7 authentic Masopust parades across Czechia, from Bohemia to Moravia

For a few weeks each winter, villages and city districts across Czechia observe the country’s centuries-old carnival season and local cousin of Mardi Gras, Masopust. The tradition, with roots stretching back more than 700 years, marks the final days of feasting before Lent.

Celebrations are part street theatre, part folk ritual: costumed processions, brass bands, flowing beer, and tables heavy with pork and pastries until Ash Wednesday brings it all to an abrupt end.

At its heart, Masopust is about the symbolic banishment of winter. During parades, traditional masks recur again and again (the bear, the bride and groom, animals, clowns) each carrying its own meaning. And yet Masopust takes on different customs and characters across the regions known in some places as maškara, or fašank in Moravia.

If you haven't yet experienced a village processions or one Prague's larger urban celebrations these aer seven of the most authentic Masopust parades happening across Czechia:

Located about 90 minutes east of Prague, Hlinsko is the "Vatican" of Czech carnival. This is where tradition is taken seriously: unmarried men wear red masks, while married men wear black. The highlight is the "Killing of the Mare," a humorous ritual where a costumed horse is "executed" for the village's sins and then magically revived with alcohol to symbolize the coming of spring.

Throughout the day, masked processions move door-to-door through villages, enjoying doughnuts, sandwiches, and alcoholic drinks at each stop. A brass band accompanies the procession.

For urban carnage on a grand scale, Prague's Žižkov neighborhood has claimed the title for over three decades. Žižkov was one of the first districts to resurrect the tradition in the early 1990s after communism fell, and it's been setting the pace ever since.

This is a loud, spectacular bash featuring giant puppets and the famous Lovesong Orchestra. The town hall usually kicks things off by roasting a pig and handing out free portions of jitrnice (pork sausage) to anyone in a mask.

Just north of Prague, Roztoky breaks the "spectator" barrier. The local museum actually rents out authentic masks to visitors, so you can stop watching and start marching. You’ll be led by a "Queen" and a creature called Klibna—which looks like a cross between a giraffe and a ladder—to a massive hilltop dance-off between neighboring villages.

In southeastern Moravia, the Masopust (or Fašank) tradition focuses on the "under the sword" dance. Five men perform rhythmic clashing movements dating back to the 18th century. The five-day festival ends with the "Burial of the Bass," a mock funeral for a musical instrument that signals the end of partying and the start of fasting.

For the most photogenic experience, head to the UNESCO-listed town of Český Krumlov. The cobblestone streets and Renaissance towers provide a stunning backdrop for jugglers, medieval musicians, and open-air markets selling traditional blood pudding and carnival doughnuts (koblihy).

If you want to avoid the crowds, the Doudleby region in South Bohemia offers the most intimate experience. From morning until evening, the bachelor's carol carol goes around all the houses together with a brass band, with neighbors in homemade costumes visiting each other's houses to bless the homes and demand a glass of plum brandy. It’s Masopust in its purest, most authentic form.

In the heart of the Slovácko wine region, this town offers a unique mix of delicate folk art and extreme bravery. While the streets fill with elaborately embroidered costumes and the music of hammered dulcimers, the most daring locals take a voluntary plunge into the freezing Morava River. It’s a bracing ritual that balances the weekend's heavy meat-eating with a literal cold shock to the system.