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EVENTS The Ball Season (January 1 – April 30) Every Prague resident loves dancing the Waltz and that's why the Ball Season is one of the year's great highlights. The Balls take place in the finest venues in Prague and are attended by people of all ages. The music and themes vary; everything is possible and it's an experience you will never forget!
Paleni Carodejnic in Prague is the Czech version of Walpurgisnacht (Burning of the Witches). It is a pre-Christian festival for warding off evil. Politically incorrect witch burning is now replaced by all-night bonfire parties on Kampa Island and in suburban backyards. First held in 1999, this festival in Prague has rapidly become very famous. From its small beginnings with just 48 documentaries and 3,000 audience members, within 4 years the festival grew to a field of 720 entries, from which 129 documentaries were shown to an audience of 18,200 in Prague alone, with even more festivals in 18 other cities. This festival; founded in 1995 and held at the Prague Exhibition Grounds, is an important chance for the Czech literary scene to meet foreign writers and discuss current trends in poetry and fiction. Over 600 exhibitors from 26 countries annually attract more than 21,000 visitors during this event.
Originally a TV drama festival, Golden Prague added a musical element to its program in 1974. Since 1993 it has concentrated exclusively on music documentaries and programs. As well as the competition element; the main prize is a large amount of money and attracts 100 submitted programs, there are discussion forums for industry professionals, as well as associated events including an opening concert. The running of 42.2 km in Prague has become the pinnacle of athletic achievement for many people all over the world. The track start from Prague's Old Town Square and then the course winds through Prague to end back in the same location. While major international athletes are running the race, it is also open to amateurs, although the organizers set a 6-hour time limit. By way of encouragement, the track is lined with groups of musicians and entertainers, an extension of the PIM Serenade which overtakes the whole weekend. So the event is not just for participants; everyone can enjoy themselves. Khamoro – World Gyspy Festival (May) This Prague festival was first held in 1999 and brings the most vibrant gypsy sounds, rhythms and culture from around Europe to the Czech capital. Each year there is a wealth of traditional music, classical music, gypsy jazz, films, theatre, literature, dance, painting and photographs, as well as workshops. Anniversary of Kafka's death (June 3) The great writer Franz Kafka (1883 – 1924) is remembered in Prague on the day he died by admirers from all over the world. People get together at his burial place in the New Jewish Cemetery (grave number 137) before moving on to the Old Synagogue for prayers. 
Prague Spring International Music Festival (May 12 – June 4)
The festival has always been the best with music from its own region, and that's why the festival is always traditionally opened with Má Vlast (My Country) by Bedrich Smetana, the father of Czech music. Each spring orchestras and musicians from around the world come to Prague to fill the city with beautiful music. International Film Festival for Children and Youth (May/June) Zlín has a history of film festivals, even under German occupation and that's why in 1961 the International Film Festival for Children and Youth was born, which is the oldest event of its kind in the world. Alongside the annual competition for international latest releases; features, cartoons and puppetry, there is an international display of students' films, documentaries on youth subjects, retrospectives, a special focus on feature films from the Visegrad countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovak Republic) and more. World Festival of Puppet Art (May/June) This festival was first held in 1996 and displays the finest international puppet shows to the Czech Republic's capital. Prague itself is also famous for being the home of puppetry enterprises as the magical Black Theatre of Prague and the filmmaker Jan Švankmajer. Puppeteers come from all over the world, and past prize winners have included companies from the Far East, South America and Europe. Tanec Praha has been the city's major dance festival since its foundation in 1989. An exciting