Festivals in Czechia 2026-2027: Dates and Where to Go

The festivals in Czechia worth planning a 2026-2027 trip around run from the Pálava Wine Harvest Festival in Mikulov on 11–13 September 2026 to Brutal Assault at Josefov Fortress on 4–7 August 2027, with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (2–10 July 2027) and Colours of Ostrava (21–24 July 2027) as the 2 largest international draws. This page lists 16 festivals with their 2026 and 2027 dates, checked against each festival’s own website in September 2026, plus the trade fairs, food festivals and battle reenactments that fill the rest of the Czech calendar.

Czechia is a central European country with a long cultural history and well-preserved historic towns such as Prague, Český Krumlov and Karlovy Vary. The Czech capital, Prague, hosts the classical Prague Spring festival, the Let It Roll Winter drum and bass weekend, Prague Pride and the Metronome Prague music festival, while Ostrava, Brno, Plzeň, Hradec Králové and Mikulov host the other big events. 4 things changed for this season: Metronome Prague moved to Letňany Airport, Pilsner Fest returned to the Pilsner Urquell brewery as a free week-long event, the Hip Hop Kemp comeback was cancelled, and the biennial Janáček Brno festival runs from October into November 2026. The city guides, food and transport behind these events are covered in our Czechia travel guide.

The Czechia festival calendar for 2026 and 2027 is listed below in date order, with the next confirmed dates and the usual timing for festivals that have not yet announced a 2027 edition.

1. Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) holds its 61st edition from 2 to 10 July 2027 in the spa town of Karlovy Vary, 130 kilometres (80 miles) west of Prague, according to the city’s official events calendar. The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is the only Category A film festival in Central and Eastern Europe, a classification it earned in 1956 that places it in the same group as Cannes and Venice. The 60th edition took place in early July 2026 and is over, so the July 2027 dates are the ones to plan around. The 2027 programme and ticket sales appear on kviff.com in the weeks before the opening night.

KVIFF dates back to 1946, when the first non-competitive edition showed films from 7 countries in Mariánské Lázně and Karlovy Vary. The festival moved permanently to Karlovy Vary in 1948 and added an international competition judged by a jury. Through the socialist decades it kept its international standing, and today it screens around 200 films over 9 days, including world and international premieres. The competitive sections are the Crystal Globe competition for international premieres and the Proxima competition for newer directors and established auteurs taking risks. The non-competitive sections include Special Screenings, Horizons, Imagina, Future Frames student films, Midnight Screenings, retrospectives and tributes.

Hotel Thermal is the main hub of the festival, with further screenings in cinemas, theatres and hotel halls around the spa colonnades. Visitors reach Karlovy Vary by direct bus or train from Prague, or by flying into Prague and taking a direct bus from the airport. Accommodation ranges from the Grandhotel Pupp and Hotel Thermal to pensions and hostels within walking distance of the venues, and it fills up early for festival week. Festival passes cover films, talks and industry events, while single tickets are sold per screening in normal and discounted tiers. Popular premieres sell out quickly, so book online as soon as the programme is published or queue early on the day. The informal atmosphere lets filmmakers and fans mix in the same cafés and colonnades.

2. Colours of Ostrava

Colours of Ostrava takes place from 21 to 24 July 2027 at Dolní Vítkovice in Ostrava, according to the dates published for the official 2027 event, after the 2026 edition ran from 15 to 18 July 2026. Colours of Ostrava has been held since 2002 and has used the former Vítkovice ironworks, a national cultural monument, as its home since 2012. Ostrava is in north-east Czechia, 300 kilometres (186 miles) from Prague and close to the Polish and Slovak borders. Presale for 2027 opened straight after the 2026 edition, with the festival warning that ticket prices rise in stages, and the first 2027 artists are announced through the autumn on colours.cz.

The festival is a multi-genre event with world stars across pop, rock, hip hop, electronic, jazz and world music, plus lectures, theatre and interactive workshops among the blast furnaces and steel structures. The Meltingpot discussion forum, which the organisers call the largest multidisciplinary forum in Europe, runs on the same site with scientists, doctors, writers, artists and athletes as speakers, and it marks its 10th anniversary in 2027. Families get the ČEZ Family Park with children’s concerts and parkour shows. Past headliners have included The Killers, Liam Gallagher, Imagine Dragons, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and ZAZ, and the 2026 bill saw Peaches step in for Big Freedia and Burna Boy cancel his performance.

