17th All Sokol Slet closes in Prague with second mass performance

Around 13,500 people performed in the second round of mass exercises at Prague’s Fortuna arena (formerly Eden Stadium) on Friday afternoon, officially closing the 17th All Sokol Slet, a gathering of Sokol branches from all around the world held every six years.

The mass performances, the first instalment of which took place on Thursday evening, are the culmination and highlight of Slet week, which began on Sunday with a parade through the Czech capital and a performance at the National Theatre, and continued with cultural and sporting events throughout the week. Both Thursday's and Friday's performances were aired live on Czech Television.

Sokol members opened the second round of performances on Friday by forming the word "spojujeme“ (we connect) in huge letters on the stadium grounds and ended it by coming together in the shape of a giant tree, meant to represent the tree of life.

Sokol is a Czech physical fitness movement with branches all over the world. Since its inception more than 160 years ago, it has been one of the main drivers of Czech social life. The Slets are the highlight of the Sokol calendar.