He found a new home in Prague. Now he’s connecting expat communities in the streets

Originally from Israel, Omri was just 19 years old when he first arrived in Prague, in the late 1990s, after a short stint in the U.K. brought him to take a trip across Europe.

“I fell in love with the city, the atmosphere and the people – mostly the feeling of freedom and, at the same time, the possibilities for creative work,” he tells Expats.cz.

Right from the start, the street is where he found the space and audience for his art, starting off as a street artist and juggler. He later moved on to organize weekly community events “Flying Sundays” in the Exodus Gallery, right under the Lucerna palace, and later in NOD.

“It’s there that I discovered my love for event-organizing and bringing people and communities together,” he explains, launching him on the path he’s still on today, first helping with the production of music events, festivals and theater happenings, then moving on to create his own.

“Every time I thought about doing a new project or event, things usually came together, and I was lucky to find good people to work with. That’s what made it so appealing to stay: the feeling that I can realize my potential.”

Today, Omri’s hand can be found behind numerous recurring events and dedicated venues that have grown as popular staples of Prague’s cultural scene.

He’s one of the owners of the popular MINT Market, which runs designer markets in Prague and more than 30 other Czech cities throughout the year, and a co-owner of two bars, Burza #4 in Holešovice and Klub Betlémská in Prague 1 – two popular hangouts with frequent live music events attracting young crowds all days of the week.

Like thousands of other expats, it’s in Vinohrady that Omri found what he now calls home. “I have been living in Vinohrady for over 20 years, 15 of them very near to Americká. My child goes to school on the parallel street. It’s part of my daily life,” he tells us.

No wonder, then, that he has been the main organizer of Zažít Americkou jinak, the Americká-centered event of the wider Zažít město jinak (‘Take Back Your Street!’) urban neighborhood festival held around dozens of Prague streets and districts.

Originally organized in one single place by the NGO AutoMat to reimagine community living, Zažít město jinak expanded in 2011 to allow local actors to take over the concept and know-how and implement it in their own communities – thus becoming the massive Prague-wide festival held throughout several weekends in September that it is today.

“I decided to try it on Americká, next to where I lived and where my friends had their restaurant, Las Adelitas,” Omri tells us as he recalls the event’s modest beginnings. Back then, “it was a challenge to try and convince local businesses, bars and restaurants to believe in the concept,” he admits, with a positive caveat: “From the beginning, all the businesses owned by expats were very open to it.”

The concept caught on, and Zažít Americkou jinak is going to hold its 15th edition this Saturday, September 12, with live music, dance, workshops, children’s activities and food stalls lining up the two streets of Americká and Záhřebská from morning to nightfall.

On Americká, and elsewhere, the festival has been a reflection of the changing nature of Prague’s expat community and multi-cultural face.

“In the early years, it was obviously the Mexicans from Las Adelitas, who were active partners,” Omri explains. “Then the Balkan community around Olive Point and the Bulgarian House, followed by Italians and French with the restaurants and shops that were there, and later, Americans around Bad Jeff’s and the Beer Museum, and so on.”

Today, the Mexican and Latin American communities are still the most active partners, and the event has a specific Mexican-themed curated program, code-named ‘La Calle Mexicana’ given the proximity to Mexican Independence Day (on September 16).

“We are celebrating 15 years of existence, so that makes me so happy that it has such a long and strong tradition. It’s such a unique event to see in Prague, a place where you feel, for one day, almost transformed into another reality,” Omri tells Expats.cz.

During the whole Saturday, DJs will alternate sets over four different stages scattered along the two streets. The main part of the program will take place on La Calle Mexicana Stage, and will include Mexican musicians and mariachi bands, the traditional piñata, the popular Payaso del Rodeo dance workshop, and El Grito, the traditional ceremony commemorating Mexico’s Independence Day.

Those staying later in the evening will be offered a blend of Latin American cumbia, Balkan brass and ska with Faustina Calavera, a ten-piece band founded by Polish and Chilean musicians in Wroclaw; and a musical act at the intersection between electro music and Latin American rhythms by Argentine singer and dancer ONIXIA.

Apart from the main live performances, visitors can enjoy a host of food stalls offering Mexican, Latin American and international cuisine, special offerings from local bars and restaurants, or shop around MINT Market stands showcasing the works of dozens of Czech designers and independent creators – from jewelry to ceramics, cosmetics and more.

“I believe that the integration of expat communities is perhaps the main reason why the event is so popular and successful, as different expat communities see it as their own celebration,” he tells us, adding that as many as 15,000–20,000 visitors pass through during the day, with people specifically travelling from other Czech cities or abroad to attend.