Visitors reach Colours of Ostrava by plane to Ostrava or Prague, by train to Ostrava’s main or Svinov stations, and by tram or bus to Dolní Vítkovice; the festival publishes a “getting to and from Colours” guide covering planes, trains, public transport and bikes each July. The festival lists partner camps and hotels on its accommodation pages, and the city offers hotels, hostels and apartments in the centre. Tickets are exchanged for wristbands before the gates open, and the official Colours of Ostrava app carries the schedule and an interactive map. The festival warns visitors to buy only from its own e-shop because ticket scams circulate every summer.

3. Prague Pride Festival

The Prague Pride Festival 2027 runs from 2 to 8 August 2027, with the Pride Parade on Saturday 7 August 2027, according to the organisers, Prague Pride z.s. The Prague Pride Festival 2026 drew 95,000 visitors, which confirms its position as the largest LGBTQ+ event in Central Europe. Prague is the host city and the parade winds through the historic centre. Prague Pride began in 2011, when around 2,500 people marched through central Prague, and it has grown into a week-long festival every August since.

The festival week includes cultural performances, workshops, exhibitions, film screenings, boat parties and the Pride Village in Letná Park. The parade is the highlight: participants in colourful costumes wave rainbow flags and follow floats and trucks with live music, and the route ends in an open-air party with international pop artists and DJs. Prague Pride z.s. also runs an LGBT+ Community Centre in Prague with a year-round programme and a queer library, and it launched Qalendar.cz, a listing of queer events across Czechia, in 2026.

Prague Pride is a pedestrian-friendly festival because the city-centre venues sit close together. The metro, trams and buses reach every festival location, and parking garages fill up fast during Pride week. Accommodation ranges from hotels to apartments near the centre, and rooms near Letná and the Old Town sell out early in August, so book a hotel in Prague as soon as your dates are set. Parade participation is free, while some evening events and parties are ticketed on the festival website. Merchandise, food and drinks cost extra.

4. Pálava Wine Harvest Festival

The Pálava Wine Harvest Festival (Pálavské vinobraní) takes place from 11 to 13 September 2026 in Mikulov, according to the festival’s official website, which also states that the event is always held on the second weekend of September. The Pálava Wine Harvest Festival has run since 1947 and celebrates the winemaking traditions of the Pálava protected landscape area in South Moravia. Mikulov is 130 kilometres (80 miles) south of Prague and 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Brno, the nearest major city. The 2027 dates were not announced at the time of writing; expect the second weekend of September 2027 and confirm on palavske-vinobrani.cz.

The 2026 programme includes 6 elements: a procession of the royal retinue led by King Wenceslas IV and a queen played by actress Chantal Poullain, music stars on 6 stages around Mikulov, a parade of brass bands, dulcimer (cimbálová) bands and folk ensembles in traditional costume, tastings of hundreds of wines from the National Wine Competition of the Mikulov sub-region, a children’s programme, and food stalls with traditional and modern South Moravian dishes. The 3-day festival fills the town square, the chateau grounds and the amphitheatre with concerts of popular Czech bands alongside the folklore. Major Czech bands such as Chinaski, Divokej Bill and Anna K. have performed in recent years.

Visitors reach Mikulov by direct bus from Prague and Brno or by regional train via Břeclav. The festival website has a practical page on accommodation, transport and parking for the 2026 edition, and rooms in Mikulov’s hotels, pensions and private rooms sell out weeks ahead. Tickets are sold online through the festival’s own ticket shop and cover all stages and events; food, drink and merchandise are extra. The Pálava Wine Harvest Festival is the easiest way to taste the Mikulov sub-region’s wines in one weekend.

5. Pilsner Fest

Pilsner Fest takes place from 5 to 10 October 2026 in the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plzeň, according to the brewery’s festival website, and for the first time in its history the festival lasts a full week instead of a weekend. Pilsner Fest celebrates the first batch of Pilsner Urquell brewed on 5 October 1842, so the 2026 edition marks the beer’s 184th birthday. Plzeň is 90 kilometres (55.9 miles) south-west of Prague. After a one-year move to the main square in 2025, the festival returns to the brewery grounds in 2026 with a new concept the organisers call “at one table”. The 2027 dates were not announced at the time of writing; expect early October around the 5 October anniversary.

Entry to the festival grounds and to every festival zone is free in 2026, according to the organisers, but the main tent has limited capacity. The grounds open at 15:00 on weekdays with the programme running to 22:00, and at 11:00 on Friday and Saturday with music until midnight. A VIP Pilsner Fest Pass guarantees entry to the main tent and includes beer and other drinks from the Pilsner Urquell portfolio for the whole day, a portion of goulash and a festival glass to take home. The pass costs 750 CZK (about €30, $32, £26) on Friday and Saturday and 450 CZK (about €18, $19, £15) on the other days, it is sold online only, and each pass is valid for one person on one day. Unfiltered Pilsner Urquell lager is poured across the whole site for the whole week.

