Prague's top 10 weekend events: Monument mania, hops for days, and a sky-high milestone

A feast for the eyes will be served up at two gorgeous locations in Prague for the Czech Design Week, running from Sept. 5 to 8. The 11th edition of the festival will showcase hundreds of Czech and foreign designers, brands and studios in the Mánes Exhibition Hall and the Clam-Gallas Palace. The topic of artificial intelligence will be front and center, as artists confront the increasing disruption of traditional processes of art creation - lectures and discussions will be included in the program.

Pay tribute to one of the most famous Czech composers, Antonín Dvořák, with a one-day event at his birthplace in Nelahozeves - just a short train ride from Prague. The Dvořák Nelahozeves Classical Music Festival will see concerts take place in his childhood home and the Renaissance Lobkowicz Nelahozeves Castle this Sunday, with a repertoire of his finest works along with interpretations by pianist Ivo Kahánek and scholarship winners of the Czech Chamber Academy.

The European Heritage Days, running from Sept. 7 to 15, will grant access to nearly 700 often-inaccessible monuments across the Czech Republic. This year’s theme is Monuments Connect the World, and the program will include the office space where Franz Kafka worked as a clerk from 1908-1922 (shaping his literary themes of bureaucracy and office culture), the historic 12th century garden at U Censorů House, a baroque mansion, and more.

From today, British artist Antony Gormley and Czech architect and poet Pavla Melková’s sensory-simulating installations and sculptures will be on display at the Rudolfinum. The exhibition Antony Gormley / Pavla Melková aims to enhance viewers’ awareness of the spaces they inhabit and how they interact with objects and the world around them. The exhibit will run until January 5, 2025.

A weekend of revered Czech pop music and water activities will unfold at Biotope Radotín for the Biotopdays festival. On Sept. 6, Tata_bojs.doc, a documentary about the iconic band Tata Boys, will be screened and followed up with an epic concert set by the band themselves. The following day, varied activities for children and water and sports activities will be running at the lake.

This weekend in Vysehrad is extra special because of the (20th!) Vyšehrátky festival, running from Sept. 5 to 9. The program includes a wide range of activities for children anywhere between 10 months up to at least 10 years. From baby yoga, workshops to theatre performances. You can buy your tickets in advance or on the spot. There will also be a BabyBar with refreshments.

Plenty of hops to be had this weekend, starting with the Nomad Beer Festival 2024 - the only event in the Czech Republic dedicated to ‘létajícím pivovarům’ or ‘flying breweries’ - a term for breweries that don’t have their own production facilities, instead using the assistance of a local brewer. Microbreweries will also be in attendance. The festival will start on Sept. 6 at 2 p.m. at Náplavka Farm Market and run until Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entry includes a 0.3l glass mug.

Head to the Saturday Markets in Kulaťák for the popular Small Brewery Festival this weekend, which is welcoming Pivovar Polička, Pivovar Pacov, and Pivovar Záhora. Along with the wide selection of beer from over 20 small breweries, there will be street food and musicians.

From Sept. 7 to 8, prepare your tastebuds for gourmet burgers at the Výstaviště PrimaBurgerfest, which will bring together highly acclaimed restaurants from Czechia and beyond and give their culinary skills a grilling. Beef eaters will delight in the output of quality burgers, and along with cooking shows, music, and entertainment, even dabblers in meat eating will be amused. North America will have a huge presence at the festival, with a pin-up fashion show, electric four-wheelers, and more making appearances.

Hundreds are expected to usher in Letňany Airport’s historical milestone on Saturday, with Letňany Airport Day 2024 celebrating 100 years of the airport and 100 planes. Admission is free and will allow you to see a presentation of hundreds of planes, an appearance from a Czechoslovak World War II veteran, flight demonstrations, and a collector’s fair.