Why was the Czech Beer Festival canceled in 2019?

One of the biggest and most popular festivals in Prague is the Czech Beer Festival. This has been an event lasting for 2 1/2 week every year in Prague, and it has brought tens of thousands of people to the city. It has also been listed as one of the top 40 festivals to experience in Europe and it has been featured in Lonely Planet and other travel magazines. So, why was the Czech Beer festival canceled in 2019?

There was quite a lot of information available about the cancelation to those who understand the Czech language, but if you don’t, you have probably had a hard time finding information about what happened in 2019, and whether or not it will influence the beer festival in 2020 or not.

Czech Beer festival 2017
Information about the Czech Beer Festival 2017

So, what happened with the Beer Festival in 2019?

The answer can be found in a blog post posted in January 2019, written by the creator and mastermind behind the festival, In the post, she wrote something as follows:


“I am sorry that I have to write it, but I decided to cancel the Czech Beer Festival 2019 after careful consideration.

Prague 7 City District has long disagreed with the festival on Letna Plain and last week the festival was rejected by the new management of the City of Prague. I cannot or do not want to organize the festival again without the support of these two institutions.

When I started the festival, I had a clear idea where to go and what it was. My goal was to build a unique event, which will be the annual holiday of Czech beer. Because, as one of the festival visitors once told me:

„There is only one word you need to know in Czech… BEER!“

Beer is not a rich alcohol that produces drunks and educates alcoholics. It is our tradition (however it has been abused and distorted for years), our legacy. It is a cultural drink that determines our country so much. Thousands of Czechs take care of his cooking and tens of thousands, perhaps more, take care of him. And they all do it with love and the belief that beer is much more.

That’s why we drew beer in glasses (including the tasting ones), that’s why there was never a single plastic cup at the festival, so we stored the cask in cool containers, so we worked with great Czech breweries of all sizes, flying breweries and even home owners The festival was visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the Czech Republic and around the world. That is why a visit to the Czech Beer Festival is recommended by the famous Lonely Planet travel guide. Because this festival is (was) something more.

I thank all visitors, fans and supporters of the festival, all breweries and other partners for the beautiful years, for all the little things and nice memories!”


So, it has been a matter of politics, about noise, about acceptance from the local government and the neighborhood… and it seems like she (YES, the main organizer is a SHE) got tired and fed up with it. And, she would rather cancel it, than to create an event somewhere else that is very different from the picture and dream she had on her inside.

Other beer programs in Prague

Would you like to taste some Czech beer still? Did you know that you can taste the strongest beer produced in Prague on our traditional and authentic Czech Beer Dinner? Look around here in our Prague Guide for lots of information, good pieces of advice, recommendations, and tips for exciting activities.

There are still other beer festivals taking place in Prague, and in October 2019, you can check the Oktoberfest which is a nice event as well. It cannot be compared to the Czech Beer Festival, but still… it might be worth checking out!

Czech Beer Festival 2019

Would you like to visit Prague for the Czech Beer Festival in 2019? When will it be arranged? Here you can find the dates for the festival and much more!

Until now, the Czech Beer Festival has lasted for 17 days and started quite early in May. But, from 2019 changes are coming. It will start one week later than it normally does, and it will last almost two weeks more. In other words, in 2019, you can enjoy the Czech Beer Festival for an entire month!

czech beer festival 2019
Dates for the Czech Beer Festival in 2019

Dates for the Czech Beer Festival in 2019

Start: May 16th, 2019
Last day: June 15th, 2019

Would you like to know more about the location of the festival, the entrance fees, and other practical information? Check out dedicated page to the Czech Beer Festival!

Would you like to taste a whole lot of amazing Czech beer, but not at the beer festival? Take a part in our Czech Beer Dinner taking place in a fantastic and authentic local restaurant in the center of Prague!

Czech Beer Festival 2018

This year is a fantastic year for tourists coming to Prague, and once again one of the highlights of the year is the annual beer festival.

