Theatres and galleries across Prague will light up to symbolize the importance of culture

Lighthouses of Czech culture will light up all over the Czech Republic on Monday, October 12, at 7:30 pm. An initiative to highlight the importance of culture in people’s lives likens the venues to lighthouses, which help to guide sailors at sea.

Lights will appear on top of places where concerts, theater performances, film screenings and exhibition openings would normally be taking place at that moment, if there was no coronavirus pandemic. The event is not meant to be seen as a protest, but as a reminder of the need for entertainment.

The initiative is supported by #kulturunezastavíš (don’t stop culture), which prepared dozens of outdoor events mixing circus, theater and concerts during the spring, when government regulations forced the closing of cultural institutions. With a recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, cultural institutions are facing closures mandated for two weeks and more regulations expected until the situation is under control.

The initiators of the Lighthouses of Czech culture event invite all cinemas, theaters, clubs or exhibition networks to join in to show people they are still here and remind people of the importance of entertainment.

Currently, several institutions have promised to join the event including the National Theatre in Prague, the National Theatre in Brno, the Klicpera Theater in Hradec Králové, the Naive Theatre in Liberec, Jatka78 in Prague, UFFO in Trutnov and others.

“Join #kulturunezastavíš and you will stop by and send a clear light signal to the world with us on Monday that culture is still with us despite the closures. Let's show where we entertain our viewers everywhere under other circumstances,” Rosťa Novák Jr. said. He and his ensemble Cirk La Putyka were involved in launching the #kulturunezastavíš initiative.

“Let's light the sky instead of having a performance, concert, movie screening or other unrealized event. Let's light a lighthouse of Czech culture because culture does not fail its viewers, and thanks to their support will not fail itself. We will be together again! We'll make it! Safely and with respect for government measures,” he added.

“The whole event is not for the purpose of protesting government regulations. We symbolically point out the paralysis of culture, cultural facilities, the cultural industry and all its personnel components,” he said.

The participating institutions will place a light on the roof or in another place, which will shine toward the sky on October 12 from 7.30 pm. “Let it shine all night or for as long as possible. It doesn't matter if you had a show or an event at that time,” the organizers stated.

The event is similar to one held at the end of September called #WeMakeEvents, which highlighted the plight of people working in the entertainment industry. The Prague nightclub Roxy was among the participants.