The music programme blends Czech bands with international guests on the brewery stages; past performers have included Lucie, Chinaski, Mig 21 and The Subways. Visitors reach Plzeň by direct train or bus from Prague, and the brewery is about 15 minutes on foot from the main train and bus stations. Accommodation ranges from hotels near the centre to pensions, and central hotels sell out well ahead of the festival week. Brewery tours, pouring demonstrations and food stalls run alongside the concerts, so plan at least one afternoon for the cellars.

6. Janáček Brno Festival

The Janáček Brno Festival holds its 10th edition from 13 October to 17 November 2026 in Brno, according to the festival’s official website. The Janáček Brno Festival is an international opera and music festival devoted to the life and works of the Czech composer Leoš Janáček, who lived and worked in Brno for more than 50 years. The festival is biennial, so the next edition after 2026 falls in 2028. Brno is the host city, with venues around the historic centre and the National Theatre Brno as the main hub.

The festival grew out of the 2004 celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Janáček’s birth, when the city staged all of his operas, and it has run every second year since 2008. It received the International Opera Award for Best Festival for 2018 and again for 2024, which makes it the only Czech festival with that award and one of only 4 festivals worldwide to win it more than once. The 2026 programme opens with festival previews at the National Theatre Brno, The Makropulos Affair on 5 September and Destiny on 19 September, and it includes the Czech Philharmonic joined by the Central Band of the Czech Army for Janáček’s Sinfonietta. Performances of Jenůfa, Káťa Kabanová and The Cunning Little Vixen sit alongside concerts, talks and exhibitions, and selected productions are streamed on OperaVision.

Visitors reach Brno by direct train or bus from Prague and Vienna, and the city offers hotels, pensions and hostels within walking distance of the theatres. Tickets are sold per performance, with VIP packages and discounted tiers for students and seniors listed on the festival website. Check the Czech public holiday dates before you book, because 28 October and 17 November both fall inside the 2026 run and shops and offices close on those days.

7. Let It Roll Winter

Let It Roll Winter takes place on 22 and 23 January 2027 in the Křižík Pavilions at the Prague Exhibition Grounds in Holešovice, according to the festival’s official website. Let It Roll Winter is the indoor edition of Let It Roll, the world’s largest drum and bass festival, and the 2027 edition marks 25 years of the Let It Roll brand. The venue is 4 kilometres (2.4 miles) from Old Town Square and sits on the tram and metro network. The format is 2 nights, 3 stages and more than 40 DJs, with the first names announced in September 2026: Wilkinson, A Little Sound, Black Sun Empire, Enei, Imanu, Burr Oak, Circadian, Magnetude, Pirapus, QZB, Skrimor and Subsonic.

Tickets come in 3 forms: a 2-day festival pass from 1,800 CZK (about €72, $78, £61), a 1-day pass from 1,000 CZK (about €40, $43, £34), and a combo pass that covers both Let It Roll Winter and the summer open-air Let It Roll, priced when the summer line-up launches. Both passes can be paid in 3 instalments. The festival is rated 18 and over, and capacity in the Křižík Pavilions is limited, so about a third of the 2-day tickets had already sold by early September 2026. The organisers describe the production as stages you will not find anywhere else, with immersive lighting inside the historic pavilions.

Visitors reach the Prague Exhibition Grounds by tram to Výstaviště or by metro line C to Nádraží Holešovice, and hotels, hostels and apartments in Holešovice and the centre are a short ride away. Parking on site is limited, so public transport is the practical choice on both nights. Let It Roll Winter offers chill-out zones, food stalls and a merchandise shop, and the organisers run a lost and found service after each edition.

8. Rock for People

Rock for People (RfP) takes place from 2 to 5 June 2027 at Park 360 in Hradec Králové, according to the ticket listing on the festival’s official website. Rock for People is one of the largest open-air rock festivals in Czechia, with contemporary rock, metal, punk, indie and other guitar-driven genres across 4 days. Hradec Králové is 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of Prague, and Park 360 is the former military airfield that the festival has used since 2007. The organisers are Ameba Production and Park 360.

RfP began in 1995 as a small festival in Český Brod with about 1,100 visitors and moved to the Hradec Králové airfield in 2007 to accommodate its growth. The 2026 edition included Papa Roach and introduced a new water management system on site, and the first presale batch for 2027 sold out within a day in June 2026 before sales resumed. Past headliners include Green Day, Muse, The Killers, Blink-182, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Sum 41 and Billy Talent, and more than 150 bands play across the Main Stage, the indoor hangar and the smaller tents in a typical year.

