Prague Masopust 2020: These are the year's meatiest and merriest carnival celebrations

Masopust, the Czech version of Mardi Gras, falls on February 25 this year, and celebrations in and around Prague start even earlier.

Before that, on February 22, there will be a feast with traditional Czech food plus wine and beer from microbreweries, events for children, and live music at the market at náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad from 8 am to 2 pm. At KC Vozovna there is a children’s afternoon from 1 pm to 4 pm.

The next day, February 23, there is pork feast at U Vystřelenýho oka from noon to 5 pm and a children’s day at kino Aero from 3 pm to 5 pm.

Many other celebrations are substantially before the actual Shrove Tuesday, and a few outliers come after when people should have already stopped partying and started repenting.

Malá Strana’s event is aimed more at adults than children. People gather at 1 pm of February 8 in front of U Černého vola on Loretánské náměstí and make their way down Nerudova Street, stopping at pubs along the way. The group ends up at Kampa sometime after 3 pm for food, music, and more alcohol.

Jižní Město’s festivities are aimed more at families. A parade starts at the Opatov metro stop at 2 pm on February 8. For children to get ready, there is workshop for masks at 10 am at KC Zahrada. After the parade, there are fairy tales and songs in Czech at KC Matky Terezy for a small admission fee.

Roztocký Masopust 2020 has its parade on February 15, with events starting at 11 am and the parade at 2:30 pm, headed to Holý vrch, where it will meet with other parades from Únětice and Suchdol.

The Suchdol Masopust parade starts at 2 pm at Suchdolské náměstí. The day ends with entertainment in a big top tent in Roztocký’s Žalov neighborhood. The parades are free, but there is an admission fee of 280 CZK for the tent, but children under 15 are free.

For people who would rather stay closer to Prague’s center, the Karlín district also has its celebration on February 15. A parade starts at 1 pm at Kaizlovy sady, near Invalidovna, and goes to Karlínské náměstí where there will be music, magic, acrobatics, and fairy tales.

Also jumping the gun, Chvalský zámek in Horní Počernice, with a parade at 2 pm on February 16. People who register in advance over Facebook and wear an animal-themed costume will get special access to dressing areas and an art print. The Molechet Association, which is one of the organizers, hopes to encourage more traditional costumes and fewer robots or superheroes.

Prague 5 will have a late celebration, on Wednesday, February 26, which is technically already Lent. The pedestrian zone at Anděl will have sausages and other refreshments from 8 am to 6 pm, plus a costume workshop for kids.

The last event is the Břevnov Masked Ball at Hotel Pyramida, on February 29 at 7 pm. The theme this year is Monsters and Ghosts, but costumes are not required. Music will be by the band Vitamín. Admission is 290 CZK.