Festival of the new circus Letní Letná

Festival of the new circus Letní Letná

Want to know how a revamped circus looks like?

Festival of the new circus Letní Letná
Just as every year, this year Letenské Sady in Prague will transform into a centre of a new circus, theatre, music, and visual art from 12 to 31 August. Children and adults are welcome, as the Letní Letná Festival begins! The festival runs for three weeks, showcasing the best of domestic and foreign new circus, theatre, and music. This is the only show of its kind and scope in the Czech Republic and the surrounding countries. The organisers proudly claim that although the festival manages to attract around 40,000 spectators every year, it still retains a pleasant summer and old-world circus atmosphere. Come and experience it for yourself!

Letná circus town

The main festival town with circus tents and refreshments can be found in Letenské Sady in Prague, next to Prague Castle. After last year's curtailed version, this year's 18th year of the Letní Letná festival provides once again a busy programme full of stars of the new circus, dominated by four French ensembles. The whole festival will be opened in an adrenaline-fueled way by the rope walker Johanne Humblet, who repeatedly overcomes herself on the Open-Air stage high above the spectators' heads. The new circus film noir will be brought by the main star of the festival, the Cirque Le Roux ensemble, which rightfully sells out halls all over Europe. The acrobats of Compagnie 100Issues combine the new circus, Japanese manga and Bollywood in their performance, and the Cirque La Compagnie ensemble will perform acrobatics, knife throwing, and singing during their show. Fans of the festival will find August full of the best elements that the new circus has to offer.



In addition to evening performances, visitors can enjoy a rich accompanying programme, which is largely free-of-charge and runs throughout the day. From various workshops, such as art or circus workshops, to concerts and open-air events. In the festival grounds, which have been in Letenské Sady since its foundation, and a place providing wonderful views of Prague, there are several relaxation zones, food stalls and bars. Tickets are available on the festival website.

Letní Letná for kids

The new circus festival is open to all ages, so you can enjoy it with your children. Even with your youngest ones. There are visually interesting puppet fairy tales in Czech on show almost every day, as well as pantomime and clown performances. These performances no longer pose a language barrier. Some of the events also take place in the open air and are free-of-charge. So if you are planning on being in the vicinity of Letná with your children in the second half of August, we recommend stopping there.

History of the Festival

For the past 18 years, Letní Letná has always enlivened the end of summer in Prague. Since 2004, the festival has presented almost 2,000 performances, which were attended by a total of less than half a million spectators. Not only prestigious ensembles from all over Europe performed here, but also artists from Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Uruguay. The programme always presents current productions, which are premiered in the Czech Republic and often in Central Europe and presents ensembles with an international award acclaim. Since 2015, the festival has held the EFFE brand—Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe.

Medical safety measures and restrictions

The government of the Czech Republic recently approved the 2021 Stimulus Packages for the Restoration of Cultural Life. If no changes occur in the meantime, this means that festival goers need to have a current negative test for COVID-19 or a completed vaccination regimen with vaccines approved for use in the EU when entering the performance. A 2-week interval from the last dose is considered complete vaccination. Entry instructions and requirements are subject to change, so it is a good idea to check in advance, for example, at your place of accommodation or at the tourist information centre.