Prague’s top 10 weekend events: Haunted castle, graveyard walk, and feline fun

As Halloween fast approaches, spooky season is underway with a program arranged in the French park at the Dobříš castle just outside of Prague this Saturday. Children will be occupied with activities in the morning, while a haunted event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. will frighten even the older attendees. Food and drink can be purchased in the castle restaurant.

Head to the Rudolfinum from Oct. 18 to 20 where the front will be filled with a frenzy of Czech artists selling their products, street food, draft beers, wines, and more. The UM FALL FESTIVAL will be accompanied by musical talent from Ježkárna and singers from the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory. Admission is free.

The Czech Republic’s biggest ‘sweet event’, Chokofest, is taking over Galeria Harfa from Oct. 18 to 20. Dozens of stalls will be offering chocolate delicacies along with tastings, concerts, and competitions. Prepare to try unique flavor combinations, such as chocolate with lavender, panna cotta, and even worms!

Street Food returns to the Smíchovská embankment on Oct. 19 with all your favorite meals, snacks and sweet treats. Musical performances will soundtrack your gastronomic retreat, and you can look forward to pizza from Pizza Buona, New York hot dogs from Station Anděl, twice-fried Czech potatoes from Mr. Potato, and more.

Spend a day with gorgeous felines at the Holešovice Market, where an exhibition of cats from associations and shelters will be looking for a loving home. This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cats from the Market you will be able to meet plenty of sweet kitties, pick up supplies for your own beloved pet, or meet your new one.

Return to childhood or bring your own kids along to the re-opening of Letňany’s annual Winter Wonderland park, full of spectacular light installations and rides. Characters from Shrek, Ice Age, Madagascar, and more will make a glowing appearance, and you can look forward to adrenaline-pumping rides and haunted houses.

The Met in New York City is in its 2024/25 season of opera performances, but that needn’t mean you miss out; since 2007, Aerofilms has been streaming these shows in high definition to the Czech Republic, and this year is no exception. On Oct. 19, Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded, the operatic story of a female soldier, will be broadcast live at Kino Světozor and Cinestar cinemas.

Shift to something more pixellated at the DOX ART*VR festival, running until Oct. 20. The festival explores the position of women in the virtual reality sphere, with this year’s slogan aptly being “Beyond the Glass Ceiling”. Witness performative VR projects, impressive physical installations, and a thematic section by female artists which will be on display until Nov. 10.

Explore the evocative world of Czech photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková at an in-depth retrospective held at the National Gallery until March 30, 2025. Known for capturing raw, intimate moments of nightlife in Prague in the 1970s, and the experiences of Roma, Vietnamese and Cuban minorities in the 1980s, Jarcovjáková’s work spans decades, offering a poignant look at human vulnerability and resilience.

Putting on a show that will send you to hyperspace, German band Einstürzende Neubauten are performing on Oct. 18 at Prague's Forum Karlín, with new music that is described as "alien pop music" from their latest album Rampen.

A seemingly morbid industry will bring life to death over the weekend as the Cemeteries and Funeral Services of the Capital City of Prague will bring a different angle to the topic. A stacked program (much of which has already reached full capacity) includes tours of funeral studios, crematoriums, cemeteries, and more. If you miss out, however, a freely accessible open-air exhibition on Mariánské náměstí presents information on the history of burials in the metropolis for the rest of October.