Prague Pride Parade Embraces Eco-Friendly Route Throughthe Heart of Prague

Italian rapper M¥SS KETA, whose music you know from the popular series
White Lotus, will perform in Pride Park

At noon on Saturday, 10 August, the Prague Pride Parade will leave Wenceslas Square and head to Letná, where it will be followed by an afternoon program of musical performances, spoken word, fairground attractions, and awareness raising. This year the Parade is again without cars with internal combustion engines and due to the ongoing repairs of the Prašná Tower, it will pass through the Ovocný trh.

Participants will gather on the lower side of Wenceslas Square, where a music stage will be playing from the morning and stalls with rainbow accessories, make-up, and refreshments will be open. At 12:00, the front of the parade will get underway, including the deputy chairwoman of the Pirates, Olga Richterová, the government commissioner for human rights, Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková, the moderator Aleš Cibulka with his long-time partner Michal Jagelka, the actor Viktor Zavadil, the influencers Johana Bázlerová and Karolína Kachyňová, the filmmaker and music producer of Prague Pride Šimon Holý and many others. There are already 77 organized groups of participants registered for the parade, formed by partner companies, non-profit organizations and associations, as well as political parties, etc.

The Parade will go down Na Příkopě Street, turn into Havířská Street, and pass through the Ovocný trh to Celetná. It then passes through the beautiful surroundings of Old Town Square and Pařížská Street. The staircase to Letná follows behind the Čech Bridge. People with reduced mobility, as well as media crews with heavy equipment, can take a special tram from the Čechův most stop to Letná to the Pride Park stop (normally Sparta). The tram does not pick up additional passengers on the way.

DJs on four Sky Stages and several other music islands located along the route will provide musical accompaniment for the Parade. “Sustainability is very important to us, which is why there will be no cars with internal combustion engines in the parade again this year. On the contrary, there will be ‘Every Can Counts’ teams moving among the people, collecting empty cans to sort them properly,” says festival director Kamila Fröhlichová.

More information about the Parade, including a map, can be found here.

The programme at Letná will offer six stages with music and spoken word, fairground attractions, a VIP zone, a family zone, a beauty zone, and a JarmarQ of non-profits, where it will be possible to try out virtual reality or first aid. This year, the Purple Stage will feature Czech and international Pride Voices – inspirational talk shows with speakers who are trying to change the world for the better. American DJ and producer living in Berlin Lotic, Polish activist Joanna Rostkowska, Czech writer Marek Torčík, Slovak politician Lucia Plaváková, director of the Ukrainian SUNNY BUNNY film festival Bohdan Zhuk, and others will tell their personal stories. A new feature this year is a religious service at Letná, which will take place on the Purple Stage from 17:00.

“Of course, there is again a large testing zone organized by the Czech AIDS Aid Society, where people can get tested for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C free of charge and anonymously. Recently there have been more new cases of HIV among heterosexual people, so education and better information is really needed in Czech society,” said Kamila Fröhlichová.

The highlights of Pride Park are the performances of Italian rapper M¥SS KETA (Red Stage, 21:00 – 22:00), genderfluid Iranian-American artist Dornika (Green Stage focused on Germany, 19:00 – 20:00), and Slovak rapper Edúv syn, whose work focuses on mental health and the state of (not only Slovak) society (Red Stage, 17:00 – 17:50).

Full information about Pride Park, including a map of the venue, can be found here.

Saturday is the busiest day in terms of the program, but Sunday also offers a wide selection of events and opportunities to say goodbye to other participants of the biggest queer event in the Czech Republic. There will be an Afterpicnic & Concerts on Střelecký Island all afternoon, several exhibitions will still be open, and there will be a Unitarian spiritual gathering as well as an ecumenical service or a screening of the film “120 BPM.”

From 2pm, sculptor Pavel Karous will lead a tour of public art and architecture in Prague reflecting the stories of the sexual revolution and LGBT+ people (Queer Invaders and Herons). The rainbow week will be concluded with parties at Back Doors Bar, B52 Bar, Friends, and Heaven clubs.