Tickets for 2027 range from standard 4-day passes to a Comfy+ tier and a VIP tier. The VIP 4-day ticket costs €826 ($892, £702) and includes fast-track entry and access to the VIP zone, while the Comfy+ ticket adds a hangar bar behind the scenes, a chill-out zone, ceramic restrooms, 24-hour access to the grounds and daily afterparties until 4:00. Visitors reach Hradec Králové by direct train or bus from Prague, and the festival offers secured parking, bring-your-own camping and furnished glamping tents, with hotels and pensions in town as the alternative. Food stalls, artisan markets and sports competitions run between the concerts.

9. Metronome Festival

Metronome Prague had not announced its 2027 dates at the time of writing; the 2026 edition ran from 19 to 21 June 2026 at Letňany Airport in north-east Prague, according to the festival’s official ticket listing, and the festival usually falls on the third weekend of June. Metronome Prague is a multi-genre music and arts festival founded in 2015, and 2026 was its first year at Letňany Airport after it moved from the Prague Exhibition Grounds. The festival joined forces with Live Nation Czech Republic in October 2025, and the 2026 line-up was led by Sting and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Check metronome.cz for the 2027 dates, which are normally published in the autumn together with the first headliner.

Past Metronome line-ups have featured Underworld, Iggy Pop, The Chemical Brothers, Beck and Jamiroquai alongside Czech acts such as Lucie, Chinaski, Mig 21, J.A.R. and Tata Bojs. The programme mixes rock, pop, electronica, indie and hip hop across several stages, with a side programme of art, food and a free Metronome tram around the city in 2025. The Metronome Friends app carries the schedule, and VIP capacity was increased for 2026 after the first allocation sold out.

Visitors reach Letňany Airport by metro line C to its Letňany terminus, followed by a short walk or shuttle, and direct trains and buses connect Prague with other Czech cities. Accommodation options span hotels, hostels and apartments concentrated around the city centre. Tickets are sold as 1-day and 3-day passes with VIP packages, and early-bird allocations for the next edition open in late summer.

10. Mighty Sounds Festival

Mighty Sounds takes place from 25 to 27 June 2027 at the airfield in Tábor, 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Prague, according to the festival’s official website. Mighty Sounds is a punk, hardcore and ska festival that has run since 2005 and moved to the Tábor airfield site in 2010. The 2026 edition was the 20th, and the first names for 2027 were announced in September 2026: The Adicts, returning after 10 years on their Adios Amigos tour, plus Dubioza Kolektiv, Feine Sahne Fischfilet and Wohnout.

Mighty Sounds books more than 100 bands across live and DJ stages in a typical year, with most acts coming from outside Czechia, and past line-ups have included Dropkick Murphys, Gogol Bordello, Anti-Flag, Madball and Turbonegro. The festival is known for its mosh pits and crowd surfing, and the side programme covers skateboarding and BMX competitions, theatre, workshops and afterparties. A free warm-up party in the tent village opened the 2026 edition on the Thursday evening, and the organisers, Mighty Production, also promote club shows in Prague and Brno through the autumn, including The Rumjacks in Brno on 16 September 2026 and The Toasters in Prague on 1 October 2026.

Tickets for 2027 went on sale in June 2026 with priority for Mighty Klub members, and camping and parking vouchers followed on 1 September 2026. Visitors reach Tábor by direct train or bus from Prague, and the airfield is a 15-minute taxi or bus ride from the town centre. Accommodation in Tábor includes hotels, hostels, pensions and apartments, while the festival campsite takes tents, camper vans and cars in designated areas. The official Mighty Sounds app carries the programme, site map and band profiles.

11. Bohemia Jazz Fest

Bohemia JazzFest had not announced its 2027 dates at the time of writing; the 21st edition ran from 14 to 21 July 2026, according to the festival’s official website, and the festival is held every July. Bohemia JazzFest is a touring open-air jazz festival that stages free concerts on the main squares of historic Czech towns, so the host city changes every night. The 2026 route was Prague on 14 July, Plzeň on 15 July, Prachatice on 17 July, Hluboká nad Vltavou on 18 July and Brno on 20 and 21 July. Expect a similar mid-July run in 2027 and check bohemiajazzfest.cz for the route.

The festival was founded in 2005 by the Czech-American jazz guitarist Rudy Linka to bring international jazz to his home country, and DownBeat magazine lists it among the notable jazz events worldwide. Past line-ups have featured Roy Haynes, Kenny Garrett, McCoy Tyner, Charles Lloyd, John Scofield, Mike Stern, Randy Brecker and Czech stars such as Emil Viklický. Temporary stages go up on the host squares each afternoon, and the concerts run in the evening under the open sky.

