PTV Guide to 2004From monkeys to carp and from singing hockey players to knife-collecting novelists, here's what to expect from the year ahead
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From Prague TV's palatial offices atop the Žižkov TV Tower, 2004 is starting to look like a very good year indeed. European Union entry (May 1st) is the big event from a historical point of view, but there's plenty more to get excited about in the worlds of art, entertainment and - particularly – sports. January The Chinese Year of the Monkey begins on January 22nd. Unfortunately, while Prague has a substantial Asian population, no formal Chinese New Year celebrations are planned. And with Prague Zoo's Ape House currently undergoing reconstruction, there aren't even any that many monkeys around. You'll just have to make do with a meal at one of Prague's Chinese restaurants. February Things start to warm up again in February, and even if they haven't, Prague likes to pretend otherwise. After the intrigue of Valentine's Day (14th), the weekend of the 20th-22nd sees two big outdoor events. The madness of Masopust – the Czech Mardi Gras - grips the capital from the 20th until the 25th, with Žižkov making a particular effort. And on the 21st, the Matějská pouť (St. Matthews' Fair) creeks into life at Holešovice's Výstaviště exhibition grounds, offering all the fun of a rather low-budget fair until April 12th. March Respected authors from around the world converge on the city for the 14th Prague Writers' Festival this month, with readings at the Divadlo Minor theatre. Held from the 21st to the 25th, this year's event is dedicated to Austrian writer Joseph Roth, who, according to the festival site, was "a hotel dweller, an alcoholic, a workaholic, loved women, collected knives, collected watches, lived out of suitcases and wrote thirteen novels." Sounds like our kind of man. April April is about hockey, hockey and more hockey, with the Czech Republic hosting the 2004 World Championship. All the big games, and all those involving the Czech team take place at the shiny new Sazka Arena in Prague 8 (presuming they finish building it in time). The tournament starts on the 24th and runs until May 9th. Hockey fever even spreads to the opera world on April 8th, when Nagano, an opera based on the Czech team's gold-medal winning performance at the 1998 Winter Olympics has its world premiere at the Estates Theatre. May After more than a decade of hemming and hawing, the Czech Republic finally joins the European Union on May 1st. And while the ins and outs of European policymaking may not thrill you, accession is sure to be an excuse for dozens of Euro-themed parties. Economists expect few dramatic immediate effects, but we're stockpiling sausages and beer, just in case. June All eyes will be on Portugal in June, as a great year for sport continues with the Euro 2004 football tournament, which runs from the 12th through until July 4th. The nation will be fighting for space in front of the TV as Pavel Nedvěd and company take on Latvia (15th), the Netherlands (19th) and Germany (23rd) in the competition's opening stages. Češi do toho! July If the Czechs actually win Euro 2004, there's a good chance that the three days of celebration will have killed you by now. (The 5th and the 6th are public holidays.) If that isn't the case, July is the month for festivals: The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (2nd-10th), in the spa town west of Prague, is one of our very favorite events. Musically, Rock for People in Český Brod (3rd-5th) is the closest the Czechs come to a Glastonbury-style mega-festival, while dozens of smaller events cater to all musical tastes and pharmaceutical needs. August Most Czechs abandon Prague to the tourists during the "cucumber season", heading out to their country cottages for a taste of the simpler things in life, like pickling things in jars. Many theatres and suburban cinemas shut down and the outskirts of the city can get eerily quiet. Just in case you hadn't had enough sport, the Olympics roll around again in August, this time in Athens, Greece (13th-29th) while closer to home, the motorcycle Grand Prix in Brno on the weekend of the 22nd is a treat for speed freaks. September The first batches of burčák – young wine – begin to reach the capital in August, culminating in September's vinobraní celebrations, welcoming the new wine harvest. Prague's biggest festival, Vinohradské vinobraní, is spread across three public squares in Prague 2 and Prague 3 (24th - 29th). Join the throngs quaffing this sweet and deceptively drinkable amber brew but don't say we didn't warn you when you wake up with a pounding headache and only sketchy memories of the previous day… October The music scene usually comes to life at this time of year, as many of rock's bigger names hit the road. Last October, visitors to Prague included Jello Biafra, Public Enemy, Iron Maiden, Bob Dylan, Fun Lovin' Criminals and Arab Strap. The 28th, meanwhile, is Independence Day, celebrating Czechoslovakia's breakaway from the Austro-Hungarian empire. It's usually a pretty low-key affair, however, so bring your own flags and fireworks. November Politics rears its ugly head in November, and it doesn't get much uglier than U.S. Presidential Elections (on the 2nd). If you're eligible to vote, do the rest of the world a favor and make sure you've sent your postal ballot home in plenty of time. Here in the Czech Republic, elections to the upper house, the Senate, are likely to be met with the usual apathy and cynicism (date to be confirmed). Isn't democracy wonderful? December It's time to start pounding the pavements and mauling the malls as Christmas creeps up on us once again. Decorations go up, carols start to play, and tanks of live carp begin to appear on street corners ready to be sold off as somebody's Christmas dinner. It's also time to start thinking about where to spend Silvestr (New Year's Eve), the year's biggest party night. Related Article: PTV Calendar 2004 |
Article added on Mon 26th Jan, 2004 [last updated Thu 6th Oct, 2005]Share this page 
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