Beer festival coming up in Prague
Beer festival coming up in Prague

The Czech beer festival has been arranged for years and years, and it is a giant success every year. This year it will open on May 10th and the festival will last until May 26th. That means you have 17 days to enjoy cold Czech beer and all sorts of brands that you have never even heard about before. There is a small entrance fee to enter the festival area, but for as little as 100 CZK you get the right to enter into the festival area every single day of the festival, which truly is a ridiculously low price.

Are you coming to town some other time and want to taste the strongest beer in all of Prague? Read more about our beer dinner in Prague right here.

You should also be warned. April has been incredibly hot in Prague, and so far May has started the same way. Do not forget to drink a lot, bring some sun lotion, and be careful with the combination of strong sun and lots of alcohol! Enjoy your stay!

Czech Beer Festival 2017

Are you planning to come to Prague for the annual beer festival in 2017? Looking for the dates for the Czech Beer festival 2017? Look no further, here they are!

Czech Beer festival 2017
Information about the Czech Beer Festival 2017

May is a beautiful month to visit Prague. The spring is ruling, the sun is shining, you can enjoy nice temperatures, and what better to do in nice sunshine than to taste some local Czech beer?

The annual beer festival is one of the most popular of all festivals in Prague every year. Thousands of tourists come to Prague to check out the event, and let us not forget about all the locals also going out to check out the event and taste the best of the best of the local Czech beer.

In 2017 the beer festival will be arranged between May 12th and May 28th.  The event will as always be arranged at Letenska Plan and if you want to read and know more about the beer festival, visit our Czech Beer festival page.

Czech Beer Festival 2016

The Czech Beer Festival is the biggest of all festivals in the Czech Republic. Get information about the Czech Beer Festival 2016.

The Czech Beer Festival is an event lasting for 17-18 days every year and it is arranged in the fantastic surroundings of the Letna Park. The Czech Beer Festival 2016 will have its opening day on May 12th and it will close and end on May 28th. If you come to Prague in this period you must be sure not to miss out on this event which is one of the highlights of the year in Prague.

Czech Beer festival 2016
Information about the Czech Beer Festival 2016

For more information about the Czech Beer Festival 2016 visit our page dedicated to the festival for more information. And if you have time, do not miss out on a beautiful river cruise on Vltava and maybe also check out what our Czech Beer dinner is like? Read about all these and other activities here in our Prague Guide, where you can also read about the most famous attractions in Prague.

If you want to experience similar programs in other cities, then you can read more about festivals and events in Budapest at the following site. There you can also visit a brewery and enjoy a four course dinner with four beers and four fruit spirits, so press the link to find out more about that program.

But, it is much more important to be there at the Czech Beer Festival 2016, so go to Prague first, and then you can consider visiting Budapest at some other time!

Beer festival still going strong

beerTonight is the last day of the ice hockey world cup in Prague, and even though we are sad cause Czech Republic lost their bronze match against the USA, we are still curious to see whether Canada or Russia will win the gold medal in the tournament.

But, even if the hockey world cup goes towards an end tonight there is no need to despair, because the Czech Beer Festival is still going strong and it will last until next Saturday, so you still have six more evenings on which you can taste the fantastic Czech beer. So enjoy, and if you want to know more about other events, festivals and concerts taking place in Prague, then read more about whats on in Prague here.

Enjoy Prague, and do not forget that if the temperatures get really hot, then some sun lotion can be useful, because the sun can get really strong and make your nose nice and red if you do not put some lotion on it.

Czech Beer Festival 2015

Beer Festival 2015The Czech Beer Festival is coming to Prague again, and in 2015 the festival will be arranged from May 7th until May 23rd. During these 17 days you will be able to gain thorough knowledge about the Czech beers, and you will be able to taste more than 100 different kinds of them.

The Beer Festival in 2015 will be arranged in the Letna Park, which is a bit outside the city center, but it is absolutely worth the ride. There is a small entrance fee to the festival, but once on the inside you can sit down at one of more than 4000 chairs in the area, you can listen to live music and of course taste the most famous, and the not so famous Czech beers.

If you think this sounds cool, read more about the festival on our Czech Beer Festival page. If you want to know more about other Prague events, concerts and so on, check our events calendar.