Carnival celebrations in Prague date back to the 13th century. From 6 January to Ash Wednesday, the streets are alive with masquerade parades, parties, street performers, dancing and singing. The main highlight is the Bohemian Carnevale, the largest traditional event of the season.
Prague is one of the great classical music destinations of the world and has a packed calendar of events. The renowned three-week long Prague International Spring Music Festival starts in May, with a service at the grave of Bedřich Smetana in the Vyšehrad cemetery.
The city has a thriving food scene. Savour local produce at one of the farmers’ markets held on the Vltava embankment and on various squares. These markets are often accompanied by food festivals. In May, the three-day Prague Food Festival showcases the best of Czech cuisine.
Prague welcomes spring with a traditional witch-burning event that dates back hundreds of years. On 30 April a witch effigy is taken in a procession to Kampa Island and burnt on a bonfire, in a symbolic act to rid nature of evil spirits and banish winter.
Every July, both homegrown and international big screen stars descend on Prague for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Partygoers turn the sleepy town of Karlovy Vary, 130 km (81 miles) from Prague, upside down for nine days.
The humble street performer is celebrated in July with the Za dveřmi (Behind the Door). Locals and visitors are entertained with drama, acrobatics, parades and juggling on the city’s streets and squares.
Held throughout June, Dance Prague (Tanec Praha) presents modern dance performances at the Ponec Dance Theatre, while in August, the Bohemia International Folklore Dance Festival brings amateur folklore dance ensembles together.
Sporting events punctuate the year. There’s the Prague Marathon in May, rowing races on the Vltava for the Prague Mayors Eights in June and the Pardubice Steeplechase in October.
Prague is a great city for bibliophiles, with many bookstores and several literary cafés. The Prague Writer’s Festival is held in October and attracts internationally acclaimed authors.
The mulled wine starts flowing on St Nicholas’s Day and doesn’t stop until the smoke from the New Year’s Eve fireworks has faded. Don’t miss the Christmas markets held at several venues across the city, including on Old Town Square.
1 Jan
Marks the 1993 split of Czechoslovakia.
Mar–Apr
Custom dictates that men give women a gentle whipping with a willow switch, and women respond with painted eggs.
1 May
Romantics lay flowers before the statue of Karel Hynek Mácha on Petřín Hill.
8 May
Plaques around town are adorned with flowers to remember those killed by the Germans in 1945.
5 Jul
The Greek missionaries (see Cathedral of Sts Cyril and Methodius) brought both Christianity and the Cyrillic alphabet to the Slavs.
28 Sep
Bohemia’s history is recalled on St Wenceslas Day, as most Czechs call it.
28 Oct
In 1918 Czechoslovakia declared itself independent of Austro-Hungary.
17 Nov
The Velvet Revolution anniversary is marked with candles and flowers.
24–26 Dec
Colourful and aromatic markets pop up all over Prague.
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