All concerts at Bohemia JazzFest are free and open to the public thanks to sponsor funding, which is why the festival draws both jazz devotees and passers-by. Host towns are reached by train or bus, and each has hotels, pensions and apartments near the square. Public parking near the squares fills up early, so arrive in the afternoon if you drive.

12. Obscene Extreme Festival

Obscene Extreme Festival (OEF) is listed for 7 to 11 July 2027 at the Na Bojišti grounds in Trutnov, and the festival’s own countdown pointed to the same July week in September 2026. Obscene Extreme is an extreme metal and grindcore festival held in Trutnov since 1999, and the organisers posted in late August 2026 about where the 2027 edition will take place, so confirm the venue on obsceneextreme.cz before booking. Trutnov is 160 kilometres (100 miles) north-east of Prague. The format is 4 days, 1 stage and freak shows, according to the festival’s ticket page.

OEF was founded by Miloslav “Čurby” Urbanec as a celebration of the Czech extreme music scene, and 1,225 bands have played the festival since 1999, according to the organisers. The festival has partnered with the charity Médecins Sans Frontières since 2012 and has raised 1,960,976 CZK for it, and it published the book We Are Obscene Extreme, with 41 interviews and 109 band testimonials, for its 25th anniversary. Past line-ups have included Napalm Death, Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Brujeria, Vader, Cattle Decapitation, Rotten Sound and Repulsion, and the first names for 2027 are the Åland Islands d-beat trio Tinner and the Californian band Ghoul.

Fans travel to Trutnov from across Europe and overseas. Accommodation in Trutnov ranges from hotels to hostels, pensions and apartments, and the Battlefield grounds are 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) from the train and bus stations, with taxis and local buses covering the gap. Camping and parking passes are sold with the tickets, and the festival publishes journey and transport pages in English. Vegan food stalls, tattoo artists and the Grind Market merchandise area fill the site between bands.

13. MetalGate Czech Death Fest OpenAir

MetalGate Czech Death Fest OpenAir (MGCDF) is listed for 17 to 20 June 2027 at Camp Brodský near Červený Kostelec, and presale for the 2027 edition opened on the festival’s official website in summer 2026. MetalGate Czech Death Fest is an open-air death metal and grindcore festival launched in 2010 by the promoter MetalGate and the death metal band Tortharry, and 2027 is its 18th edition. Červený Kostelec is 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of Prague. The 2026 edition ran from 18 to 20 June 2026 and was hit by a destructive storm on the Saturday, after which the organisers refunded unused cashless credit for 2 weeks.

The 2027 ticket prices are published on the official site: a 3-day festival pass costs 2,200 CZK (about €88, $95, £75) in presale, holders of a Czech disability card pay 1,500 CZK (about €60, $65, £51) for the 3 days, students aged 15 to 17 pay 1,100 CZK (about €44, $48, £37) through the NFCtron ticket system, and a Saturday-only ticket costs 1,500 CZK. Sales through the Tortharry shop close on 11 June 2027. All payments on site run through NFCtron cashless wristbands, which can be topped up at home before the festival. Past line-ups have featured Cannibal Corpse, Immolation, Suffocation, Napalm Death, Entombed A.D., Asphyx and Benighted.

Visitors reach Červený Kostelec by direct train or bus from Prague, and Camp Brodský offers tents, camper parking, glamping and basic cabins beside its lake, with hotels and pensions in the town as the alternative. The festival site uses the campground and the lakeside beach for its stages, and the organisers list a price list for the site, transport details and downloads on the official website. MGCDF is one of the friendliest ways into the Czech extreme metal scene because of its small size and lakeside setting.

14. Prague Beerfest

Prague Beer Fest had not announced its 2027 dates at the time of writing; the 2026 edition took place on 10 and 11 April 2026 in Hall 13 of the Holešovice Market (Holešovická tržnice), according to the venue’s official programme, and the festival is held every April. Prague Beer Fest is a craft beer festival launched in 2019 that showcases Czech and international breweries through tastings, workshops and talks. The 2026 edition brought 50 stands with breweries from 17 countries, including experimental and rare beers, plus a street food section and a full programme of workshops and tastings. Check the venue’s programme page or the festival’s own site for the 2027 dates.

The festival uses the industrial halls of the Holešovice Market as its beer village, and visitors meet the brewers behind each stand while exploring new styles. Past editions have drawn more than 5,000 visitors over the 2 days, and the event is fully cashless with wristbands topped up with credit for drinks, food and merchandise. The Vltavská metro station sits next to the market, with trams and buses from across Prague stopping outside. Hotels, hostels and apartments cluster around Holešovice and the city centre.

