The programme covers film, literature, visual art, design, music, dance, and social sciences, presenting the best of Czech culture with special attention given to the unique artistic era of the 1990s.
11 September – 29 November 2026, London, Birmingham, Oxford
30th Made in Prague Festival - Highlights
The Made in Prague Festival marks its 30th anniversary this year with a celebratory programme of 30 events showcasing Czech culture across London and other UK cities throughout the autumn. This special edition reflects on Czech cultural heritage with a spotlight on the unique atmosphere of the 1990s — a decade defined by political and social transformation in the Czech Republic and the surge of artistic freedom that followed.
Playful and impossible to ignore, artist David Černý — one of the most renowned visual artists of his generation — takes centre stage at this year’s Made in Prague Festival.
A solo exhibition of Černý’s most iconic 1990s works, reprinted in 3D by Prusa Research, sets the tone for the festival and promises to be a standout for anyone drawn to contemporary art.
Film lovers can enjoy a Czechoslovak New Wave retrospective at The Garden Cinema with classics ranging from František Vláčil’s historical epic Marketa Lazarová to Věra Chytilová’s iconic Daisies. New Czech films will be screened in the Regent Street Cinema. The festival also returns to the Coronet Theatre with Miřenka Čechová’s acclaimed Ballerinas, a raw, yet intimate look at mental health issues and limits of perfection that ballet dancers face, especially at a young age and in stiff educational system. Čechová, acclaimed choreographer and performer, is the winner of the Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
For admirers of classical music, the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra tours the UK this autumn with stops from Eastbourne to Edinburgh. London audiences can look forward to a concert at St. George’s Church in the heart of Mayfair featuring works by Dvořák, Mozart, Vivaldi, and Bach. The young Czech virtuoso Matteo Hager appears as soloist.
Further highlights include events dedicated to the legacy of Václav Havel on what would have been the dissident-turn-president’s 90th birthday.
The Made in Prague Festival is organised in partnership with ŠKODA, and KKCG.
Full festival programme: 30th Made in Prague Festival | Czech Center London
Visual Art and Design
The festival opens on 11 September with two striking exhibitions presented as part of the London Design Festival. At the Vitrínka Gallery, David Černý: The Glorious 90s in Prague. Reprinted by Prusa Research showcases a solo selection of reprinted works by Czech visual artist David Černý, renowned for his provocative large‑scale sculptures across Prague. Featuring several of Černý’s most recognisable pieces recreated in 3D by Prusa Research — one of the world’s leading Czech 3D‑printer manufacturers — the exhibition is led by the Prague’s Babies and the story behind Černý’s breakthrough installation The Pink Tank – the soviet tank monument Černý painted bright pink in 1991, turning a symbol of occupation into an emblem of freedom and new beginnings that shot him to fame and started a new era of Czech visual art. Černý, whose push-up making double-decker was a sensation during the 2012 London Olympics, will attend the opening of his London exhibition.
To enhance the exhibition, the festival also showcases a photographic display of David Černý’s large-scale works in Prague, highlighting the artist’s remarkable impact on the city’s public spaces.
Juxtaposing Černý’s most famous artworks from the 90s with contemporary Czech design will be the exhibition Landscape, housed at the Bouda Gallery just around the corner from the Vitrínka Gallery, featuring works by students of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague under the supervision of award-winning product designer and curator Milan Pekař.
The Made in Prague Festival is also proud to support the participation of Czech multi‑media artist Matyáš Chochola at Frieze Sculpture. Beyond London, the festival extends its reach to Birmingham where it will be part of a new project by Czech‑British artist Tereza Bušková, whose work centres on female representation in art.
Film
Film remains at the heart of the festival with audiences invited to discover UK premieres alongside an expansive retrospective of the internationally celebrated Czechoslovak New Wave of the 1960s, presented in partnership with The Garden Cinema. The season culminates with the UK premiere of the 4K restoration of Jaromil Jireš’s surrealist classic Valerie and Her Week of Wonders at BFI Southbank.
Regent Street Cinema and The Garden Cinema will host most of the new releases, including Tereza Nvotová’s critically praised psychological drama Father; and Miro Remo’s unconventional documentary Better Go Mad in the Wild, winner of the Crystal Globe at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Music and Dance Performance
The musical programme opens with a London concert by the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra, performing Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons at St. George’s Church as part of their UK tour. This autumn also sees the return of the Czech Republic’s leading string ensemble, the Martinu Quartet, celebrating its 50th anniversary with performances from Leamington Spa to Edinburgh.
Contemporary music takes the spotlight with a concert and album launch by singer‑songwriter and pianist Lenny at Notting Hill Arts Club.
Rounding out the programme, multi‑talented performance artist, choreographer and writer Miřenka Čechová brings her acclaimed show Ballerinas to London’s Coronet Theatre.
Literature and Social Sciences
The festival presents a major UK launch, with writer and master of psychological prose Viktorie Hanišová introducing her new novel The Mushroom Gatherer to audiences in Oxford and London.
The 30th Made in Prague Festival is organised by the Czech Centre. www.czechcentre.org.uk
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FULL FESTIVAL PROGRAMME: 30th Made in Prague Festival | Czech Centre London
Images can be downloaded via: MEDIA PACK
For PRESS QUERIES please contact Veronika Blues at: blues@czechcentre.org.uk
