On 22 November, just over three weeks away, the Christmas tree on Náměstí Svobody will be illuminated, marking the start of Brno Christmas, the largest festival of Brno’s social calendar. This year, Brno is celebrating two special occasions: the 100th anniversary of the first ‘Christmas tree of the Republic’ on the square, and Brno’s first year as the official ‘European capital of Christmas’. According to the organisers, Brno Christmas will be the second best Christmas in the world… second only to the one you have at home!
Brno’s biggest tourism product
Brno Christmas is among the city’s most important tourist events, and is the longest and most extensive festival of the year in Brno. Last year alone, the city’s festive period attracted 1.5 million visitors from the Czech Republic and abroad.
“Brno Christmas is a modern festival, but preserves local specifics and traditions,” said Marketa Vankova, Mayor of Brno. “Christmas markets strengthen the image of Brno as an attractive tourist destination, support the development of local culture, and enhance the cooperation of Brno institutions, local entrepreneurs and individual artists. In the long term, Brno Christmas thus contributes to the global competitiveness of Brno in the field of tourism, which is also proven by the European Capital of Christmas award, which Brno received for this year.”
The title of European Capital of Christmas 2024, announced by an international jury under the auspices of the European Parliament, was awarded to Brno thanks to the consideration of the social and economic impacts on the urban structure, as well as the locality and solidarity of the Christmas markets, the authentic atmosphere, and the overall modern concept of markets linked to traditional values. Brno will now host the ceremony to award the new European Capital of Christmas 2025, from 5 pm on 15 December on Náměstí Svobody.
For TIC BRNO, the tourist office of the City of Brno and one of the main organisers of the event, Brno Christmas is a vital tool for promoting Brno both within the Czech Republic and abroad. “Brno Christmas is a key tourism product of the city of Brno in the winter season,” said Jana Janulíková, director of TIC BRNO. “We managed to fight our way among the top European Christmas destinations, right next to established cities such as Vienna, or other cities with a very attractive Christmas offer, such as Zagreb or Vilnius. We promote Brno Christmas not only in the Czech Republic, but also target our campaigns to neighbouring countries – Poland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. We also present Brno Christmas on other foreign markets through CzechTourism foreign offices.”
She added that the city also invites influencers and journalists from the Czech Republic and abroad to Brno during Advent, letting them soak up the atmosphere and then reflect it on their platforms and in the media. “For several years now, we have been successfully building Brno a strong position as a first-class European Christmas destination,” she said.
100 years of Brno’s Christmas tree tradition
The tradition of public Christmas trees in the Czech Republic began in 1924, introduced by the writer Rudolf Těsnohlídek, who had seen it in Copenhagen. Since then, the Christmas tree on Náměstí Svobody has been an irreplaceable symbol of the Christmas markets, in Brno and many other cities. This year, the tree will be a 150-year-old, 20-metre white fir from the university forests, donated to the city by the Masaryk Forest School of the Mendel University.
The fir will set out on its journey from Myslivna lišky Bystrouška to Brno on 16 November, carried by a horse-drawn carriage. The program in Bílovice nad Svitavou will begin at 12:30 with ceremonial speeches and a short cultural program, after which the tree will continue its journey through the Líšeň and Židenice districts and arrive at Náměstí Svobody around 5 pm.
The tree will be ceremonially illuminated on Friday, 22 November at 5 pm, in the presence of the Mayor of Brno and with the blessing of Bishop Pavel Konzbul. The program will start at 4 pm, with performances from NdB Opera and the NdBrass brass quintet. The whole program will be accompanied by a story about the Brno dragon, which is still a surprise. The tree on Zelné trh is the second to be illuminated, at 6 pm, followed by the tree near Jošt on Moravské náměstí at 7 pm.
The illumination of the Christmas tree on Náměstí Svobody is provided by Brno Technical Networks, based on a design by Blachere Illumination. The tree will alternate between three light modes depending on the time of day: warm white, red, and a combination of white and red.
According to Miroslav Sečkář, economic director of Brno Technical Networks, energy-saving LED technology will be used for all light decorations. In total, the tree will be decorated with 26,000 white and red lights placed on 3.2 kilometres of light chains and 115 different light ornaments, plus a light spike on the top of the tree. Despite this, the total consumption of electricity required for lighting the tree all day will be only 220 crowns.
For those wishing to learn more about the history of Christmas trees on Náměstí Svobody, the Brno City Museum is opening an exhibition at Špilberk Castle entitled “100 years of the tradition of the Christmas tree of the Republic”, which opens on Saturday, 23 November.
A local and cosy atmosphere across 4 squares and 1 courtyard
Throughout the Christmas period, Brno will come alive across four city centre squares and one courtyard. The dynamic Náměstí Svobody will offer a rich cultural program every day, with a programme ranging from children’s performances, to concerts of various musical genres, to evening music mixes performed by Brno DJs. As always, the basic dramaturgical line of the program will reflect the Brno and regional music scene, along with special guest appearances from Michal Hrůza, Hana Holišová with the New Time Orchestra, Jaroslav Uhlíř, NobodyListen, Igor Orozovič, AG Flek, and The Backwards. The market on the square will include 62 sales stands with an assortment of gastronomic delights and gifts, and a large Winter bar.