Tickets for the 2026 edition were sold as 1-day and full-festival passes on the festival’s ticketing page, with opening hours from 12:00 to midnight on both days. The relaxed format suits brewers, beer enthusiasts and beginners alike, and it is one of the few Czech festivals to fall in the spring shoulder season, when Prague hotels cost less than in summer.

15. Brutal Assault Festival

Brutal Assault holds its 30th edition from 4 to 7 August 2027 at the 18th-century Josefov Fortress in Jaroměř, according to the festival’s September 2026 announcements, and 2027 festival passes are already on sale on brutalassault.cz. Brutal Assault is an extreme metal festival that debuted in 1996 as a small Czech event and grew into one of Europe’s largest metal festivals, with 4 days of music across several stages inside the fortress walls. Jaroměř is 130 kilometres (80 miles) east of Prague, the nearest major city. The first 2027 names are Mercyful Fate, the reactivated Children of Bodom with members of Lost Society, and the Czech black metal pioneers Master’s Hammer, who will perform their album Ritual in full for their 40th anniversary.

The festival spans death metal, black metal, grindcore, metalcore, thrash and hardcore, and past headliners include Sepultura, Soulfly, Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth, Emperor, Mayhem and Testament. The fortress provides the setting, with stages, cinema and art spaces spread across the underground tunnels, bastions and open squares of the garrison town. The side programme runs horror cinema, extreme theatre, workshops and chill-out spaces between the concerts.

Tickets for 2027 are sold on the official shop: the first-edition festival pass costs €219.90 ($237, £187), children aged 0 to 12 enter on a €4.49 ($5, £4) voucher, juniors aged 13 to 17 and disabled visitors pay €85 ($92, £72), and parking and travel tickets are sold separately. Visitors reach Jaroměř by direct train or bus from Prague, and the festival offers secured campgrounds on site plus accommodation packages through its shop, with hotels and pensions in Jaroměř and nearby Hradec Králové as the alternative.

16. Hip Hop Kemp

Hip Hop Kemp is not running at the time of writing: the comeback edition planned for 21 and 22 August 2026 at the Cosmo site at Hadačky near Kralovice in the Plzeň Region was cancelled by the organisers the evening before it was due to open, according to Radio Prague International on 21 August 2026. Hip Hop Kemp was last held in 2019 in Hradec Králové, and no 2027 date had been announced when this page was checked in September 2026. The organisers said on social media that circumstances had not been in their favour and that the line-up had failed to attract enough people, and they gave no information on ticket refunds.

Hip Hop Kemp began in 2002 at a swimming pool in Pardubice, moved to Hradec Králové in 2004 and grew into the largest hip-hop festival in Central and Eastern Europe, with up to 25,000 visitors and a CNN listing among the world’s top festivals. Acts over the years included Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator, Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, De La Soul and Czech stars such as Vladimír 518 and Prago Union. The cancelled 2026 bill had The Alchemist, Freddie Gibbs, Conway The Machine, Digable Planets and Onyx at the top.

Do not book travel around Hip Hop Kemp until the organisers publish a new date and settle the 2026 refunds. Hip-hop fans visiting Czechia in 2027 will find rap and hip-hop stages at Colours of Ostrava and Metronome Prague instead.

What are the best summer festivals in Czechia?

The summer festivals in Czechia worth planning a 2027 trip around are listed below in calendar order, with the 2026 dates given where the 2027 edition was not announced at the time of writing.

1. Rock for People (2–5 June 2027). Rock for People is the largest summer rock festival in Czechia, held at Park 360, the former military airfield in Hradec Králové, with camping and glamping on the grounds. The line-up covers punk, metal, indie, alternative and electronic rock across several stages, and past headliners include Green Day, Muse, The Killers and Slipknot.
2. Metronome Prague (third weekend of June; 2026: 19–21 June). Metronome Prague is the capital’s multi-genre festival, held since 2026 at Letňany Airport with rock, pop, electronica and hip hop across several stages. The 2026 line-up was led by Sting and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
3. Mighty Sounds (25–27 June 2027). Mighty Sounds is the punk, hardcore and ska festival at the Tábor airfield, with The Adicts, Dubioza Kolektiv and Feine Sahne Fischfilet already confirmed for 2027.
4. Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (2–10 July 2027). The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a Category A festival that screens around 200 films over 9 days in the Bohemian spa town, with red-carpet premieres, industry events and open-air screenings.
5. Bohemia JazzFest (mid-July; 2026: 14–21 July). Bohemia JazzFest is the touring free jazz festival that plays the main squares of Prague, Plzeň, Brno and smaller towns such as Prachatice and Hluboká nad Vltavou on consecutive evenings.
6. Colours of Ostrava (21–24 July 2027). Colours of Ostrava is the largest multi-genre music festival in Czechia, held at the post-industrial Dolní Vítkovice complex of blast furnaces and ironworks, with stages set among the old factory structures and the Meltingpot forum on the same site.
7. Prague Proms (June to September; 2026 season runs to 22 September). Prague Proms is a classical and film-music festival in its 22nd season in 2026, with concerts in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House such as the James Bond Night on 22 September 2026, and the 2027 season was not announced at the time of writing.

