Best things to do in Prague this week, Aug. 26–Sept. 1

Ongoing

The Letní Letná festival of new circus and theater continues until Aug. 31 in tents in northwest corner of Letná park. Many but not all of the performances have no language barrier, and there are shows and activities for children. Highlights this week include "The Deer In The Headlights" by Cirque Le Roux and "L'avis Bidon" by Cirque La Compagnie. More info is on the festival website and Facebook.

The new exhibition Cache (Mezipaměť) at Galerie Rudolfinum runs to Oct. 31, and admission is free thanks to sponsors. The Czech-German project has works that verify physically existing world or reflects the disappearance of physical presence. “Cache neutralizes shocks to ensure the functioning of human consciousness, but also obliterates the traces of what caused the shock,” according to the curator. More info on the gallery website and Facebook.

Thursday, Aug. 26

The Prague Symphony Orchestra will play the second night of the annual FOK in the Wallenstein Garden concerts on Aug. 26 at 5 pm, with voluntary admission. The program includes works by Beethoven, Dvořák, and Tchaikovsky followed by popular film music from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Game of Thrones,” and “Dinner for Adele.” More info on the FOK website and Facebook.

People who like to see new cars can swing by the both sides of Náplavka for the fourth Auta Na Náplavce, running Aug. 26–29. There will also be concerts from stars like Ewa Farna, Debbi, and Monkey Business. Admission is free. More info on the festival website and Facebook.

Contemporary architecture in vulnerable landscapes is the theme of Arctic Nordic Alpine, at Galerie Jaroslava Fragnera which opens at 7 pm on Aug. 26 then runs to Oct. 13. The exhibition focuses on Snøhett studio, which takes sustainable approach and is becoming a model for the world. More info on the gallery website and Facebook.

Friday, Aug. 27

The hard to classify show Bruce Mcclure: Fylfot-Tower of the Winds mixes performance art with projections into a form he calls projector performances. He will be at Letohradská 10 in Prague 7 on Aug. 27 from 8 to 9 pm. More info on Facebook.

A special screening of the film new Greek film Apples, which played at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, will be followed by a recorded Q&A in English with the writer/director Christos Nikou. The screening, with English and Czech subtitles, takes place at Edison Film Hub on Aug. 27 at 7 pm. More info on the cinema website and Facebook.

The seventh edition of the Bazaar Festival, with the subtitle We Are the Landscape, runs Aug. 27–30 in various venues. Progressive performers who are not afraid to take risks use theater and dance to explore this year’s theme. The festival promotes freedom of expression for artists from post-communist countries. More info is on the festival website and Facebook.

Saturday, Aug. 28

The multicultural festival Barevná devítka runs from noon to 10 pm on Aug. 28 in Podviní in Prague 9-Vysočany. Bands from different backgrounds, ethnic food, a market, and games will celebrate the diversity of not only the district and but also the entire country. Musical highlights include the African band Bijou Camara and the Persian band Shahab Tolouie Trio. Free entry. For more info see the festival website and Facebook.

Someone else’s trash might be your treasure. Second Chance is a flea market on the roof of Lucerna on Aug. 28 from 11 am to 10 pm. More on Facebook.

The 24th edition of the Respect Festival takes over the park on Rohanský ostrov on Aug. 28 and 29 starting at 2 pm each day and running to 10 pm. As the name implies, the main theme is tolerance. International and local musical acts will perform, and there is program for children. More info, including how to get tickets, on the festival website and Facebook.

Highlights from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will screen in Prague as part of a mini fest called Šary Vary. It runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 3 at the Aero, Světozor, and Přítomnost cinemas. Note that only some screenings are English-friendly. More info on the cinema website and festival website.

The district of Libeň celebrates 120 years since it joined Prague. On Aug. 28 from 2 pm to 6 pm in from of the administrative building (White House) at U Meteoru 6. There will be musical and dance performances, and a program for kids including a bouncy castle. This event is free, but a related theatrical performance in Czech at Libeňský zámek requires tickets. More info on the Prague 8 website.

A new staging of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni premieres Aug. 28 and 29 at 7 pm at the Estates Theatre, where the work first appeared in 1797. This new take on the opera is created by Swedish-Norwegian stage director Alexander Mørk-Eidem and German conductor and Mozart specialist Karsten Januschke. It is performed in Italian, with Czech and English surtitles. Additional performances are scheduled until December. More info on the National Theatre website.

Sunday, Aug. 29

The weather is cooling off, but hopefully it will be warm enough for the Prague Ice Cream Festival, held Aug. 29 from 10 am to 7 pm at Výstaviště in Holešovice. The festival claims to be the largest of its kind in Central Europe, and will have vendors from neighboring countries as well as Czech makers of of ice cream, gelato, yogurt, and sorbets, as well as other types of food and beverages. Tickets required More info on the festival website and Facebook.

The Karlínský street food festival takes over the Karlín Market on Karlínské náměstí on Aug. 29 from 10 am to 6 pm. More on Facebook.  

Dan Bárta & Robert Balzar Trio are at the summer stage (letní scéna) at Vyšehrad on Aug. 29 at 8 pm. Bárta, normally known for rock, also dabbles in jazz, and his cooperation with Robert Balzar Trio goes back to 1999. More info on the event website.

Czech folk singer Jarek Nohavica as four concerts on Aug. 29, 30, and Sept. 1 – each day at 7 pm plus one at 4:30 pm on Aug. 30 – at the summer stage under the Žižkov TV Tower. While all are sold out, the sound will likely fill the surrounding park. More info on the theater website and Facebook.

Monday, Aug. 30

You can Taste Fake Meat at Černá labuť on Aug. 30 from noon to 6 pm, and from 2 pm a jury will evaluate the best entries. Entry to the tastings on the first and second floor are free, while tickets are required for events including the judging on the eighth floor. More information on the CzechTourism website.

Tuesday, Aug. 31

Several Czech actors try their hands at pop and rock in Ungelt Sings! on Aug 31 at pm at the summer stage at Nový Svět, the street near the castle district that seems lost in time. (Note it is not at Ungelt). More info on the theater website.

Czech-Moravian singer and former pentathlete Tomáš Klus will be at the Lucerna Music Bar Open Air stage at Ledárny Braník on Aug. 31 at 8 pm. He won the Czech Nightingale award in 2012, one of the few times that Karel Gott did not come in first. More info on the venue website.

Wednesday, Sept. 1

Bedřich Smetana’s opera The Bartered Bride is at the National Theatre on Sept. 1 at 7 pm. The classic work set among lovers in a village is performed in Czech with Czech and English surtitles. This production was first staged in 2008. More info is on the National Theatre website.