Street art festival brings acrobats and music to Prague
The annual festival of street art called Za dveřmi, or Behind the Door, is currently underway in Prague, filling the city with acrobats, musicians, actors, and jugglers.
The main festival venue is once again located in Holešovická tržnice, with additional stages at Mariánské náměstí, Holport Holešovice, and, for the first time, also on Štvanice Island.
The popular festival’s 17th edition kicked off on Wednesday evening with the visually striking performance of Gauguin’s Turtle by the French troupe Lucamoros, performed on a towering scaffold visible from the HolKa footbridge.
During the show, six small “houses” built into the structure became the setting for large-scale paintings created live on stage, each inspired by a legend about Paul Gauguin painting on a turtle’s shell.
The festival features artists from across Europe, including performers from Spain, Poland, Hungary, and Ukraine. Among them are Federico Menini, an Argentinian artist based in Spain, and Imre Bernath, a Hungarian street comic and acrobat.
Among the domestic highlights is Eliška Brtnická’s daring aerial performance Komín, which takes place high above the ground on a real chimney in Holport. Festival favourites Bratři v tricku are also back with a brand-new juggling act.
The weekend will offer a programme for all ages: Saturday will see a colourful puppet parade through the streets and squares of Prague’s Old Town, while Sunday’s Family Day will bring fairy tales, clowns, and creative workshops.
As always, entry to all performances is free, with voluntary donations welcome. Full program details are available on the festival’s website: zadvermi.cz/en.