development in 2001 was the assumption of the renovated Ponec Theatre as the festival's main venue, as well as the extension of events to other cities like Brno, Hradec Králové or Olomouc. Prague Opera Gala - Stone bell Series (August 1 - June 30) There is an 11-month Opera Gala season at the House of the Stone Bell which has been running every year since 1992. This is one of the oldest buildings in Prague, a Gothic sandstone construction on the east side of the Old Town Square. It was reopened in 1986 after major renovations. Entering under the arch you reach an exquisite Baroque courtyard surrounded by 3 floors of exhibition rooms in which the concerts are held. This beautiful building is well worth visiting to see a concert or recital of great operatic arias. Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July) Originally founded in 1949, it is one of the biggest film events in Central and Eastern Europe, this festival of feature films and documentaries in Karlovy Vary also offers retrospectives and country spotlights, as well as an international film-industry symposium. Despite calls for the festival to be relocated to Prague, or closed down altogether, it has managed to stage a remarkable comeback since 1994. There have been a number of changes to the management and since 1999 a popular Czech actor also came on board. It has regained the attention of Czech audiences and has also become a platform for foreign films to find Czech and Slovak distribution. Ceský Krumlov Chamber Music Festival (June/July) In 1992, Ceský Krumlov was put on UNESCO's World Heritage list. The picturesque region also hosts a number of music festivals, so there is almost always going to be some great classical music when you visit over the summer. The famous Chamber Music Festival has taken place since 1987 and among the venues where the concerts take place is the Masked Hall of the great Castle of Ceský Krumlov, which was founded in the 13th century and is the second largest castle in Bohemia. This skate event in Prague was first held in 1994 and showcases East European skateboarding talent. Expect to see vert and street skaters from around the globe competing in this historical city at the purpose-built skate facility in Stvanice. Like many big skateboarding events, the organizers realize that a good party is as much part of the fun as the skating itself. There are plenty of DJs and live bands for entertainment, and the end of the weekend is marked by the Mystic Party. Ceský Krumlov Piano Festival (July) The Piano Festival follows the Chamber Music Festival and takes place in the magnificent surroundings of the Castle's Masquerade Hall. Musica Sacra Prague (June/July) This international festival of sacred music is very popular in Prague and is held 3 times a year. The main festival, taking place in various churches and halls in Prague, is during the height of summer, while there is also an October autumn festival and a Christmas version. The summer festival has a 3-day choir competition where choirs from all over the world compete in the 2 halls of the National House of Vinohrady.
A number of earlier evening concerts precede the main events, programming even more composers, styles and genres. Ameropa - Chamber Music Festival (July-August) Prague is a musical city, and has been so since well before Mozart's day, when he came and made not only his Prague Symphony (No 38) but also perhaps his most famous opera, Don Giovanni. Now instrumentalists can come together to play chamber music in the annual summer Ameropa festival which, since 1994, has presented concerts in some of the city's most beautiful venues, including the Klementinum (Hall of Mirrors), Museum of Czech Music, Sue Ryder Centre, the Rudolfinum's Suk Hall and the Convent of St Agnes of Bohemia. There are also concerts outside of Prague, in Brandýs nad Labem and Ceský Krumlov. Czech Folklore Festival (May-August) The Czech Republic celebrates its amazing folk heritage throughout the summer. Coordinated by Folk & Country, the overall span of the Czech Folklore Festival has 4 separate entities across the country. The other festivals include Zahrada in Olomouc, an open-air festival which was first held in 1990 (beginning of July); the Folk Rose festival at Jindrichuv Hradec, south of Prague and close to the Austrian border (July) and to end the summer season, Setkání takes place in a natural amphitheatre in the grounds of the splendid castle at Konopište (August). 
