French tightrope walker to open Prague's summer circus festival with a daring walk above the Vltava

Prague’s annual festival of summer circus, Letní Letná, is one of the Czech capital’s most highly anticipated events. This year the festival, nearly three weeks of pageantry and performance, kicks off on the evening of August 14th (6 pm) with a dazzling highwire act: world-renowned tightrope walker Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga will cross a 350-meter tightrope 35 meters above the Vltava River.

The evening continues with several open-air shows at Letná. An acrobatic-dance show inspired by Shamanism and Shamanic mystique, a new street performance by a pair of young performers, Zuzana Drábová from Cink Cink Cirk and Jan Jirák from Feel The Universe Circus Company, and an informal performance by the Argentine-Spanish band La Orquesta at the festival bar are the evening’s highlights.

Cirque Alfons will return to Letní Letná with their bold novelty act, Tabarnak. The three acrobats from the Théâtre d’Un Jour captivated audiences in 2011 with their acrobatic performances, graceful pirouettes, and seemingly endless human pyramids. Soprano Julia Calbete accompanies the performance to lend it a whole new dimension.

Visitors can also look forward to an explosive and playful yet risky performance by artists from the leading French New Circus ensembles in their unique PDF Project, which Letní Letná audiences will be one of the first to experience outside of France. Cirque Aïtal aka Viktor Cathala and Kati Pikkarainen will present their latest performance, Saison du Cirque (Circus Season) where traditional circus meets the present. A unique spectacle that connects many styles and talents from around the world.

The unique atmosphere, original stories, and excellent acting and artistic performances on display at Letní Letná attract thousands of spectators every year. This year, organizers are also planning several “street” performances worth seeing.