one of the workshops in Ovocny trh (near Celetna street).

In September 2007 Prague will host the international festival of contemporary architecture called Architecture Week 2007. The organizers of this festival want to present the current architecture and living environment to the large public through many attractive activities and presentations. Its other aim is to support further urban development in Prague and to promote Czech architecture.

The headquarters of this festival will be in Schwarzenberg Palace near Prague Castle. Many presentations, workshops and exhibition will be placed there. What more, visitors will get there a map on which small flags will indicate which architecturally interesting buildings is good to visit in Prague.

The festival will be held from 17th to 23rd September 2007. If you want to learn more about the festival, click here.

The second most popular play by William Shakespeare Othello will finish the Summer Shakespeare Festival that is held annually at the courtyard of the Supreme Burgrave’s House in the area of Prague Castle and newly in the Lichtenstein Palace in Lesser Town.

Othello will be played from 17th August until the end of the festival on 14th September 2007. Othello (together with other performances) was very successful last year thanks to great actors’ performances and a special atmosphere enhanced by the historical buildings around.

Visitors can still see the play The Tempest in the Lichtenstein Palace. Tickets can be bought via Ticketpro network or at the venue just before the performance. Read more about the festival here.

4th International festival of Spanish culture IBERICA 2007 will offer many attractive concerts and temperamental performances of professional dancers of salsa, flamenco or modern dances.

The main stars of this year’s festival will be tallented 17-year-old Patricia Guerrero and outstanding Flamenco dancer Luis de Luis. Both artists will be accompanied with Spanish musicians led by David Carmona. Prague’s stage will also welcome the performance of the Dancing Theatre MAXIMVS.

The festival will be held in four places, in Boskovice, Prague, Brno and Boskovice castle. Prague’s programme is planned on Wednesday 22nd August 2007 in Archa Theatre (Na Porici 26 street). Tickets can be bought via Ticketpro and Ticketportal network and at the box office of Archa Theatre. The entrance fee is 380 CZK for sitting and 250 CZK for standing.

Three days tasting the best specialities of Prague hotels that were evaluated at the TOP 100 in Mauer’s Grand Restaurant – that’s Prague Food Festival 2007. Every day you can taste delicious meals from twelve Prague restaurants.

Besides the specialities from Brazil, Czech, French, Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine, you can try drinks from Mattoni Coctail Bar, Pilsner Urquell Pub, Bohemia Sekt Bar, Davidoff Caffe Bar, and Bar U Zavoje. Gastronomic delights will be accompanied with various kinds of music.

The festival will be held in Museum Kampa in Prague (U Sovovych mlynu 2) from 7th to 9th September 2007 (12:00 – 22:00). The ticket costs 350 CZK and it consists of the entry and 10 GRAND vouchers. For these vouchers you can buy individual food items. For more information about the festival click here.

For three day non-stop you can take part in the Watermelon Festival in Prague’s shopping centre Metropole Zlicin (metro line B, terminal station Zlicin).

The festival will be held inside the shopping centre as well as in front of the main entrance. The start is at 18:00 on Friday 3rd August, the end on Sunday 5th August. The shopping centre will be open non-stop for the first time.

The festival will offer many activities for both children and adults. Visitors can learn how to prepare delicious food and drinks from melons. Among many competitions held at the festival will be competitions in eating melons, cutting them in exact halves, guessing the weight of a melon, throwing a melon skin at a target, running slalom between melons and many others.

Happy Beer Days is a beer and music festival that will present about 40 breweries and more than 130 kinds of beer. 3 stages will offer various kinds of music (theatre, rock and country) performed by more than 61 music bands (mostly Czech).

Besides tasting beer and listening to the music, you can take part in many additional activities, such as sightseeing boat trips, paintball, archery, go-karts or many competitions. A rich programme is also prepared for children.

The festival will take place on Cisarsky Island in Prague from 14th to 16th September 2007. Tickets are available via Ticketart.cz from 200 CZK to 500 CZK. The transport is provided by shuttle buses from Smichovske nadrazi (metro yellow line B) and then by shuttle boats from Vyton to Cisarska louka.

Tango Alchemie is an international festival of Argentine tango, which takes place in Prague between 21st and 24th June. The organizers try to connect the festival with the mystical atmosphere of Prague – they say that alchemy is something that happens in tango, too.

The idea is that tango symbolizes the connection of male and female element, which is inspired by alchemist philosophy. The festival will be held at several places in Prague: at Slovansky island, in the Cerna labut café, Michna Palace and Gröbovka.

The festival is accompanied by a photography exhibition in the Michna Palace and by workshops. You can register for them and see the complete programme here.