Winter 2024 Events in Prague: Christmas Markets, Holiday Celebrations, Exhibitions and More
The return of outdoor Christmas Markets to all of Prague’s major squares in November brings light and festive cheer to the darker days that end the year. Visitors and residents can once again make merry among lighted wooden stalls with vendors selling Christmas ornaments, gifts, jewelry, local crafts, mulled wine (svařák) and hot honey wine (Medovina). Here’s our insider info on how best to spend a Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Prague, and tips on the best events you won’t want to miss this winter.
Christmas in Prague
Christmas in Prague is a magical time, with an illuminated city full of Christmas markets offering aromatic sausages and mulled wine and many special events. Here’s what you can expect.
Christmas Markets — November 30th to December 31, 2024
If you’re visiting Prague in December, Christmas markets will be easy to find. Christmas markets in Prague, like those in neighboring Austria and Germany spread yuletide cheer throughtout advent and even up until the New Year and beyond. The biggest Christmas markets are situated in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, which run until January 6 and cater to the tourist crowd, offering a grandiose style of Christmas charm.
For those ready to dive into the heavier street food that Christmas markets offer, roasted sausages and roasted ham delivered right from the spit may be a delightful choice, while visitors with a sweet tooth can count on booths serving up hot palačinky (pancakes) or brilliantly decorated perníčky (gingerbread).
Old Town Square’s Christmas Market is a perennial seasonal favorite, with the giant Christmas tree and festive decorations creating the Christmas atmosphere, while the entertainment program helps brings locals in addition to tourists together.
We are also very fond of the intimate market up at Prague Castle and the less touristy Christmas market at Namesti Miru in Prague’s residential district, Vinohrady, with a focus on traditional Czech crafts, from straw, cast iron, painted cups to wooden carving. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Church of St. Ludmila, you use this opportunity to get hold of traditional Czech handicrafts and Christmas cookies, taking it in with copious amounts of mulled wine. Gift stalls are open until 10:00 PM and refreshment stands stay open even later, up until midnight.
Take a Tour with Insight Cities
Insight Cities’ Prague: An Introduction Tour makes the perfect Christmas gift for a loved one visiting the city or the perfect Christmas gift for yourself. The three-hour Prague walking tour introduces key monuments and familiarizes you with the Prague’s 1,000 years at the center of European history, with a knowledgeable and personable guide leading you along the way. Book with us now and set up your tour today!
Mikulas on the Old Town Square – December 5th, 2024
Spend your evening on the Old Town Square watching the uniquely Czech tradition of Mikulas (St. Nicholas), as locals dress up as angels, devils and saints and punish some young children for their bad behavior and reward others for their good deeds. The children have to recite a poem and are usually rewarded for their good behavior with Christmas candy and cookies by Mikulas and the angels. But, occasionally, if the kids aren’t prepared to recite or sing, they are rewarded by the devil with a lump of coal!
The Lamplighter of the Charles Bridge – December 1–23, 2024
A beautiful Prague tradition is the 4:00PM – 4:15PM lighting of Prague’s gas lamps (starting on the Old Town side) by a lamplighter dressed in 19th-century garb. Not only is the 660+ year old bridge the only remaining one in the world to be illuminated by gas lamps, but the lighter is also a local personage. Jan Žákovec is unusually tall, and he also happens to be the head of Prague’s Gas Museum, happy to speak with natives and visitors about the history of the gas lamps!
Advent concerts at the National Theatre — various dates, December 2024
As a part of Prague Christmas tradition, the National Theatre orchestra performs seasonal Czech standards with the Philharmonic children’s choir. Jiří Teml’s “Holy Night” and Jakub Jan Ryba’s “Czech Christmas Mass” are part of the program. In addition to supporting the arts, you’ll also be able to support SONS, a local organization training guide dogs for blind people.
Christmas Carp Market — December 15–24, 2024
Landlocked Czechia consumes an unusually fishy dish on Christmas Eve: fried carp and potato salad. And though few Czechs in Prague will be keeping live carp in their bathtubs, you can find loads of them swimming around in tanks in many strategic locations throughout the city, often near the Christmas markets. If you’re in Prague for Christmas and want to partake in the Czech traditional meal, head on over to the nearest market and get yourself some carp. You can also visit one of many traditional Czech restaurants serving carp on Christmas Eve. If you’re getting it live, though, be sure to check the recipe — and why not have some mulled wine, too?
Boxing Day Swimmers – December 26, 11:00 AM
After enjoying your Christmas, it’s good fun to wander down to our National Theater on Boxing Day at 11:00 AM between Slavonic Island and Střelecký Island to see the hardiest of Czechs plunge into the freezing waters of the Vltava for their annual swim. Amazingly, this tradition has been in existence since 1923 and is still going strong 100 years later.
Note that the Czech Republic observes Christmas over three days — December 24, 25, 26 — and so many museums and shops will be partially or totally closed on these days.
New Years in Prague
New Year’s Eve Celebrations — December 31st, 2024
Prague is known for its cacophonous and chaotic fireworks displays on New Year’s Eve, and the tradition continues despite restrictions on the use and purchase of these small explosives. While we can never be sure of the extent of the fireworks that go off at midnight (and often before then), we can recommend a rooftop or hilltop view for the fireworks.
