Jazz, goose and a little rebellion: Prague’s November culture fix

November brings some of Prague’s most adventurous music programming, a fresh crop of film festivals and a public holiday that turns the city center into a celebration of freedom. There are new exhibitions to explore, a circus premiere without a language barrier, and orchestral arrangements of Czech funk.

Between evenings indoors, make time for an illuminated Baroque garden, the season’s first young wines and the opening of the Christmas markets. Here are the cultural highlights worth putting on your calendar.

Prague Sounds celebrates its 30th anniversary with a program spanning jazz, electronic music, contemporary classical and sounds from further afield. Brooklyn Rider opens the festival at Signal Space, followed by appearances from pianist Hiromi, composer Anna Meredith and rapper Kojey Radical.

A four-night Rudolfinum residency provides the finale: a celebration of Steve Reich’s 90th birthday, jazz singer Samara Joy, electronic artist Max Cooper and sitar player Anoushka Shankar. It’s a chance to hear familiar concert spaces take on very different musical identities.

Various Prague venues. (Nov. 2–22)

Národní třída becomes a pedestrian space for concerts, exhibitions, performances and conversations marking the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. This year’s program connects the events of 1939 and 1989 with contemporary questions about democracy, responsibility and public life.

Browse the outdoor installations, stop for the street brunch or join the crowds for Modlitba pro Martu at 5:11 p.m. The celebrations have plenty to offer through music, art and atmosphere, even for visitors who don’t speak Czech.

Národní třída and surrounding venues. (Nov. 17)

Kunsthalle Praha opens the second chapter of its collection exhibition, bringing historical, postwar and contemporary works into conversation around vulnerability, intimacy and resilience. Artists include Toyen, Emil Filla, Tacita Dean, Adriena Šimotová and Klára Hosnedlová.

For an English-language introduction, join curator Tevž Logar’s public tour on opening day, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. The exhibition explores how apparent fragility can become a means of expression and resistance.

Kunsthalle Praha. (Nov. 13–April 12, 2027)

Prague City Gallery revisits a Czech painter whose career took him from Prague to Brussels, Paris, Brittany and the Balkans. This major exhibition places Jaroslav Čermák’s dramatic historical scenes and portraits within the wider European art world of the 19th century.

Prepared with international loans, the exhibition explores a painter whose work reflected political conflict, national aspirations and the ideals of freedom. It opens a window onto a Czech artistic career that extended well beyond the country’s borders.

Prague City Gallery, Municipal Library. (Nov. 4–Feb. 28, 2027)

Catch the final day of a special Japanese art weekend at the Mucha Foundation Art Museum in Savarin Palace. Language of Flowers brings Sogetsu-school ikebana into dialogue with Mucha’s nature-inspired Art Nouveau, with arrangements incorporating Czech glass and locally sourced plants.

A watercolor workshop on Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. offers a hands-on option: learn basic techniques and decorate a fan inspired by Mucha’s aesthetic. Check workshop language arrangements before booking.

Mucha Foundation Art Museum. (Nov. 1; exhibition runs Oct. 30–Nov. 1)

The National Gallery marks the Nov. 17 public holiday with free admission to its permanent collection exhibitions. Choose between modern art at Veletržní Palace, medieval treasures at the Convent of St. Agnes, Old Masters in the Hradčany palaces and Asian art at Salm Palace. It’s an opportunity to revisit a favorite collection or explore a building you’ve never entered. Note: The free-entry offer does not include the Anna Jagiellon exhibition.

Participating National Gallery buildings. (Nov. 17, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.)

The queer film festival returns with 28 features and 50 shorts exploring first loves, changing identities and the possibility of coming of age at any age. Alongside new discoveries, the retrospective brings Todd Haynes’ Velvet Goldmine and Gregg Araki’s Nowhere back to the big screen.

Mezipatra is particularly accessible to international audiences: unless otherwise indicated, non-English films have English subtitles, while English-language films screen with Czech subtitles.

Various Prague cinemas. (Nov. 5–12)

Australian and New Zealand cinema takes over Lucerna, Edison Filmhub and Ponrepo for a week of features, documentaries and shorts. The festival looks beyond familiar landscapes to explore contemporary society, Indigenous cultures and the region’s varied filmmaking voices.

Short films accompany the main screenings, with one ticket covering both. Films are presented in their original or English-language versions with Czech subtitles; check the individual listing for any non-English dialogue.

Kino Lucerna, Edison Filmhub and Kino Ponrepo. (Nov. 6–12)

The 29th French Film Festival brings preview screenings, contemporary discoveries and classics to five Prague cinemas. This year’s program includes new adaptations of Les Misérables and Albert Camus’ The Stranger, directed by François Ozon, alongside tributes to Nathalie Baye, Agnès Varda and Claude Chabrol.

Most screenings are geared toward French- or Czech-speaking audiences, so check language and subtitle details carefully when choosing a film.

Various Prague cinemas. (Nov. 19–25)

Bio Oko becomes a gateway to Brazilian cinema as Kino Brasil returns for its 13th edition. The festival combines films with an accompanying program that connects cinema with Brazilian music, dance, food and culture.

