Exhibitions, concerts and video-mappings: Prague celebrates Václav Havel on 90th anniversary

Organized by Prague Castle, the multi-disciplinary Havel ALIVE! festival will offer exhibitions, movie screenings, talks, debates and concerts from October to January.

“Václav Havel was a versatile personality. He was not only a statesman, but also a writer, philosopher, humanist and playwright. We believe that it is important to remember his values and the legacy he left behind,” explained Milan Vašina, head of the Office of the President.

Among the highlights: the Czech premiere of a forgotten and unfinished Havel play, ‘Warning’, in early November in the Dejvice Theater; a special screening of Citizen Havel; walking tours to learn more about the transformations of Prague Castle during Havel’s presidency; and multiple discussions deconstructing his thoughts on democracy, politics, the individual, spirituality and art.

The full and detailed program will shortly be published here.

Throughout the autumn months, the Municipal Library of Prague is also preparing a series of discussions, lectures, concerts and exhibitions to commemorate Havel’s legacy.

The program kicks off on Sept. 21 with a gala evening and concert by Aneta Langerová and the Czech Radio Children’s Choir.

On Oct. 1, an ambitious performance will take place in the Central Library’s main hall, with readings of his poems and other texts put to music as an homage to the vibrant community of young authors – and future key actors of the Czechoslovak literary and dissident scene – that emerged around Havel in the early 1950s.

The following week on Oct. 7, Josef Straka will moderate a discussion about the topicality and relevance of Havel’s work in today’s context, followed the next day by a debate focused on his philosophy and thoughts on issues ranging from democracy to ecology. And on Oct. 21, yet another public talk will look at Havel’s relationship with film and cinema.

Put together by DesignBlok in cooperation with Prague Castle, the exhibition Design for Václav Havel will open to the public between Oct. 7-11, accessible as part of DesignBlok with a festival ticket. It will then be open with free admission at the Prague Castle Riding School from Oct. 21 to Jan. 17.

The wide-ranging exhibit will showcase a selection of design works and creations from other fields – many of them never exhibited before – made at the behest of Havel during his presidency or as part of the changes he brought to Prague Castle when he was head of state.

Castle Guard uniforms, dinner service sets, chairs, a Havel bust and much more. But the central piece of the assortment will be Havel’s own study, designed by Bořek Šípek in the early 1990s, which will return to Prague Castle for the first time in over two decades. "The study waited in an attic for 24 years covered with a tarpaulin and is now returning to Prague Castle after minor restoration work," said Jana Zielinski, curator of the exhibition and director of DesignBlok.

For its 2026 edition next month, the Signal Festival has prepared the special video-mapping Living in Truth, which will be projected on the Old Town Hall.

Designed by Ukrainian artist Svitlana Reinish, the installation is inspired by Havel’s ideas developed in his seminal 1978 essay The Power of the Powerless – examining truth as the biggest act of resistance against the insidious mechanisms of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes.

A second standalone installation, ‘What Are You Responsible For’ by Czech student Karolína Schulzová, will meanwhile occupy the courtyard of the Church of Our Lady of the Snows – providing a counterpoint to the first one by exploring Havel’s famous greengrocer as a metaphor for political passivity and social obedience.

With concerts, theater performances and film screenings, the Faculty of Music and Dance of the Prague Academy of Performing Arts (HAMU) is also preparing its own homage to the late playwright and president, in November.

Vice Dean of HAMU Dana Syrová explains the main idea behind the event: “Havel has something to say to today’s young generation. Young artists recognize themselves in his thoughts. He is close to them with his courage, doubts and conviction that it makes sense to stand behind what we believe. These are the topics that the HAMU for HAVEL festival will address.”

Visit the HAMU website for the tentative program being put together.

Starting this week already, Czech public radio has launched the ‘Hearing Havel’ cycle, broadcasting throughout September and October past interviews, previously unpublished recordings, other archival recordings and dramatic works with or associated with Havel.

“We wanted to show Václav Havel in various radio postures: as an author, an interpreter of his own texts, a radio reporter and a president behind the microphone. It’s an opportunity to hear again materials that are still relevant and speak very strongly to our current situation,” said Ondřej Nováček, program director of Czech Radio.