Prague After Dark: 11 Events for Night Owls

Night of Ads-Gluttons (Noc reklamožroutů), March 26
Do you like to procrastinate by watching funny ads on YouTube? Wel, you can spend 5 hours watching the best of them at Hostivař cinema! You don’t even have to search for the ads yourself – the promoters of the Night of Ads-Gluttons will do the job for you. The event kicks off first in Prague and then moves to Brno and Olomouc. (450 CZK)

Prague Fashion Night, March 27 and September 10
This event elevates Prague nights to posh heights! Pařížská Street is the fashion centre of Prague and all the designers and boutiques here and on the surrounding streets (Železná, Rytířská, …) will welcome night shoppers with refreshments, sales, demonstrations, and much more. Stores will stay open till 10 pm on this special night. Participating retailers include: TIFFANY & CO., Dolce and Gabbana, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Klara Nademlýnská, Beata Rajská and, many others.

Prague Fashion Night 2013

Night tours through greenhouse Fata Morgana (Botanická zahrada), till March 22
Does the thought of spending a night alone in the jungle terrify you? Then steer clear of the Prague Botanic Garden on Fridays and Saturdays evenings till March 22nd! You could run the risk of being kidnapped by an organized group for a night walk through the wilderness of the garden. Reserve your spot here. It’s filling up quite fast! (150 CZK)

Fata Morgana greenhouse

Literature Night (Noc literatury), May 14
Literature Night’s purpose is to introduce literature from around the world to Czech audiences via a public reading of 19 works of world literature in Czech translation. While this may not sound appealing to expats who don’t speak Czech, these readings will host the original authors with whom audience members can wax poetic in their native languages. Readings will take place in a number of Prague 3 locations which are normally closed to the public, such as the Fallout Shelter Club under Parukářka, Higher School of Applied Arts, the Film Studios of Petra Vachler Pokrok, Viktorka Žižkov, City Hall, and more. Entry is free.

Literature Night 2013

Night of Churches (Noc kostelů), May 23
Not only will you be able to enter the hidden corners of many of the most sacred places in Prague (and the whole republic), you will also be treated to exciting accompanying programmes during the Night of Churches in May. Are you into bells? Have you never heard live organ music before? Is your collection missing a church-themed beer cap? Visit them all. More and more Czech cities are taking part in this event which is, as always, free.

Night of Churches 2013, archiv NK, Miloš Szabo

Prague Museum Night (Pražská muzejní noc), June 14
If you feel like enduring sore heels from standing in a neverending queue, get ready for the 11th year of the incredibly popular Prague Museum Night. Last year, 38 institutions opened their doors to the public for a little late-night art appreciation. The National Gallery, Jewish Museum, and Botanic Garden among them. And what’s more? You don’t have to pay a single koruna.

Karel Zeman Museum

ZOO Prague / Tomáš Adamec

Night ZOO Tours, August, September
Not all the animals in Prague ZOO sleep at night. Many look forward to chilling out after a day of being exposed to a hundred probing eyes. (With the exception of those nights when a small group of people using flashlights visit them after hours!) You can be one of them, enjoying wildlife by night with an experienced zoo guide. Night tours at the Prague ZOO take place in August, September, (and December and January) on every Friday and Saturday. If you don’t want to wait till the summer, organize a group of people, pay 8,000 CZK and you can go on a ZOO hike any time.

Night Run (Grand Prix Praha), September 6
What could be a better night out than a sweaty, sporty, challenging and winning one? Soak up the balmy, glowing night streets of Prague while running through the middle of it. You can also expect concerts, performances and other programs as a reward at the finish line on the Square. The historical centre will be cleared of traffic. You can register through RunCzech.cz, choose to run 10 km or 5 km (for women) and pay 800 CZK till the end of April or 1,000 CZK afterwards.

Night Run Grand Prix Praha

Theatre Night (Noc divadel), November 15
This is the second event in our line-up that targets mostly Czech audiences, but you may surprised to discover something enjoyable even if it’s lost in translation. This night is a great opportunity to sneak into a number of typically prohibited and hidden corners of many of Prague’s theatres (even the National Theatre). Share the nervous moments with actors before a performance and then discuss it with them in opened-late theatre café or bar. You may find it easier to understand new cirque plays (Klub Mlejn) or dance performances (Divadlo Ponec). 90% of the programme is for free, you just need to register in advance on the website. Some institutions, such as Divadlo v Dlouhé, may require a small donation.

Night cruises, ongoing
It is said that the world looks better when you’re on a horse! Not true! It looks better when you are on a boat. Do you prefer an open deck or a cabin? Do you want to eat or drink? Do you want to listen to a band or just to the lapping waves? Here are some examples of cruise offerings, prices will vary due to the options you choose, but they usually start at 600 CZK per person: Parníky Praha, Plavby Praha, Plavby Vltava, Cruise Prague or Parník Vyšehrad.

foto Petr Klapper / www.klapper.cz

Evening tours as the Museum of Gastronomy, ongoing
Prague’s newly opened Museum of Gastronomy offers a wealth of activities apart from just exhibitions. Cooking classes, tastings, and even night tours – explore “the secrets of old kitchens with torches” – are all on the menu. Adventurers will each receive a torch and will be guided through a tour of a recreation of a historic pub complete with beer and mead tasting. (200 CZK).