It’s a chance to explore filmmaking beyond the titles that usually reach Czech distribution. Check the published screening program for individual films and English-subtitle availability.

Bio Oko and accompanying venues. (Nov. 26–29)

Daniel Kvašňovský attempts to deliver the perfect circus performance in a solo where perfection proves frustratingly elusive. Contemporary clowning, physical theater and Slovak folklore meet in a world somewhere between a circus tent and a sheepfold.

Presented by Les Nouveaux Nez & Cie, the production receives its world premiere at Jatka78 during Circus Nights. With no spoken language and a running time of 50 minutes, it’s an accessible choice for international audiences and families with children ages 7 and up.

Jatka78. (Nov. 13–15)

Ukrainian group Dakh Daughters brings its theatrical “freak-cabaret” to Prague Crossroads, the National Theatre’s international festival. Antidote combines music, poetry and performance in a response to propaganda, war and the struggle to preserve freedom.

The multilingual show is performed in Ukrainian, English, German and French, with Czech subtitles. Expect a concert that crosses into theater, with visual staging and political urgency integral to the performance.

DOX+. (Nov. 30, 8 p.m.)

Czech funk band Monkey Business joins the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra for a concert that gives its songs a new orchestral setting. Conductor Jan Kučera leads the collaboration, bringing a large symphonic ensemble into the band’s world of groove, rhythmic play and improvisation.

The meeting of two very different musical outfits makes this one of November’s more unusual crossover concerts.

Forum Karlín. (Nov. 14, 8 p.m.)

Two major pianists share the stage as András Schiff and Evgeny Kissin open this year’s festival with Mozart, Schumann, Smetana and Dvořák. The program moves between music for two pianos and four hands, offering a rare encounter between the performers.

Further recitals feature Lukas Sternath, Marek Kozák and Anna Vinnitskaya before Grigory Sokolov closes the festival.

Rudolfinum. (Nov. 3–9)

British singer Jessie Ware brings her sixth album, Superbloom, to SaSaZu. Building on the dance-floor direction of That! Feels Good!, her latest chapter pairs expressive vocals with disco-inflected pop.

The club setting offers an opportunity to hear a singer whose music balances emotional directness with the pleasure of a big night out.

SaSaZu. (Nov. 12)

Psytrance act Vini Vici returns to Duplex for a late-November headline show. Known for tracks including “Great Spirit” and appearances on major international festival stages, the act brings its driving electronic sound to the Wenceslas Square club.

This is a dedicated guest appearance rather than one of the venue’s recurring themed nights. Doors open at 10 p.m.; entry is for ages 18 and up.

Duplex. (Nov. 28)

Research institutes open their doors for a week of laboratory visits, lectures, exhibitions, documentary screenings and guided walks. It’s an opportunity to see what happens inside scientific workplaces that are usually closed to the public.

The festival website has a dedicated selection of events in English, making it easier to find an accessible session. Many activities require registration, so browse early rather than simply turning up.

Various Prague research institutes and venues. (Nov. 2–8)

Bethlehem Chapel hosts an evening of talks and personal stories exploring how origins, experiences and values shape our lives. This year’s theme, Back to Our Roots, asks what we carry from the past and how it influences the directions we take.

Speakers include artist Míla Fürstová, known internationally for her artwork for Coldplay’s Ghost Stories. The evening includes opportunities to meet other attendees; check with the organizer about language and interpretation arrangements before booking.

Bethlehem Chapel. (Nov. 26, 6 p.m.)

The terraced Baroque garden opens for a special evening of illumination, offering a different perspective on its statues, staircases and views across Malá Strana. The short opening window makes this a date to plan around, rather than an attraction to leave for another evening.

Wrap up for a slow stroll through one of Prague’s most atmospheric gardens after sunset.

Vrtba Garden. (Nov. 5, 5–9 p.m.)

New Town Hall hosts a weekend devoted to whisky, with hundreds of samples, whisky cocktails and masterclasses for newcomers and experienced drinkers. This year’s guest is Lenka Whyles Nádvorníková, the first Czech woman awarded the Keeper of the Quaich distinction.

Several masterclasses are explicitly offered in English, covering distilleries and traditions from Scotland and England to Japan and Taiwan. Individual sessions require separate booking.

New Town Hall. (Nov. 6–7)

Náplavka celebrates the new vintage with young wines from Czech and Moravian producers, roast goose, dumplings and cabbage. The riverside gathering brings together seasonal food, wine tasting and live music for one of November’s most characteristic Czech traditions.

Bring your own wine glass or pick one up at the event, then explore the participating wineries at your own pace.

Rašínovo nábřeží. (Nov. 14)

November ends with Prague switching into Advent mode. The main Christmas markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square open Nov. 28, bringing seasonal food, mulled wine, decorations and gift stalls into the city center.

For this month’s calendar, it’s the opening weekend that matters: an early opportunity to browse before December’s busiest weeks and see the squares take on their winter appearance.

Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square. (From Nov. 28)