The Brno circuit is one of the secret treasures of the Grand Prix season. Although it has hosted racing since the 1930s, relatively few fans have enjoyed the experience of its beautiful setting and fast smooth track. The Moto GP is one of the fastest, most thrilling sports in the world. The bikes reach speeds of up to 310 kph and the races are extremely competitive. Prague is a musical city, and has been so since well before Mozart's day, when he came and made not only his Prague Symphony (No 38) but also perhaps his most famous opera, Don Giovanni. Mozart is also one of the composers who had a special affinity with the French Horn, and it is this magnificent instrument that Prague has celebrated since 1997 with a special festival. Throughout this festival, which also teams up with the annual Horn Class, there is a lot of opportunity to sample the majestic qualities of this instrument. Ceský Krumlov International Music Festival (August) There is no doubt that this festival is the largest amongst the many summer music festivals in the idyllic area of southern Bohemia around Ceský Krumlov. The festival was first held in 1992, as one of the most visible results of the Velvet Revolution and takes place in the impressive Ceský Krumlov castle as well as other venues in this Bohemian town. Verdi Festival (August-September) The Czech State Opera celebrates the life and works of Verdi with an annual 3-weekend-of-summer season devoted solely to the giant of 19th century Italian opera. A man known not only for his musical ability but also his strong-will and political convictions, Verdi, composer of 26 operas, is loved like no-other composer. Summer Shakespeare Festival (June-September) The Supreme Burgrave's House at the Prague Castle plays host to a summer celebration of the work of William Shakespeare. The Czech Shakespeare Festival was first held in 1994, and also visits Brno and Bratislava. St. Wenceslas Sacred Music Festival (September) An annual festival devoted to sacred music performed in some of Prague's numerous and amazing churches, coincides with the festivities of St Wenceslas, the Czechs' patron saint, whose feast day falls on 28 September. Sacred works of the Christian tradition are programmed alongside Orthodox Christian and Jewish music, performed in a variety of churches and venues around Prague. The program also features works by both Czech composers and those composers who have notable anniversaries. Each year there are also exhibitions and lectures on the music. At the same time it is a great opportunity to discover some of Prague's lesser-known churches (there are 630 of them). Prague Autumn Festival (September-October) The Prague Autumn Festival is the last one of the major European summer festivals in the same way that the Prague Spring Festival opened up the artistic festivals 5 months earlier. Although the festival is held only since 1991, it rapidly gained a reputation for attracting the world's greatest artists and ensembles. First held in 1999, Prague's Designblok presents recent innovations in international and Czech design throughout the city in shops and galleries. While the major focus is on interior designers, there is plenty of scope for fashion and graphic designers to display their wares. Brno International Music Festival – Moravian Autumn (September-October) This festival was first held in 1966 and is one of the 3 Brno International Music Festivals held throughout the year. The home town of composers Leos Janácek and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Brno celebrates its musical heritage with recitals and full orchestral concerts in various venues throughout the city. Prague International Jazz Festival (October) This annual festival was first held in 1977 and hosts some home-grown as well as international jazz artists and bands in a number of venues across Prague. Since 1990 the festival has been the remit of PragoKoncert, and the full program is available from the summer. This festival in Prague gives film academy students the possibility to show off their creativity. About 100 films are shown in morning, afternoon and evening programs and among the students might be future major film makers. International Festival of Advent & Christmas Music (November) This festival in Prague was first held in 1991 and contains the Petr Eben Prize on the group who best performs a work by the Czech Republic's most distinguished living composer. The festival takes the form of a competition for amateur choirs in 4 categories; male, female, mixed and children's choirs. They are invited to compete with a 15-minute program of Advent and Christmas repertoire over the 4 days of the festival with most of the concerts taking place in the Old Town Square. The jury decides the winner, with the Petr Eben prize as an additional award, not necessarily to be awarded to the overall winning choir. Festival Alternativa (November-December) Prague's renowned Archa Theatre hosts the truly original Festival Alternativa, a mixture of experimental music, drama, film and dance. There are also other venues involved including Club Delta and Kastan; both night clubs in Prague. Each night of the festival, a different performer takes the limelight. The festival showcases performers and groups from all over the world covering a wide range of the arts. The Christmas and New Year season closes the year quietly for most of the Czech Republic, but Prague is crowded with tourists during the holiday season.
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This is one of the great post-war festivals and has become very popular. It is the starting signal for the annual European jamboree, which continues with Lucerne and Salzburg a couple of months later. 
This festival was first held in Luhacevice in 1993 and celebrates the life of Moravia's most famous composer of 20th century music, Janácek. The artistic Indian summer that Janácek underwent here, inspired by his young (married) lady friend, Kamila Stösslová, is legendary. It resulted in his last 4 operas and his best-known orchestral works, as well as more than 600 letters he wrote to her. 
The festival starts with the Pardubice Solstice weekend (Slunovrat) at the end of May. 
