The festive lighting of the Christmas tree on Náměstí Svobody starts the entire Brno Christmas season. Credit: Michal Růžička TIC BRNO.
Brno, Nov 23 (BD) – Three Christmas trees will be illuminated in the centre of Brno on 24 November, starting with the Tree of the Republic on Náměstí Svobody, which has been adorning the square for 99 years. The festive opening will be complemented by spectacular wall-dancing and acrobats on high stilts. Over the next 30 days, the Christmas program will include more than 200 concerts across all the city centre’s squares.
The festive lighting of the Christmas tree on Náměstí Svobody starts the entire Brno Christmas season. This year it will take place on Friday 24 November at 5pm, attended by representatives of the city, the Brno Diocese and other partner institutions. However, the program will start from 4pm, when the Brno Children’s Choir will sing under the direction of choirmaster Valeria Maťašová, and visitors will be welcomed to the square by stilt walkers from the Long Vehicle Circus, hanging acrobats from the AirGym Art Company, and wall-dancing, i.e. vertical dancing on the wall of a house. After the lighting of the tree, there will be a performance from the Brno swing band Heart of Dixie, who have appeared on stages from Istanbul to Seville and were named European Swing Artist 2020.
The second tree will be lit up at 6pm at Zelny trh, followed at 7pm by a third tree at Moravské náměstí near Jošt, which will host a tree for the first time.
Over 30 days of the Christmas markets, the city centre will see over 200 different performances across its many stages, from folklore, folk, country, jazz, swing, pop and rock, and of course Christmas songs, including the traditional carol singing event on 13 December. The program will take place every day on náměstí Svobody and Zelny trh, and on Dominikánská náměstí from Thursday to Sunday in a more intimate setting. The program at Svoboďák will include Gustav Brom’s Radio Big Band (29 November), Hana Holišová and the New Time Orchestra (1 December), the Original Prague Syncopation Orchestra (9 December), Igor Orozovič & Company (10 December), Standa Hložek (13 December), Ventolin (17 December), and the legendary Pilgrims (20 December). The Brno Christmas will close as traditionally on Saturday 23 December with the Czech Christmas Mass by Jan Jakub Ryba, performed by the Czech Metropolitan Philharmonic and the Brno Philharmonic Choir, with soloists.
The program on the squares will be complemented by several other accompanying events. Brno has a proud history of textiles, and many designers are still active in the city today. Open Fashion Studios invites you to look into the studios of local designers; for two days on 1-2 December you will have a unique opportunity to meet the designers personally, see their creative process, add to your wardrobe, and find original gifts.
From 10am on Saturday 2 December, on Dominikánská náměstí, Jiří Halouzek , carver and creator of the nativity scene, will hold a carving workshop along with his family, and at 4pm you can also hear the story of how the nativity scene was created, directly from the man himself.
If you haven’t had enough shopping, visit the Christmas markets at the Brno Exhibition Center, where from 8-17 December you will find a Christmas shopping centre with more than 200 vendors and an accompanying program.
Christmas (not only) for children
Every day from 3pm, a children’s program will run on náměstí Svobody, including children’s theatre, concerts, and performances by children’s groups themselves.
A regular program will also be offered by the Christmas Village in the backyard next to the courtyard of the Old Town Hall, consisting of kid-sized Christmas stalls. Activities and workshops will take place here on Fridays and Saturdays from 2pm, prepared by Brno Zoo, VIDA! science centre, the Moravian Gallery, VESNA women’s educational association, and others.
If you want to “get away” somewhere, the cosy backyard at Radnické 2 will be more your scene, providing a cosy and magical Christmas atmosphere in a courtyard in the very centre of the city. TIC BRNO together with Café Mitte are offering a special program here for families with children, including live readings, a fire for roasting snacks, and a flea market. The entire backyard will also be specially illuminated and the surrounding walls will be animated by a shadow play. The entrance to the courtyard is through Cafe Mitte or the TIC Gallery, so you can visit the exhibition or the local cinema on top.
Virtual markets
This year, there will be 62 stalls and a large Winter Bar on Náměstí Svobody, 107 stalls on Zelný trh (open since 17 November), 8 on Dominikánské náměstí and 17 on Moravské náměstí at Jošt, plus a large circular bar. In the courtyard of the Old Town Hall you will find the Gourmet Christmas, with nine stalls. The Winter Bar on Náměstí Svobody and the Jesus Bar on Dominikánské náměstí will be open until 6 January 2024.
You can find all the information on the website www.brnenskevanoce.cz and also in the Brno Christmas application, available on both Android and iOS devices.
Opening hours of stalls at individual markets
Náměstí Svobody: 11am–9:45 pm
Dominikánské náměstí: 11am–9:45pm
Gourmet Christmas in the courtyard of the Old Town Hall: Mon–Thurs 3pm–9pm, Fri–Sun 10 am–9pm. (until 9:45 pm if interest)
Zelny trh: 10am-8pm (until 10pm if interest)
Moravské náměstí: 10am–10pm
