Czech Freedom Week begins with 130 events, from Havel plays to pub quizzes

The anniversary of the Velvet Revolution is expanding beyond a single day, with more than 130 cultural and educational events planned for this year’s Freedom Week.

Running Nov. 11–17, the fourth edition brings together approximately 90 organizers in more than 40 cities across Czechia and abroad. Theater, concerts, exhibitions, screenings, discussions and pub quizzes will explore freedom, democracy and civic responsibility.

Organized by Díky, že můžem, the initiative also marks the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel’s birth. It culminates on Nov. 17 with Korzo Národní, the annual celebrations on Prague’s Národní třída.

The week opens Wednesday with the Jan Opletal Awards at La Fabrika, recognizing young people’s contributions to their schools, universities and wider communities. Hosted by Karel “Kovy” Kovář, the ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be available through Czech Television’s iVysílání.

Prague’s theater program includes Havel77: Here We Go Again? at Rock Café and Divadlo LETÍ’s Olga (Horrory z Hrádečku) at VILA Štvanice.

Other participating venues include Divadlo pod Palmovkou, Švandovo divadlo and Venuše ve Švehlovce.

Beyond the stage, Pragulic will explore memories of the Velvet Revolution through guides with experience of homelessness. The Czech Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Psychology will examine how people assess the former regime’s strengths and shortcomings.

The Roots of the Future project will also participate, bringing attention to the Vietnamese community and integration in Czechia.

Visitors can browse the Freedom Week program for individual dates, venues and admission details.

In Brno, the Moravian Gallery opens an exhibition of Dagmar Hochová’s photographs of the democratic revolution on Nov. 11. Other events include a self-guided walk tracing the city’s revolutionary history and discussions about the children of political prisoners.

Elsewhere, the program includes theater in Olomouc and Liberec, a uranium-themed exhibition in Jáchymov and a screening of Havel Speaking, Can You Hear Me? in Chomutov.

For the first time, institutions abroad will join through Czech Centres and diplomatic missions in Vienna, Budapest, Brussels, The Hague and Cairo.

The week concludes with Korzo Národní, whose 13th edition offers more than 160 program items, from public discussions and concerts to family activities.

The Czech national anthem will be performed at 1 p.m. A new window-based theatrical performance, DŮM VŠECH, begins at 5 p.m., incorporating the traditional Prayer for Marta at 5:11 p.m.

Havel’s Living Room returns in a new location at Palác Platýz, alongside a charity Velvet Brunch, literary programming and children’s activities.