Explore Folk Art at Exciting Open-Air Museums
May Day in Rožnov
On Saturday, the 31st of May, the area of the Wallachian Heritage will showcase lively exhibitions featuring examples of traditional springtime activities. The wooden town will be buzzing with a fair that offers a variety of spring goods. Starting at 14:00, you can enjoy the traditional May Day cutting, this year presented by the Ethnographic Ensemble Klobučan from Wallachian Hats. For those eager to dance or listen, dulcimer music will start at 13:00.
The building of the maypole is an ancient tradition recognized throughout Europe. It may trace back to long-forgotten spring celebrations, where the tree symbolized the village’s protective spirit. The trees selected for maypoles needed to be robust, straight, and often so tall that cutting and moving them was quite the challenge. On May Day, it became customary to hold dance gatherings usually led by the local youth. These festivities began with a procession featuring music and jumping around homes that displayed maypoles. A cheerful parade would then gather pace, with girls joining in, until everyone reached the village square to dance around the central maypole.
Pentecost in Kourim – Green Holidays at the Museum of Folk Buildings
The all-day event for Pentecost at the Kourim open-air museum is happening on June 8, 2025, celebrating nearly forgotten folk traditions such as well-opening and the royal circumambulation. Traditional meals will be available, including “cosmatica” and “divine grace”, prepared on replica historic stoves, alongside delicious refreshments from Jiří and Cecília Busch at their pub in Strašice. Pentecost, also known as Whitsuntide, is a movable feast occurring seven weeks after Easter that honors the memory of the Holy Spirit filling and the establishment of the Church.
The Museum of Folk Buildings in Kouřim will feature themed displays across various buildings, highlighting the nearly forgotten late spring holiday traditions that once centered around Pentecost, which is affectionately called the “Green Festival.” In the Budč cottage, you’ll discover superstitious practices meant to protect farms from witchcraft during the Ascension night, along with customs related to that Feast. In the Krchleb house, you can explore folk traditions connected to St. John of Nepomuk, the saint of the Czech lands. The farmhouse from Týřovice highlights the key themes of this period—Pentecost and May celebrations associated with the now-obsolete “royal games.” The installation in Bradlecka Lhota reintroduces customs related to the Feast of Corpus Christi, while the house from Jílový – Kamenná recalls the lost folk traditions of the original German inhabitants in the Podkrušnohoří region linked to the Feast of the Holy Trinity.
Weekend of Monument Houses in Slovácko
For the ninth consecutive year, the Slovácko region will host a special event on the first weekend of June, on the 7th and 8th of June. This unique occasion features the opening of heritage houses, folk architecture sites, and small museums, all without the need for prior bookings. These venues are linked by bicycle paths. Visitors will have the chance to explore the doors of monument buildings highlighting traditional folk architecture and regional museums, discovering their exhibitions in ways that are not typically accessible. This enriching experience will bring to life the everyday activities of village life, showcasing farms with daily chores shaped by the passage of time and seasons—complete with geraniums in the windows, neatly spread white blankets, and a consistently clean dining table, all integral parts of family homes, not to mention tiled stoves, and decorations featuring patron saints, prayer books, and rosaries.
Participating venues like the Museum of Hunters and Poachers in Babice, Slovácká chalupa in Dolní Bojanovice, and the Museum at the Mill in Dolní Němčí will welcome visitors. The Museum Na Sťahlové od studně in Javorník, the Collection of Monumental Houses “Na Rajčovně” in Hluk, the Windmill in Jalubí, the Peasant House and Farm no. 57 in Vlčnov, the Cottage of Fanoš Mikulecký in Mikulčice, the folk house Háječek along with monumental houses 263 and 377 in Ostrožská Nová Ves, the Museum of Bojkovsko, Potomák Museum in Popovice, and many more will also open their doors. Visitors will gain exciting insights into the way of life of ordinary villagers, along with knowledge about crafts, economy, clothing, and both ancient and recent history presented in a captivating manner. Some locations will feature accompanying programs that include craft demonstrations and tastings of Slovak specialties.
Veselokopec Fair
On Saturday, July 19, the Veselo Kopec Fair will be held at Veselý Kopec near Hlinsko. A hundred carefully selected folk producers from across the Czech Republic will take part in this fair. Visitors to the open-air museum can see their products, buy them, and even watch the artisans at work. This is a wonderful opportunity to explore traditional handicraft practices. Various craft techniques will be showcased, including hand-woven fabrics, ceramics, metalwork, woodwork, and blacksmithing, along with making farming tools, basketry, and more.
International Folklore Festival Strážnice
The oldest and largest folklore festival in Europe occurs every last weekend in June, this year from June 26 to June 29. Here, you will find both entertainment and educational opportunities, featuring performances by not only local groups but also international ones, allowing you to experience diverse cultures. The festival unfolds not just at the amphitheaters in the castle park, but also in the vineyard areas and in front of homesteads at the Strážnice open-air museum. During this festivity, you can immerse yourself in the beauty of folk songs, dances, and costumes showcased in a grand parade and various performances, where you can also dance along to folk music from around the world.