What are the best music festivals in Czechia?

The music festivals in Czechia worth knowing are listed below across all genres, from classical to drum and bass.

1. Prague Spring International Music Festival (82nd edition, May to June 2027). The Prague Spring festival is the country’s leading classical festival, held every year from 12 May, the anniversary of Bedřich Smetana’s death, and opening with his cycle Má vlast. The 81st edition ran from 12 May to 4 June 2026 with 97 artists and orchestras from 28 countries, and ticket sales for the 82nd edition open in early November 2026, according to the festival, with the exact 2027 closing date still to be announced. Venues include the Municipal House, the Rudolfinum’s Dvořák Hall and Prague’s churches.
2. Colours of Ostrava (21–24 July 2027). Colours of Ostrava brings world stars of pop, rock, jazz, hip hop and world music to more than 20 stages at Dolní Vítkovice, alongside theatre, lectures and workshops.
3. Rock for People (2–5 June 2027). Rock for People stages 4 days of rock, punk, metal and alternative at Park 360 in Hradec Králové, with more than 150 bands in a typical year.
4. Metronome Prague (June; 2026: 19–21 June). Metronome Prague is the multi-genre festival at Letňany Airport in Prague, with Czech and international headliners over 3 days.
5. Bohemia JazzFest (mid-July; 2026: 14–21 July). Bohemia JazzFest is the free open-air jazz festival that tours historic town squares each July.
6. Let It Roll Winter (22–23 January 2027). Let It Roll Winter is the indoor drum and bass festival at the Prague Exhibition Grounds, with 3 stages and more than 40 DJs over 2 nights.
7. Brutal Assault (4–7 August 2027). Brutal Assault is the extreme metal festival inside Josefov Fortress, celebrating its 30th edition in 2027.

What are the best food festivals in Czechia?

The food festivals in Czechia worth a detour are listed below, and each one pairs the local drink with regional dishes such as goulash, roast pork with bread dumplings and Olomouc cheese, which are also among the traditional Czechia foods to eat on any trip.

1. Pálava Wine Harvest Festival (11–13 September 2026). The Pálava Wine Harvest Festival in Mikulov is the largest wine harvest celebration in South Moravia, with tastings of hundreds of wines from the Mikulov sub-region, folk music, a royal procession and food stalls serving traditional and modern Moravian dishes.
2. Pilsner Fest (5–10 October 2026). Pilsner Fest at the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plzeň is a free week-long beer festival with unfiltered lager, brewery tours and concerts, and its VIP pass includes a portion of goulash and a festival glass.
3. Olomouc Tvarůžky Cheese Festival (17–18 April 2027). The Olomouc Tvarůžky Cheese Festival fills the Upper and Lower Squares of Olomouc from 10:00 to 18:00 with tastings of dishes made from Olomoucké tvarůžky, the pungent ripened cheese from nearby Loštice, paired with regional beers, according to the city’s festival website. The 2026 edition on 18 and 19 April marked 150 years of tvarůžky production, and 2027 is the festival’s 10th year.
4. Prague Beer Fest (April; 2026: 10–11 April). Prague Beer Fest at the Holešovice Market is the largest craft beer festival in Czechia, with 50 brewery stands from 17 countries and a street food section, and it pairs the beers with pub dishes such as pork knuckle, fried cheese and sausages.

What are the best fairs or trade festivals in Czechia?

The fairs and trade festivals in Czechia that draw the largest crowds are the 3 listed below, with the dates published by their organisers.

1. FOR ARCH (16–19 September 2026). FOR ARCH is the largest construction and architecture fair in Czechia, held for its 37th edition at PVA Expo Praha in Letňany with building materials, machinery, architecture and home technology on show from 10:00 on 16 September to 17:00 on 19 September 2026.
2. AGRISHOW, formerly TechAgro (9–12 April 2028). AGRISHOW is the agricultural trade fair at the Brno Exhibition Centre that replaced the TechAgro brand in 2026, when it drew 84,384 visitors over 4 days; the next edition is scheduled for 9 to 12 April 2028, according to the organiser BVV Trade Fairs Brno.
3. SALIMA (next edition expected in 2028). SALIMA is the international food fair at the Brno Exhibition Centre, held every 2 years for professional visitors only, with the 2026 edition presented in a new concept alongside the EmbaxPrint packaging fair; the 2028 dates were not announced at the time of writing.

