This weekend in Prague: Welcome fall with food and wine festivals galore

Plus: Absolute last chance to see Chinese dissident art at DOX, European Heritage Days opens up landmarks, wine, apple, and coffee fests.

Expats.cz Staff

Written by Expats.cz Staff Published on 15.09.2022 17:51:00 (updated on 16.09.2022) Reading time: 6 minutes

VISIT

Czech photo-reporter Emil Fafek would have turned 100 this year. A retrospective of his work called On Guard shows a cross-section of decades of his black-and-white work for Czechoslovak publications. The photos can be seen at the Leica Gallery from Sept, 16 to Oct. 30.

Paintings by Belgian artist Peter Weidenbaum are featured in the philosophically themed show Holzwege. It runs at Galerie Jiří Švestka from Sept. 16 and it runs to Oct. 27.

The group show Lidé jsou křehké bytosti, ale měkké cíle (Humans are fragile creatures but soft targets) opens at Pragovka on Sept, 17 at 6 p.m. and then runs to Dec. 17. This third part of a year-long project focuses n textiles.

The recently opened show Oldest of European Printmaking shows rare 15th-century prints from the National Gallery's collection. They are at Schwarzenberg Palace until Dec. 27.

This is really and positively your last chance to see MADe iN CHINA, which ends its extended run at DOX on Sept. 18. It is the first solo show for Badiucao, the pseudonym of a Chinese artist-activist known for his protest art. The works reflect on human rights violations not only in China. His most recent work addresses the war in Ukraine.

Experience

The annual European Heritage Days festival runs to Sept. 18. Most events in Prague are centered at the New Town Hall at Karlovo náměstí. A list of venues participating in Prague can be found here.

The main part of Zažít město jinak takes place with dozens of block parties, open houses, and events across Prague on Sept. 17. You can meet your neighbors or discover new places. The event is coordinated by the NGO AutoMat and made possible by lots of local organizers.

One of Prague’s Cold-War era anti-nuclear shelters, Kryt Folimanka, is open once a month for free and is well worth seeing. This month, you can take a look on Sept. 17 from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. Enter at Pod Karlovem Street. One of the air vents above was recently made to look like a minion from the Despicable Me series, joining R2-D2.

See the latest in new technology and meet the people behind the inventions at the international Maker Faire at Pražská tržnice on Sept. 17.

SAVOR

Grapes aren't the only fruit being harvested. There is an apple celebration called Jablkobraní at the chateau grounds in Ctěnice on Sept. 17. A crafts fair and of course apple specialties will be accompanied by a program for children.

The urban vineyard at sv. Klára hosts its own Vinobraní on Sept. 17 and 18. Expect two days of live music plus Bohemian and Moravian wine, locally made burčák, a wide array of food, and a side program that includes a charity shop for clothes.

A combined Sunday Street Food and Flea Market takes place at Smíchovská Náplavka on Sept, 18. The food is from all over the world, and the market had items ranging from fashions to vinyl records.

Another street food festival is at Cross Club on Sept. 18 with a wide array of trucks offering Latin American, Indian, Indonesian, American, Italian, and other cuisines.

Sample some java at the Karlín Coffee Festival at Karlínské náměstí on Sept. 18. You can also learn more about various types of coffee preparation.

Spend One Day in Rio without leaving Prague. Manifesto Anděl on Sept. 17 has a party with food, thematic drinks, and danceable music to help you forget the stress of the week.

Until September 20 at Sasazu in Holešovice a special menu will offer visitors a taste of Seychelles Creole cuisine. Dishes fuse French style with Indian spice and African earthiness. Try smoked tuna with heart of palm, grilled sea bass, and Seychelles octopus curry with saffron rice.

Charity

The sporting charity event TERIBEAR moves Prague is intended for everyone who wants to contribute to the help of endangered and abandoned children through their movement. The eighth year of the Tereza Maxová Foundation project runs until Sept. 18 at Letná plain to collect kilometers. Thanks to the event partners, the kilometers will be transformed into donations. All you have to do is register, get a chip, and collect kilometers. For 2022, the amount is CZK 25 per kilometer. 

The international Fragile Like a Bomb Festival, devoted to reproductive rights, takes place at Kasárna Karlín on Sept. 17 with an after-party at Bike Jesus. Read more in our story. The festival is Organized by the Ciocia Czesia collective and raises money for women seeking safe abortions.

WATCH

Coinciding with the release of the David Bowie documentary "Moonage Daydream," you can see several films that the musician appeared in as an actor at Bio Oko on Sept. 16. The lineup includes "Labyrinth," "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," and "The Hunger."

The great Lon Chaney stars in the 1923 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This restored version will be accompanied by live music at Edison Filmhub on Sept. 16.

The new documentary Good Old Czechs tells the story of two Czechoslovak pilots from World War II, František Fajtl and Filip Jánský. They take us through their experiences via archival footage and narration. Screening with English subtitles are as Kino Pilotů on Sept. 17 and 18 at noon.

Czech New Wave director Věra Chytilová is known for her 1966 film Daisies (Sedmikrásky). The film archives at Ponrepo on Sept. 18 are screening a digital copy with English subtitles. The surreal comedy follows two women, both named Marie, as they generally cause trouble and goof around. The film was banned after its initial release.

LISTEN

Iranian guitarist, singer, and composer Shahab Tolouie and his band play Jazz Dock on Sept. 16. Tolouie is a pioneer of Persian and Flamenco fusion, and coined the musical term "ethnoflamenco."

Berlin collective Jazzanova featuring DJ Amir will play new show at Palác Akropilic on Sept. 17. The group reimagines music from Detroit label Strata, which was a driving force behind techno music.

UK electronic music Kosheen will be at Lucerna Music Bar on Sept, 18 and 19. The first date is sold out and the second was added due to great interest. The band's biggest hit was "All In My Head" from 2003, and their most recent album is 2013's "Solitude." The members have been working on solo projects since then.

APPLAUD

20th-century Hungarian composer Paul Abraham's opera Ball im Savoy premieres at the State Opera on Sept. 16 and 18. The opera, which has a jazz influence, was last performed 90 years ago and is being revived as part of a series that explores forgotten music.

A Czech-language production of Wuthering Heights has English surtitles at Švandovo divadlo on Sept. 16. The theater also has an open house with tours of normally inaccessible spaces on Sept. 17, but only in Czech.

The current state of affairs in Europe is interpreted through dance in The End’s Turnabout at Divadlo Ponec on Sept. 18.

FAMILY

A general commands his forces at the Battle of Bilá Hora. Photo: Raymond Johnston.
A general commands his forces at the Battle of Bilá Hora. Photo: Raymond Johnston.

The annual re-enactment of the Battle of Bilá Hora takes place in front of the Obora Hvězda in Prague 6. The gates open at noon, and the battle is at 3 p.m. on Sept. 17 and 18. There will be a camp with historical weapons to see before the battle, and a market with food, drink, and historical-themed items. The battle is quite elaborate, with cavalry attacks and staged artillery explosions.

What is more fun than cleaning? Cleaning together. Sept 17 is World Cleaning Day. An interactive map shows where people have organized events, and has more information about participating. Or you can simply clean up that eyesore spot near your home with your friends.

Make and decorate Japanese-style origami dolls at the Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures on Sept. 17 at 2 p.m. Origami is the art of paper folding. Reservations required.

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