Halloween Parties in Prague 2011

Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, dates way back. Many Historians attribute the origins of the celebration to the Roman feast of Pomona, (the goddess of fruits and seeds) or perhaps from the festival of the dead called Parentalia. Either way, by the late 19th century it had become traditional for those observing the festival to dress up in guises. Devils, angels, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and monsters were all popular choices. By the early 20th century, Halloween parties had become such a popular event that companies were mass-producing costumes and goodies for Halloweeners of all ages.

Holešovice’s super club throws its annual Halloweekender! Dress to impress as there will be judges looking out for the fanciest costume at the bash. Student Zone & Erasmus Prague will present the double-barreled event: Friday night serves as the semi-final and Saturday night is the grand final for the costume competition. There’s over 40,000 CZK worth of prizes and 15,000 CZK cash on offer for the best dressed partygoer in the categories: ‘sexiest costume’, ‘scariest costume’, ‘funniest costume’, and ‘group costume’. Important information on the rules and conditions for the competition can be found on the Blood Sexy Facebook page.

Friday is a public holiday in the Czech Republic, so what better way to start the weekend early than by joining the spooky festivities down at Retro Music Hall on Thursday. Live music on the night will be provided by the energetic, Prague-based band CCTV Allstars. DJs Big J, Pat Heart, and Stevie Weenie will be playing before and after the live band. Food will be provided courtesy of Bohemia Bagel, Jáma, and Fraktal, with prizes from Lime & Tonic. The evening proceedings will be handled by Dr. Bob.

Lucerna Music Bar offers the unimaginatively-named Halloween event on Monday night. Halloween is an evening of live music from the Gallic band Bran. The seven-piece band will have support from Czech-based M3 and Rond, who have gathered a large following within the Republic thanks to their Celtic sounds. Lucerna’s Halloween event is far more traditional than the others. My research showed no evidence of competitions or prizes for the best costume. Not even apple bobbing! Which lead me to believe that this isn’t really a costume affair. So be warned, you may end up being the only skeleton or witch at the party!

From the guys behind the popular & progressive Loud Noises podcast comes the All Hallows Eat The Peach indie Disco special. The basic premise of the evening is loud indie music, very cheap alcohol, 90s-style interior (which is a permanent fixture in the Peach Pit!) and crazy dance moves. Entry to this casually cool event is free, outlandish costumes are optional but black garments are encouraged. Check out the regular Loud Noises Podcast to get a taste of what’s in store for the Halloween Special. Strong language and opinions which are not fully endorsed by Expats.cz await.