This weekend in Prague: Día de Muertos and Halloween festivities begin

Head this weekend to the Prague City Gallery, which offers an insight into French sculptor Auguste Rodin's visit to Prague and Moravia in 1902. The exhibition documents the reasons for the famed artist’s visit, his exploratory activities in small Czech towns, and the influence of his work on Czech and international sculpture. 

Starting last week, and until January, the Clam-Gallas Palace hosts an exhibition on Josef Mysliveček, a leading Czech 18th century composer of the late Baroque period. Visitors will learn about Mysliveček’s influence on European music and will also get to know his collaborators, such as Austrian musician Wolfgang Mozart. Contemporary costumes and dresses from the period will also be on display.

Abstract and alternative art fans will have their interest piqued at the exhibition of Eduard Ovčáček at Museum Kampa, titled “Grotesque,” which runs until Jan. 8, 2023. Within the display, Ovčáček attempts to portray the “absurdity of reality” using a variety of artistic media, including acrylic painting, imprinting, and drawing.

Head to Mama Shelter in Holešovice on Sunday afternoon for a special Halloween brunch! For an entry fee of CZK 790, adults can enjoy a free welcome, an all-you-can-eat buffet, and a Halloween-themed caricaturist. Entry is free for kids under 6. The brunch features a Halloween-themed caricaturist and face painting, competitions with prizes for kids, and a Special Electro Boogie Halloween dance.

Experience a Japanese-style Halloween at Café Sofa on Oct. 28! Coinciding with Independent Czechoslovak State Day, this event offers Hokkaido milk-bread sandwiches with Japanese egg spread, mochi, Katsu sandwiches, and other Japanese foods.

Dine in style and enjoy a three-course Halloween dinner at Chateau Trnová throughout the whole weekend, from 12 to 10 p.m.! The menu is pumpkin-themed, and includes pumpkin cream, turkey breast with pumpkin puree and pumpkin brownies. The menu costs CZK 990 per person.

Rock legend Sting from the UK will play at the O2 Arena on Friday night. The 17-time Grammy Award winner is known for a number of chart-topping hits, both with his band Police in the 1980s, and as a solo artist in the decades that followed.

Fans of rock will be happy to hear that Britsh band New Model Army will be playing at Lucerna Music Bar on Friday evening. One of their albums reached the top spot on the UK charts in the 1980s.

Future Islands, an American synth-pop band, will play at Lucerna Music Bar on Sunday evening. A big hit for fans of indie music, they have 3.4 million Spotify users.

Get into the spirit of Halloween with a scary movie! Autokino Strahov shows horror movie "Halloween Ends" on Sunday evening. The American slasher film is the 13th in the Halloween movie franchise.

A highly pertinent film given current women's rights struggles in Iran, "Finding Farideh" will be shown at Screenshot Prague on Saturday evening. It shows the Iranian protagonist overcoming her fears as she travels back to her motherland Iran after being adopted as a child and growing up in the Netherlands.

A zombie comedy movie, “Final Cut” shows on Saturday afternoon at Edison Filmhub. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius of France, it is an adaption of Japanese hit movie, “One Cut of The Dead.”

With so much going on for Halloween in 2022 where can you go to dress up, get down, and bring out the spirits in Prague? We've got dozens of tips here in our roundup of Halloween activities.

The City of Prague's open day takes place this year on Oct. 28, Czech Independence Day allowing the public access to several of its buildings from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. See inside the Mayor's Residence, the Škoda lounges, and the New Town Hall. Following years of reconstruction, the Clam-Gallas Palace on Mariánské náměstí will also be open. Read more in our article.

Prague's Náprstek Museum will once again be filled with vibrant colors and a mystic atmosphere with its traditional Día de Muertos celebration. Authentic Mexican food and drinks, live music, dance, and art, as well as workshops and face-painting for kids and adults, a contest for the best "Catrina" outfit, and a traditional procession through Old Town Square led by the Mariachi Azteca de Praga, will be held on Oct. 29. Other venues including Cafe Dorado will host events as well.

Celebrate Czech Independence Day with a trip to the National Theater to watch "Libuše" on Friday at 7 p.m. Composed by Bedřich Smetana, the ballet is a symbol of Czech national culture. The National Theatre only performs it on special occasions and state holidays.

Contemporary dance, including beatboxing and dubstep, will be on show on Friday evening at Archa Theater in a performance entitled Inspirace. A project by creative companies 420PEOPLE and BERG Orchestra, it features "an unique symbiosis of Sylva Šafková's choreography and Tomáš Reindl's music."

People fond of the British monarchy will enjoy a show of The Audience on Sunday evening at the Estates Theater in Prague. It depicts the late Queen Elizabeth II's relationship and dynamic with British prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron, during her reign.

A showcase of the latest pieces from Czech designers is on display at a new pop-up in the SmetanaQ Showroom from Oct. 26-Oct. 29. Shop hand-knitted cashmere and mohair wool hats, hand-stitched bags and shoes made of natural Czech leather, and edgy jewelry. On Oct. 27, check out the night shopping event with a DJ and signature drinks.

From Oct. 29-30, the Letňany Expo zone hosts the 2022 edition of the Prague Car Festival. The largest exhibition in Central and Eastern Europe focuses on motorsport, historic cars, and motorcycles. More than 150 vintage cars and motorcycles from the pre-war period to the 1990s will be on display.

Autumn Holidays at the Prague Zoo lets little ones watch animals feast on pumpkins and other festive fall activities from Oct. 26-28. Tours of the new gorilla pavilion take place on Oct. 29-30 and are free with a valid entry ticket.