Another weekend, another failed attempt to roam the city and try everything Prague has to offer in two days, while getting some rest after a busy week. Oh well. That's life. But the summer is nearly here and the weather is getting better, so we just have to power through this and we’ll sleep at work later on. Sounds like a plan!
We bring you an overview of events that caught our eye for the weekend ahead. We will try to see them all, but we can’t make any promises. Especially mixing beer and Prosecco wines could be a pretty dangerous mix, but with the food and the culture you get along the way, we think we could keep it civilized. See you there!
Mini-Breweries Festival at the Prague Castle
Organized by the Czech Association of Mini-breweries, this is one of the events of the year if beer is your drink of choice (oh boy, are you in the right country for that). Let’s look at the stats: 70 breweries, each choosing two of their best beers. 139 beers. 25 different styles. 1200 tickets to be sold for each day, so the capacity is limited. Over 7000 liters of beer ready to be poured into small tasting glasses you get on entry. Sounds like fun. The festival is held underneath the Royal Gardens and the Belvedere palace within the Prague Castle area, a place worth visiting alone. The festival starts today at 2pm and you should hurry: if this year will be like the last one, Matuska, the most popular brewery around, will sell out very soon, followed by other popular breweries. Drink responsibly.
Milujeme Prosecco
The second edition of the Prosecco festival with a neighborly feel will take place in the Sady Svatopluka Cecha park in the Vinohrady district. If you love bubbles, this is your event: the nearby Prosecárna wine bar that organizes the festival brought some high-quality Italian Prosecco producers last year and they have promised to up their game this year, expanding the selection while keeping their commitment for quality. Food will be provided by some well-known Prague establishments, including the open-faced sandwiches by Sisters, or gelato by Puro gelato. This festival is surprisingly family-friendly and the park is a great venue for the bubble festival, and the perfect starting point for exploring the Vinohrady district around it.
Local Food Market
And when you explore the Vinohrady district, you might find the Local Food Market on the Namesti miru square just some 10 minutes by walk from the Prosecco event. The market, which starts at 11am and will go on until 8pm, will present some favorite eateries from the Vinohrady district, interestingly enough most of them offering foreign food. Our favorites from the list include Las Adelitas, our place to go to for Mexican food, Mr Banh mi, a popular bistro for Vietnamese sandwiches, Bad Jeff BBQ, a BBQ place frequented by locals and expats alike, or the Dirty Dog Bar and the MAD Dog Bistro, one of the forerunners of what is soon to become an annoying wave of gourmet hot dog restaurants. Beer aficionados will find their fill with at the stands of Prague Beer Museum or the Two Tale Brewing, and Cidre will be served, too. Sounds like a recipe for a sleepless night after too much food, which is actually fine because of...
Prague Museum Night
The 12th edition of this popular event will take place this Saturday from 7pm. Nearly 50 institutions will open 80 venues for free visit over night. A great opportunity to sober up after the Prosecco and beer events earlier that day, and to visit some venues that you promised yourself you would. Our picks? For young art, definitely MeetFactory and Futura gallery, both in the Prague 5 district, and both in some ways connected to David Cerny, a dominating figure on the art scene. The Chemistry gallery in the Orco constructivist building is also interesting. If you like transport, the Public Transport Museum and the Government Lounge at the Main Railway Station sound fun. Also, two venues we know look great at night include the Vysehrad fortress and the National Memorial at the Vitkov hill. (Especially the view from Vitkov at night might be spectacular. Make sure you’re there.)
Open Gardens Weekend
Inspired by the British Open Gardens and Squares Weekend, the Open Gardens Weekend event is a great opportunity to spend a lazy Sunday in the calm and solitude in picturesque garden in Prague. Given how popular these events tend to be, we can’t guarantee the solitude, or the calm. Still, the gardens underneath the Prague Castle are one of the most romantic places in Prague (one of our first guests actually got engaged there), and the otherwise inaccessible garden of the Office of the Government nearby give you the opportunity to see the city from a new angle. And the botanical garden of the Faculty of Tropical Agriculture will be a nice change to the otherwise similar gardens in the offering. And let's face it: after the beers and the Prosecco and the sleepless night in the museum, you'll need to sit down and just look at some flowers before the next week starts. Enjoy the weekend!