TIC BRNO have already received an offer from Brno designers for an entire fashion collection for the Brno dragon. Credit: Simona Modrá for TIC BRNO.
Brno, Dec 8 (BD) – Visual and gourmet experiences abound at the Christmas markets this year, including augmented reality, the Festival of Light, and the gourmet courtyard. The festively “dressed” dragon is also proving popular with the people of Brno and visitors to Brno Christmas.
“The absolute top spot of this year’s Brno Christmas is certainly the Brno dragon, which the NAHAKU studio dressed up in a winter sweater in Brno colours,” said Jana Janulíková, director of TIC BRNO, which organises the Brno Christmas. “This modern design installation is a typical and at the same time fun example of what we strive for in the long term, to breathe new life into traditions, and involve not only top local artists and creatives, but also Brno’s wit.”
She added that she has already received an offer from Brno designers for an entire fashion collection for the Brno dragon. “I think we have created a new phenomenon and we could treat the dragon to stylish themed costumes, just like Brussels with its peeing little boy.”
Visitors can look at Christmas in Brno through another dimension, using the most modern technology, with augmented reality, created by experts from Masaryk University. Brno Christmas posters with QR codes are scattered around the centre of the city; scanning them with a smartphone will move the motifs on the posters before your eyes, with a range of animation themes to choose from. The augmented reality show will be accompanied by an original musical jingle composed especially for Brno Christmas by Tomáš Kelar from the band Midi Lidi and Ondřej Mikula, known as Aid Kid.
Pass under the Brno dragon and you will enter Brno’s gastronomic paradise in the courtyard. Nine sellers, all featured in the Gourmet Brno gastronomic guide, have prepared Christmas menus based on their original concepts, and in addition, they are hosting two themed days every week, innovative yet seasonal ingredients.
Children are also welcome in the courtyard, where they will enjoy the neighbouring Christmas village, with thematic workshops hosted by the VIDA! science centre (every Friday from 2pm to 6pm), Brno Zoo (every Saturday between 2pm and 5pm), and the Moravian Gallery in Brno (13 December from 2pm to 6pm).
TIC BRNO advises visitors to the markets to check information from the website brnenskevanoce.cz and install the Brno Christmas application, which includes the program for the whole of Brno Christmas, maps, and one gift in the advent calendar each day, such as discounts for various stalls, and cut-price entry to the Brno underground.
The visual experiences will culminate on the eve of the winter solstice on 21 December with the Festival of Light on Kraví hora. At the winter solstice, the Sun dies and the earthly world finds itself briefly unprotected from demons and the souls of the dead. The only reliable defence is light. The Brno Observatory and Planetarium, together with the VISUALOVE studio, will raise a shining protective shield over Brno, to protect the city from the forces of darkness and ensure its prosperity in the coming year. The defensive light generator will start from 5pm to 10pm and will simulate the fragility of the aurora borealis.