Only a few steps from Svoboďák, the more peaceful surroundings of Dominikánské náměstí will be dominated by a wooden nativity scene by Jiří Halouzka, featuring more than 100 life-size figurines. Children can also enjoy the Christmas village, and a ride in the Christmas carousel under the church of St. Michael, and there will be 8 stalls offering refreshments and small gifts.
For the second year running, the Courtyard of the Old Town Hall will also join the festivities, hosting Gourmet Christmas – a gastronomic market showcasing the best of Brno’s food and drink, as featured in the Gourmet Brno guide. This year’s non-traditional delicacies will be provided by Večerka Brno, Eggo BreakFeast Bistro, Ramen Brno, 4pokoje, Tutti Frutti Cukrárna, Klára Bára Wine Café, Café Momenta, Zeman’s confectionery and café, and Pivovarský dům Poupě. There will also be a DJ zone for evening dancing in the open air.
Besides these, two more squares will have traditional Christmas markets with an accompanying program. The picturesque and artisanal Zelny trh will offer over 100 stalls, a daily music program for the whole family and a new 600 m2 Children’s Village. On Moravské náměstí there will be stalls run by non-profit organisations, as well as the popular straw stack, a historical carousel for children, an observation wheel, and an ice rink.
What else to look out for?
Brno Christmas is not just about squares and markets, but also includes special programs in the cosy corners of gardens and cafes, and art and light installations in the streets, churches and courtyards.
“We want to expand the offer of Brno Christmas, guide market visitors through the city centre, and let them experience Brno a little differently than just the Christmas stalls,” said Jana Janulíková. Other sites co-operating with this year’s festival include the House of Arts, the Moravian Gallery, KUMST, and several city centre churches and cafes.
According to Janulikova, there will be several interesting light installations in the city: the darling of last Christmas, a dragon in a sweater at the Old Town Hall, the Love sign by David Možný appearing in Denisov gardens, and a new, yet-secret dragon installation at Skácel’s fountain, which will be revealed when the tree is illuminated. There will also again be a photo point at the fountain on the piazzetta in front of the Janáček Theater. A complete novelty will be the telebridge on Náměstí Svobody, which throughout Advent will connect Brno with Waterford, Ireland, which was named European City of Christmas 2024 in the category of cities with a population of less than 100,000.
Several churches will also open during Advent, including St. James’s Church and the church of St. Mary Magdalene, which will host seasonal art galleries. A neon sign on Kapucínské náměstí, on the stairs to the Bishop’s Court, will remind festive visitors to “Be calm”, complemented by a light design in the alley under the stairs. There will also be attractive interactive light installations at Špilberk Castle and both inside and outside the Žlutý Kopec reservoirs.
On Náměstí Svobody, a special charity stand with a similar distinctive design as the Winter Bar, Ateliér Zvonaře a Hrnčířky, will be selling decorative Christmas bells, with all proceeds from the sales divided between the Dagmar Children’s Home and the Emil Foundation. The award-winning Daruj Kelímek (“Donate a cup”) will also be operating again across the markets, allowing the public to donate the value of their refundable cup deposit to one of 18 charitable organisations.
The dragon in a sweater, on mugs, socks and chocolates
The visual style of this year’s Brno Christmas was again designed by the artist Vendula Pucharová Kramářová. The main motif of her unmistakable ornamental style this time was the dragon in a sweater, which proved such a hit with the public last year. The dragon is accompanied by other animals, including a fox, referring to the 100-year anniversary of the first performance of Leoš Janáček’s opera ‘Příběhy lišky Brystrouška’, based on a short story by Rudolf Tésnohlídek. The playful motifs will appear on tins, canvas bags, chocolates, badges, mints, and warm socks.
“The dragon in a sweater, or #drakNAHAKU, became the hit of last year’s Christmas, and so this year, not only will it again be wearing the glowing sweater in the colours of Brno, but you will also be able to buy it as a souvenir in the form of a plush dragon with a replaceable sweater sewn by a local manufacturer,” said Janulíková.
Last year’s designer mugs and glasses from the Bruna collection will be complemented this year by clear and pearl espresso cups with saucers and champagne glasses. A wooden toy of the Brno Astronomical Clock will be added to the range for children. The Christmas souvenir ranges are always prepared in collaboration with local artists and producers, and thus support the local economy and promote sustainability.
The official guide to Brno Christmas is the website www.brnenskevanoce.cz, where you will find the entire cultural program, maps of individual squares and all the locations of Christmas in Brno. Brno Christmas also has its own app, available on both Android and iOS devices.
- Brno Daily is a media partner of Brno Christmas.
