Christmas concerts in Prague
Prague puts on music in its halls and churches every evening through Advent, and a good share of it is sold to visitors on the street. The composer on a flyer matters less than the room and the length of the evening. This guide begins with a gala in the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum and the Czech Christmas Mass in the churches. It ends with the flyer sellers on the bridge.
Choose the room, then the program
Most Christmas concerts sold to visitors in Prague rely on the same famous pieces, so the names on a poster tell you little. Think about the evening instead. A full gala in a concert hall takes the whole night, and you will want to eat beforehand. A short concert in a church fits between two markets. A Christmas Mass is a service, not a show, and it moves to the rhythm of the parish rather than a ticket office.
| Where | What you hear | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Rudolfinum, Dvořák Hall | Christmas gala with Dvořák's New World Symphony | About two hours with an interval |
| Parish churches | Ryba's Czech Christmas Mass | The length of a service |
| St. Nicholas, Lesser Town | Short church concerts | Shorter than a gala |
| Klementinum Mirror Chapel | Chamber music in a small baroque chapel | Shorter than a gala |
| National Theatre | The Nutcracker ballet | A full evening |
A Christmas gala in the Dvořák Hall
The Rudolfinum opened in 1885 on the Vltava embankment, and it is home to the Czech Philharmonic. Its main room, the Dvořák Hall, is a gold and white neo-Renaissance space with an organ above the stage. On December evenings a symphony orchestra plays a Christmas gala there, sold on GetYourGuide as the classical Christmas gala at the Rudolfinum, from ~$68. The first half is a string of favorites with a mezzo-soprano and a flute soloist.
- Smetana's The Moldau, a portrait of the river that flows past the hall
- Una voce poco fa, the mezzo-soprano's aria from Rossini's The Barber of Seville
- Mozart's Andante in C for flute and orchestra
- Bizet's Carmen, as a concert fantasy
After the interval comes the whole of Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, From the New World, played in the hall named after him. You choose premium seats on the floor or the balcony, and seat numbers arrive after you book. It rates 5.0, but from only 21 reviews. The catch is the word Christmas. This is a classical gala in a famous hall, not an evening of carols, and it is sold on GetYourGuide only, with no drinks or pickup included. Children under five are not admitted.
Dvořák in the hall that bears his name
A Christmas gala in the Rudolfinum's Dvořák Hall, with the New World Symphony after the interval, from ~$68. Eat before you go, since the music runs from 8 pm to about 10 pm.
Timing a concert after the market
The Rudolfinum opens its building and bar at 7 pm and the hall doors at 7:30 pm. The music starts at 8 pm, breaks for 20 minutes at 8:50 pm and ends around 10 pm. That leaves the late afternoon free for Old Town Square, a short walk away, where the market opens daily from 10 am to 10 pm. Go once the lights come on, eat at the stalls by 6:30 pm, and you reach the hall with time to hand in your coat. When the concert ends, the stalls are closing, so plan supper first rather than after. Our guide to Christmas food in Prague suggests what to eat on the way.
Ryba's Czech Christmas Mass
The music many Czechs connect with Christmas is a Mass written in 1796 by the schoolteacher and composer Jakub Jan Ryba. His Czech Christmas Mass, known by its opening words, Hej mistře, tells the Nativity as a pastoral story of shepherds in a Bohemian village. It is sung in many churches through December. Look at the noticeboards of the churches you pass. When the Mass is sung during a service, behave as you would at any Mass, stay until the end and leave the camera in your pocket.
Short concerts in churches and chapels
For a shorter dose of music between markets, the churches are the easy choice. St. Nicholas in the Lesser Town, the great baroque church on Malostranské náměstí, holds concerts under its painted dome. On the Old Town side, the Mirror Chapel in the Klementinum hosts chamber concerts in a small room lined with mirrors. Both suit an evening that starts at the Old Town Square market or ends at the stalls on Kampa, which our guide to the neighborhood markets covers. Churches are cold in December, so keep your coat on.
Ballet and opera on the big stages
The National Theatre puts on ballet in December, including The Nutcracker, and the evening is a fine one for older children. Mozart fans can look at the program of the Estates Theatre, where Don Giovanni had its premiere in 1787. Concerts also fill the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, the Art Nouveau building beside Republic Square and its market. Buy for all three through the venue's own box office, and do it as soon as your dates are fixed.
The flyer sellers near Charles Bridge
Around Charles Bridge and the Old Town, sellers hand out concert flyers and sell tickets on the spot. Some of the concerts are fine. The problem lies in buying on the pavement, where you cannot compare the seat or the price with anything else. Keep the flyer and look the concert up at your hotel, then buy from the venue or a seller you know, with the seating plan in front of you.
What to wear and the coat check
Smart casual is enough everywhere in this guide. Many Czechs dress up a little for the Rudolfinum or the National Theatre, but nobody will turn you away in clean boots and a sweater. The concert halls have a coat check, and using it beats two hours with a parka on your lap. Bring a layer that works both outdoors and in a warm hall, as our December weather guide suggests. With children, our guide to Prague at Christmas with kids lists which evenings suit them. Market dates and hours are only confirmed by the organizers shortly before each season, so look up the market's own page before planning supper at the stalls, and our dates and hours guide has the whole list.