Prague Festivals and Seasonal Events
Prague Festivals – Prague by Month
The links below take you to specific pages so if you know what month you will be here then you’ll find tips on what to wear, eating and drinking, festivals and things to do. Might be things on once a week or weekends or even a one-day event.
Prague in January
Prague in February
Prague in March
Prague in April
Prague in May
Prague in June
Prague in July
Prague in August
Prague in September
Prague in October
Prague in November
Prague in December
Well let’s get to the main Seasonal Prague Festivals in order.
January – Three Kings
The first festival of the year in January 6th where people dress up as the three holy kings Casper, Melchior and Balthsar who wander around giving gifts and writing on door frames to wish people good fortune in the new year. You’ll see K+M+B or C+M+B and the year.
February – Carnival
Almost always in February it’s the “Mardi Gras” season. Unlike parts of Germany, the Czechs don’t have any holiday time during the period so it’s more likely to be evening entertainment. Some processions and theatre performances.
March/April – Easter
March/April depending on the calendar. Easter is the most famous of the spring Prague Festivals. It’s not something that is immediately obvious in the centre of town because the bulk of the tradition i.e. the “whipping” generally goes on in the small towns and villages around Prague. But the festival itself follows a set timetable and you’ll find Easter Markets will set up in the same places as Christmas Markets (in fact you can only tell the difference by the spring decoration and there being no Christmas baubles for sale). Read about typical celebrations on the Easter page including the traditions for decoration, food and religious events.
April – Witches Night
The end of winter festival is celebrated all over the country on April 30th. Mostly it’s an evening out in the fresh air but some places make a day of it. Either way it’s a great way to meet people. The celebration, the differences between town and village customs and places to go are on the Witches Night page.
May – May Day
The 1st of May is a national holiday here. It’s not a thing that you’ll find in Prague but in the towns around the city there will be Maypole celebrations.
May – Navalis
Navalis is a one-day celebration of Jan Nepomuk and combines a religious part with a boat regatta and fireworks and is always on May 15th. Read more on the Navalis page.
June to September
There will be multiple pop-up food and drink festivals in this period which I describe on the Prague Food Festivals page.
October – Signal Light
This is an artistic light display festival over a long weekend, generally it’s around the second week of October. Various venues around the city host a series of “light” art either projecting images onto buildings or other available structures. Read more on the Signal Light Festival page.
November – ST Martins
This is a one-day festival on November 11th but the food part (goose and a special ST Martin’s wine is the tradition) can be found a week either side. Processions in the city usually see ST Martin mounted on a white horse which also has historic meaning as you’ll find if the read about the ST Martins Festival.
December – Mikuláš Night
On December 5th during the day you’ll notice nothing particularly different but after dark, Prague will be flooded with people dressed as Bishops, Angels and Devils to celebrate the old Czech Christmas. It’s mostly for kids as you would expect but, sing a nice tune and if you have been good this year then you might get a present from the Bishop. Otherwise, expect the piece of coal. Read more about the history of this particular celebration on the Mikuláš page.
December – Christmas
Prague is a popular destination during the Christmas Holidays to celebrate the Prague Festivals of “Mikulas” and “Christmas”. It is usually cold and sometimes you can catch some snow. People like to visit the Christmas Markets, eat and drink out on the street and generally enjoy the city at this seasonal time. The Christmas page explains what to expect in the way of markets, entertainment, food and souvenirs etc. There are also links to videos made on previous visits to the markets. Don’t forget that the main Christmas holiday here is December 24th.
December/January – New Year
Search YouTube for “New Year in Prague” and it won’t be long before you find fireworks. Some people like to combine Christmas and New Year but as the average stay in the city is only 3 nights then it’s more popular to come for one or the other. On the evening of the 31st you’ll need a restaurant reservation and clubs will operate a “wristband” policy for readmission after midnight. This is all explained on the New Year page along with lots of tips for how to pick a good place to stay to avoid taxi troubles and where to avoid some of the more crazy fireworks.