Holašovice Welcomes You to the Peasant Festival
From July 25 to 27, 2025, the village square in Holašovice will host the well-loved Peasant Festivities. This craft fair will be celebrating its twenty-sixth occurrence, set against the beautiful backdrop of Holašovice’s charming farmhouses. The festival captures the essence of an “old Bohemian folk country fair” by showcasing traditional and non-traditional folk crafts from the entire Czech Republic, as well as from Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria. Skilled artisans will demonstrate their crafts in folk costumes. While it may appear as an open-air museum, Holašovice is actually a lively community where the houses are lived in or occupied by cottagers. At the Peasant festivals, you can explore the village, taking in sights from the elegant gables reflected in the village pond to the museum’s Peasant’s Yard, ceramics workshops, and the restored cattle scales, along with the guesthouse featuring the restaurant Špejchar u Vojty or the Holašovická pub. Additionally, you can partake in the previously mentioned Old Bohemian fair, with hands-on opportunities to try a variety of crafts yourself.
The Old Bohemian Fair set against the backdrop of the Holašovice farmhouses is reminiscent of how markets were organized in the second half of the nineteenth century, or possibly the early twentieth century. This event showcases contemporary folk crafts, various handicrafts, and examples of folk creativity beyond just the skilled hands of the Czechs. The fair will bring merriment through horse rides, the unique activity of catching South Bohemian carp from a tub with your hands, and competitions for the best South Bohemian bun and cake, as well as other “quick eats”. Musical entertainment will include heligonka players, a flax musician, and an array of folklore music, brass bands, folk and country tunes, along with rock and rock’n’roll. The vibrant atmosphere will be enhanced by performances from the bands Babouci and Cracker, along with talents like Jakub Smolík and Vojta Nedved. On Sunday, Kristián Šebek will delight audiences with songs such as My Pattern and Divine Charles. This year, over 300 artists will perform starting each day at 10 a.m. As always, a dedicated area for children will feature a hand-powered wooden carousel and fun workshops. A children’s theatre will also take place at the historical forge at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. throughout the weekend.
There will be a convenient shuttle bus service from České Budějovice to Holašovice and back, providing two different routes through Branišov or Litvínovice. Buses will run every thirty minutes. The basic all-day entrance fee is 250 CZK; children from 6 to 14 years and persons with disabilities can enter for 100 CZK, while seniors pay 200 CZK.
Where can you go on a trip nearby?
If you aren’t planning to spend the entire weekend in Holašovice, you might appreciate some suggestions for nearby excursions. You can explore the beautiful countryside on foot or by bike. One spot to consider is Blanský les (Blanský Forest), particularly the Jaronínská beech forest on the slopes of Buglata Hill, where ancient trees thrive that are around three hundred years old; it’s only a few kilometers from Holašovice following marked paths.
Should you venture a bit further, you’ll reach the settlement of Kuklov. Above it rests the ruins of the royal castle Kuglvajt, and within the village is the unfinished church of St. Andrew, which was intended to become part of the Pauline monastery. This locale may ring a bell, as it was featured in cinema; in 1967, director František Vláčil shot the historical film Valley of the Bees in Kuklov, transforming the church ruins into a captivating medieval fortress thanks to the filmmakers’ talents. Just on the outskirts of Holašovice, you can enjoy a picnic at the local Stonehenge—a circle of massive stones. For those captivated by rustic Baroque architecture, a longer journey through the nearby villages scattered across the historic area of the South Bohemian Blats can be rewarding.