If fireworks watching isn’t your style, take a New Year’s Eve cruise on Prague’s Jazz Boat with authentic local musicians or — if you want to go for the full-out extravagant Prague event — book an unforgettable State Opera’s New Year s Eve Gala Concert & Banquet. You will dine, dance on the stage and be treated to stunning renditions of classical compositions to ring in the new year.
Three Kings Procession – January 3, 2025
Held on the Feast of the Three Kings per Catholic tradition, three kings parade through the streets of Old Town to celebrate the mythical kings’ visit to the newborn Jesus, while on the day of and days leading up to the holiday, children dressed as kings ask for donations to the Three Kings Collection, a charity for people in need.
The special event takes place in the afternoon, with a blessing given at 3:00 PM in the Church of St. Thomas, while at 3:30 PM the three kings will parade on camels from Malostranské Square through the center of Prague, crossing the Charles Bridge to Old Town Square. A concert with traditional Christmas songs will take place in the square.
Outdoor Winter Activities in Prague
Ice Skating – December 2024 to March 2025
Nothing quite says a Prague winter like the pop-up ice rinks that appear all over the city. Like any good old socialist tradition, the use of the rink itself is free, if you use the ones put up by the city council and you pay to rent skates, if you don’t have your own. Open from 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. our advice is to skip weekends and evenings, and make the rink your very own when all the local kids are at school. Try the rink behind the Old Town Square at Ovocny Trh if you want a quick fix, or head to the larger rink at Letna Park, if you take your skating as seriously as most Czechs.
Exhibitions
Crystal Garden — November 29, 2024 to January 31, 2025
The Botanical Garden may not be a typical winter spot, but Prague’s Botanical Garden is brightening up the winter gloom with a unique exhibition showcasing the work of Czech glassmaker Jiří Pačinek, whose projects include props for films such as Glass Onion. Elegant and colorful ornamental glass will be tastefully placed around the gardens to complement the natural surroundings and infuse a bit more life into the otherwise dormant landscapes. Be sure to bundle up, though!
The Costumes of Smetana’s Operas — closes February 28, 2025
Bedřich Smetana’s operas have achieved global acclaim, and many are still performed to this day. Among the associated works conserved from his heyday are several costumes created for the original runs of his operas. Fifty-four costumes from The Bartered Bride, Dalibor, Libuše and Hubička, dating back to the 19th century, are on display at the National Museum, restored to their full, colorful glory, along with some insight into the laborious restoration process.
Vietnam: Near and Far — closes December 31, 2025
This exhibition may seem surprising to find on this list, but the Czech Republic is home to a sizeable Vietnamese minority, and this exhibition at the Naprstek Museum explores the Vietnamese-Czech immigrant story as well as the country from which they come. The result of a collaboration with the Vietnamese-Czech community, the exhibition displays various everyday objects belonging to Vietnamese people and offers a unique window into the contemporary Czech world.
Theater
The Nutcracker Ballet: A Christmas Carol at the National Theatre – various dates, December 2024
Tchaikovsky’s enduring Christmas tale returns in December to the National Theatre. This iteration blends elements of A Christmas Carol A must-see for people of all ages, tickets are very reasonably priced, but sell out quickly, so buy them online in advance.
The Bartered Bride — various dates, December 2024 to February 2025
Opera fans can combine a visit to the costumes of Smetana exhibition with seeing one of Smetana’s most renowned operas – and one of the most famous Czech operas to date. The Bartered Bride at the National Theatre, is a humorous take on Czech country life, encapsulating the national sensibility for irreverence. This year’s production also adds some meta-opera elements that address the challenges of putting on a modern production of a 150-year-old opera.
Hansel and Gretel — various dates, December 2024 to March 2025
This family-friendly opera, based on the famous fairy tale, features clowns, acrobats and puppets as part of the whimsical production. Those who know operas only as tragedies, fear not: this story has a happy ending. Performing at the State Opera with magnificent set design, this rendition of Hansel and Gretel captivates audiences as young as five years old.
Food and Drink
Winter Affair 2025 — January 25, 2025
Beer lovers, take note! Czech beer brewer Zichovec is hosting its annual beer tasting festival in Prague, where 25 breweries from the Czech Republic and across Europe share six of their best beers for visitors to try and compare. There will of course be plenty of culinary options to complement the craft beers.
If you can’t make this winter’s beer festival, you can still immerse yourself in Czech beer culture with our Beer and Baroque Tour. On this tour, you can sample nine traditional brews created in the oldest monastery in Bohemia and learn how beer has been made there for over a thousand years. From there, we’ll also go behind the ropes at the glorious Strahov Library, where its Baroque frescoes inspire many, including a few filmmakers, and where over 200,000 antique books are on display. Our expert guide will give you an exclusive look at this part of Prague rarely seen by tourists — and have some excellent beer, too! Book a tour with us now to secure your reservation.
Film
Pragueshorts Film Festival — February 26 to March 2, 2025
The cinema is an especially appealing venue during the long dark nights of winter, and short films can be an easy way spend an hour or two. The Pragueshorts Film Festival celebrates the short film as an art form, with a diverse and comprehensive selection. The competitive entries vie for various jury awards at the national and international level, with non-competitive film selections and a program for children to round out the festival offerings. The full program will be announced in early 2025.
Still unsure about what to do with your winter Prague adventure? Contact us at Insight Cities and we can arrange the perfect tour for you, whether it’s a general introduction to the city and its history, a focus on the Cold War or World War 2, its Jewish heritage, or whatever most interests you. Arrange your Prague touring today!