This year’s 14th annual Prague Pride Festival will take place from August 5th to 11th, featuring 213 events across various locations in the city. The theme of the event, which focuses on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender topics, is family defined not by genes but by unconditional acceptance.
Under the slogan “Family is Where Love Is,” the festival will begin with a traditional Sunday service on the eve of Prague Pride at the Church of St. Martin in the Wall in Prague 1. Although the event’s official start is on Monday evening, several activities are scheduled throughout the day. The Pride Gallery at the Langhans Palace in the city center will host the contemporary art exhibition Caution Hot, opening at 5 PM. The exhibition will feature eight Czech and Slovak artists, from emerging creators to established names, awarded the Jindřich Chalupecký Prize.
Various approaches, media, and themes will be united by the central theme of family roots, home, self-acceptance, and the formation of personal identity. Families with children and pets can visit the Kinský Garden for the Family Treasure Hunt, while Pride Cinema at Edison Filmhub on Jeruzalémská Street will kick off its week-long film festival with a screening of the British movie Pride.
The opening ceremony, We Are Family, will start at 5:30 PM at Pride Village on Střelecký Island. The event stars include French DJ and producer Lazy Flow, DJ Lil Autotune, and DJ Tasya. The island will come alive with disco lovers, party groovers, and fashion hunters from the House of Nora, featuring a performance by Nora Heart Attack. After 10 PM, the fun on Střelecký Island will continue at the Opening Afterparty at KKafe, where popular actor Jan Cina will perform as La Chica in a duo with Just Karen.
The festival program is concentrated in ten official locations, but events will happen all over Prague. “The main hub will be Pride Village on Střelecký Island from Monday to Friday, with activities continuing at Pride Club on the island’s south side after 10 PM. Discussions will occur at the new Pride House, which is moving to the French Institute,” explains organizer Eliška Černá. Intergenerational meetings and connections will be centered at Pride Life at the Život 90 organization headquarters. The youngest participants will find a safe space and appropriate programming at Pride Youth at the Scout Institute in Rybárna, Kampa.
On Saturday, the fun will culminate in the Pride Parade, which will set off at noon from the lower part of Wenceslas Square to Letná. The parade will proceed along Na Příkopě Street, Celetná Street, through Old Town Square, and Pařížská Street to Čech Bridge. From there, it will climb the steps to Letná and Pride Park. The festivities will then move to nightclubs across Prague, with the official disco afterparty Fever at Club Mecca and the electro afterparty Magion 2 at Garbe – Holešovická Power Plant. Saturday’s program will also accommodate those who prefer quieter gatherings, with Pride celebrations taking place at Pride Café and Pride Life.