Two culinary events are scheduled for the last weekend of May. One is all about beer and Czech dishes, while the other includes recipes from around the world. If you want to sample the best from a selection of Czech breweries and butchers go to Letňany exhibition grounds where the Czech Beer Festival takes place. If looking for something more exotic, asparagus perhaps, don’t miss the Prague Food Festival, a gastronomic party taking place at multiple venues between the Charles and Mánesův bridges from Friday till Sunday.
But maybe you are on a diet and ready to explore something new. How about a trip to Moravia? Every year, on the last Sunday of May, the South Moravian village of Vlčnov celebrates the Ride of Kings, a folklore festival full of local costumes, music and ribbon-decorated horses. In addition to that, the village resting at the base of White Carpatian Mountains, gives a great opportunity for hikes and, this is Moravia after all, wine tasting.
Also in Moravia, in the north, the International Music Festival Janáčkův máj is already in full swing featuring some of the world’s foremost musicians, such as vocalist Magdalena Kožená, German violinist Veronika Eberle and clarinetist Sharon Kam. This year’s edition focuses on the work of Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů and film music. Among the festival venues are the Mining Museum in Ostrava and the Silesian Ostrava Castle.
If going farther north, on the Czech-Polish border, the International Theatre Festival Bez Hranic opens on Tuesday, 2 June. Since its first staging in 1990, the festival has become a platform for Czech, Polish, Slovak and Hungarian theatre groups. Taking place in Český Těšín and Poland’s Cieszyn through Saturday, 6 June, the event will offer visual and verbal theatre, multimedia shows, clowns, circus and lots of music.
The Khamoro festival of Romani culture continues around various venues in Prague. Today, you can see four young and talented guitarists Basily Boys at Reduta Jazz Club, before the traditional Romani music takes the stage on Thursday and Friday. Be ready to come to Můstek tomorrow at noon for a parade of artists taking the streets of the historical centre. In the evening you can stop at Roxy for a little bit of Gypsy blood and lots of emotions in Mediterranean-Gypsy style by Italy’s Acquaragia Drom.
The contemporary dance festival Tanec Praha kicks off Tuesday, 2 June, and the opening performance, Good Morning, Mr. Gershwin by France’s Compagnie Montalvo-Hervieu, is expected to set high standards. Other highlights include the Swiss Compagnie Drift, Anouk van Dijk and the Slovak ElleDanse. You better hurry to get tickets for the show you like as they usually get sold pretty fast. Or you can find out when the International Day of Dance is celebrated and email us the answer by midnight, 31 May. You may be one of the two winners to get two tickets for ElleDanse’s Canto Hondo, a deep song about her…, a piece that was awarded the Dosky 2008 Prize for the best performance, directory, and scenic music.
The NethWorks.cz festival of contemporary Dutch culture has been underway. Today, one of the festival’s events, an exhibition Horror Vacui, is opening at Jaroslav Fragner Gallery on Betlémské náměstí. The exhibit provides a survey of about 20 recently implemented or planned projects and a series of photographs that show the urban implosion in several Dutch cities.
Beginning on Thursday, the Cervantes Institute will run a series of films from Cuba. Two films by the late director Humberto Solás, Barrio Cuba and Miel para Oshún, will open the event at 5pm and 7pm. Further screenings are scheduled for 11, 18 and 25 June. Most films will have English subtitles.
After last year’s great success, UK’s rock band Jethro Tull is coming back to Prague to throw another unforgettable performance with Ian Anderson playing the flute. They will play at the Congress Centre 31 May and 1 June.