What are the best reenactment festivals in Czechia?

The reenactment festivals in Czechia are the 3 battle reenactments listed below, each staged on or near the anniversary of the battle it recreates.

1. Battle of White Mountain 1620 (19–20 September 2026). The Bílá hora 1620 reenactment on the Bělohorská plain by the Hvězda game reserve in Prague 6 is the largest Thirty Years’ War reenactment in Czechia, according to the organising association, with hundreds of musketeers, artillery and cavalry from across Europe, a historical market, fencing shows and jugglers. Gates open at 12:00 and the battle starts at 15:00 on both days, and the 2026 listing gave adult tickets at 300 CZK (about €12, $13, £10) and children’s tickets at 150 CZK (about €6, $6.50, £5), with grandstand seats extra.
2. Austerlitz 2026, the Battle of the Three Emperors (27–29 November 2026). The Austerlitz commemoration marks the 221st anniversary of Napoleon’s victory of 2 December 1805, according to the organisers at austerlitz.org, with a commemorative event in Kučerov, bonfires on the Žuráň hill, the battle reenactment on the field below Santon hill near Tvarožná on Saturday 28 November, and a memorial ceremony at the Peace Mound near Prace on Sunday 29 November. Around 1,000 reenactors in period uniforms with horses and cannons take part in a typical year.
3. Königgrätz 1866 (annually around 3 July; 2027 dates not announced). The Königgrätz 1866 commemoration on the Chlum battlefield near Hradec Králové recreates the decisive Austro-Prussian battle of 3 July 1866, and its 160th anniversary on 3 to 5 July 2026 included the reopening of the War Museum 1866 at Chlum, a battle demonstration in the Šimkovy Gardens and the large “Sadowa 1866” battle scene. The 2025 edition went ahead without a reenactment for the first time in 28 years, so confirm the 2027 programme with the Museum of Eastern Bohemia before travelling.

What are the top places to visit in Czechia during the festivals?

There are 7 top places to visit in Czechia during the festivals, and each one anchors a different part of the calendar. Firstly, Prague hosts the Prague Spring festival in venues such as the Municipal House and the Rudolfinum, the Prague Proms in the Smetana Hall, Let It Roll Winter at the Exhibition Grounds, Prague Pride in August and Metronome Prague at Letňany Airport. Secondly, Ostrava’s Dolní Vítkovice ironworks provides the post-industrial setting for Colours of Ostrava in July. Thirdly, Karlovy Vary turns its spa colonnades and hotels into festival venues for the film festival in early July. Fourthly, Brno hosts the Janáček Brno opera festival in autumn 2026 and the AGRISHOW and SALIMA trade fairs. Fifthly, Hradec Králové draws rock fans to Park 360 for Rock for People in June and history fans to the Chlum battlefield in July. Sixthly, Mikulov fills up for the Pálava Wine Harvest Festival on the second weekend of September. Lastly, Plzeň celebrates its beer at the Pilsner Urquell brewery during Pilsner Fest in October. Summer is the peak season for the large music festivals, while wine, beer, opera and battle reenactments carry the calendar from September to November.

How to get around in Czechia during the festivals?

To get around in Czechia during the festivals, there are 3 main options: Czech public transportation, a rental car and a bicycle. Firstly, take trains, buses, the metro and trams, because they connect every festival town on this page with Prague and cost little. Prague’s public transport consists of 3 colour-coded metro lines, trams that cross the city above ground and buses that reach the districts the trams and metro miss. The metro runs every 2 to 4 minutes at peak times and no more than every 10 minutes off-peak, and crossing the whole system takes 30 to 45 minutes. Letňany Airport, the Exhibition Grounds and Letná Park all sit on the metro or tram network, and direct trains and buses run from Prague to Plzeň, Hradec Králové, Tábor, Brno, Ostrava and Karlovy Vary, so it is worth checking FlixBus coaches in Czechia against the train fare for the longer hops. Secondly, rent a car if you are heading to a festival that public transport reaches slowly, such as Camp Brodský near Červený Kostelec, Josefov Fortress in Jaroměř or the Tvarožná battlefield, or if you are carrying camping gear. Driving in Czechia lets you move between festival grounds and accommodation outside the towns, and it is quick to compare car rental in Czechia across the Prague airport and city desks. Lastly, cycle for shorter distances, because bike paths link many Czech towns and festival sites, and Colours of Ostrava publishes its own bike route guidance each July. Combining the 3 modes covers every festival on this page.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the team covers Czechia for independent travellers, including the festivals, city guides, traditional Czech food and public transport worth planning a trip around, and updates this page when festival dates, prices and rules change.