The best things to do in Prague this week, July 15–21

Ongoing

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream can now be enjoyed from the new scoop shop at Manifesto Florenc. Founded in the U.S. state of Vermont in 1978, the brand is known for milk from breeders whose cows spend at least 180 days a year, six hours a day on free-range pasture. Other ingredients are Fair Trade certified. All the flavors will be served into a cone, a cup, or sold in takeaway in pints. Of their eight original flavors, Chocolate Fudge Brownies is one of the most popular. Other flavors to try include Peanut Butter Cup, Cookie Dough, and Cherry Garcia.

Thursday, July 15

Carl Davis conducts Hollywood Night as part of the Prague Proms festival. The eclectic selections will cover hits from westerns, comedies, science fiction, and action films. Davis will lead the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, featuring soloist Vojtech Szabó on the accordion. The concert takes place July 15 at 7 pm in the Smetana Hall of Obecní dům. More information is on the festival website.

Never Sol, the stage name of Sára Vondrášková, is a prominent songwriter and performer on the domestic alternative scene. She creates a distinctive melancholic sound with analog synthesizers. The concert is the first in a series called Playing Divas. She will perform in the garden of Atrium na Žižkově on July 15 at 6:30 pm. Ticket information is on the Atrium website.

Collapse will be performed by Losers Cirque Company as part of the summer season in the garden of St. Agnes Cloister (Klášter sv. Anežky České). The company reminds us that collapsing is part of life, and something we must all deal with. The show is on July 15 at 8 pm. More info is on the the company's website.

Krtkův cirkus, aimed at young viewers, is held in a tent in Prague’s Horní Měcholupy district. Among the attractions is one of the world’s top jugglers Alan Šulc and 12-year old gymnast Vanessa Šulcová. The youngest viewers will enjoy the clown Francesco. Performances are daily at 1 pm and 4 pm until July 17 and at 11 am and 3 pm on July 18. some Czech language skills required. More info is on the circus website and on Facebook.

Máj 4. Patro on fourth the at the former Tesco building on Národní – still known to many by its original name Máj – is a temporary summer stage run by Palác Akropolis. DJs will be there July 15 and 16 starting at 6 pm, and coming Thursdays and Fridays for the rest of the summer. Entry is free. More info is on the venue’s website.

Friday, July 16

Praha žije hudbou brings live music to Prague’s streets on July 16 and 17. There will be over 250 concerts by musicians of various genres, from pop to classical music, as well as a number of theater performances and slam poetry. Highlights include jazz trumpeter Laco Deczi with the Celula New York ensemble, singer Ondřej Ruml, multi-genre band minus123minut, folk-pop singer-songwriter Voxel, multi-instrumentalist Bára Zmeková, and beatbox masters Endru and Tiny Beat. The classical music program is produced this year in cooperation with the Prague Spring Festival. More info is on the festival website and Facebook.

Wine and Music on the Island offers two days of food, drink, music, performances, and contests on Střelecký ostrov. A highlight will be a flyboarding show on Friday at 6 pm, along with chances to try out the sport under supervision. The festival takes place Friday, July 16, from 3 pm to 10 pm and Saturday, July 17, from noon to 10 pm. More information is on the Facebook event page.

Saturday, July 17

The State Opera underwent a massive renovation recenlty, but few people have seen the results due to cancelation of most of the season last year. But you can now see not only the ornate main hall but also some of the behind-the-scenes areas with a 50-minute guided tour in English. The group meets at 11:30 am on July 17 in front of the main entrance. More info is on the National Theatre website.

Prague Rooftop Festival will be having an evening movie night on July 17 with hopefully amazing views of the city from a rooftop yet to be determined. Tickets, though, for the event are on sale through the Goout network and more information should be available on Facebook festival page and the event page before the event takes place. 

Jiří Šalamoun has entertained generations of Czech with animated segments about the talking dog Maxipes Fík. He is also a book illustrator and head of the book graphics department at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM). The show Jiří Šalamoun Kdo neviděl, neuvěří, to mně věřte (Who hasn’t seen, won’t believe, believe me!) opens at Museum Kampa on July 17 and runs daily to Sept. 30. More info on the museum website.

The Three Times Before movie marathon brings together all three of Richard Linklater’s films about the intercontinental romance between an American writer (Ethan Hawke) and a Parisian woman (Julie Delpy) – Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight. The marathon is at kino Aero on July 17 starting at 5 pm. More info in on the cinema website and on Facebook.

Sunday, July 18

Orchestra in a Tent – Italian Night sees the PKF – Prague Philharmonia perform Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Italian Symphony and Rossini’s Italian in Algeria overture, plus Mozart’s popular Little Night Music. The concert is July 18 at 7:30 pm at Azyl78, the tent in Výstaviště. More info is on the Azyl78 website and Facebook event page.

Out of the City (Cesta z města) will play with English subtitles on the roof of the Radost building on July 18 at 9 pm. The Czech comedy from the year 2000 was directed by Tomáš Vorel and features Tomáš Hanák, Michal Vorel, Barbora Nimcová-Schlesinger, Bolek Polívka, Eva Holubová, Milan Šteindler, Ondřej Trojan, and Aleš Najbrt, among others. A computer programmer finds himself stuck in a small village for the summer, but life there isn§t so bad. More info on the kino Lucerna and Dům Radost websites.

Monday, July 19

Stuart Dybek, an American poet and fiction writer, will have a reading and Q&A over Zoom as part of the Prague Summer Program for Writers. It will take place in small screening room of the Kino Světozor on July 19 at 8:45 pm. More info in on the Facebook event page.

The Loser(s) uses new circus techniques to explore how many people are losing their personality and vision of both their private and partner life due to the accelerated pace of modern life. The show on July 19 at 8 pm is another entry in Losers Cirque Company’s summer season in the garden of St. Agnes Cloister (Klášter sv. Anežky České). More information is on the More info is on the company’s website.

Tuesday, July 20

Summer Festivities of Early Music 2021 has seven concerts in various venues including the newly restored Baroque Hall in Šlechtovka as well as the garden at Troja and several churches. . The subtitle of the festival’s 22nd season is “Nobilitas,” and the concerts will reflect aristocratic values, refinement and “nobility,” as well as how these concepts have changed over time in relation to European musical culture. Letní slavnosti staré hudby runs July 20 to Aug. 5. More information is on the festival website and Facebook page.

Wednesday, July 21

Tamer Kattan – An Alien From NYC is live on stage at Kino Světozor on July 21 at 8:30 pm. The Egyptian-born American's international experiences include tours for the UN troops in Afghanistan, performing at the American University in Cairo during the Egyptian revolution, and the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland, where he received three four-star reviews from international press. He was recently featured on Seth Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity event with Todd Glass and Hannibal Buress, and has won multiple awards. More info is on the Facebook event page and Světozor website.

Soundtrack of Prague featuring Načeva + DJ Five is art of a project to show music performers who focus on urban issues in their work. Načeva and DJ Five have been performing together since 2007, when their album Mami was released. A decade later, Načeva joined DJ Five on the album Průvan v hlavu. They will be at CAMP on July 21 at 8 pm. More info is on the CAMP website.