In mid-August, namesti Svobody will be taken over by a traditional folklore festival (known as ‘hody’), bringing together the distinct traditions of different city districts into a city-wide celebration for the first time. It is currently expected that folk groups from 22 city districts will participate in the event, presenting local Brno folklore to the public.
“Two years ago, we recorded a great success of the participatory budget project Dáme na vás, concerning the strengthening of traditions in various parts of Brno,” said Petr Bořecký, Brno city councilor for participation. “Thanks to this, Brno’s ‘chasy’ [traditional folklore groups] were able to gradually restore traditional costumes, based on historical photographs or other sources. We want to follow up on this unique initiative with a city-wide ‘hody’, where we will present the diversity of local folklore and introduce visitors to its customs and traditions.”
At a meeting on Wednesday, Brno city council selected the production company Gate 4 Event to organize the event. It will take place on Náměstí Svobody from Friday, 14 August to Sunday, 16 August 2026. The cost of organising the event is CZK 940,000 excluding VAT.
The festival program will begin on Friday afternoon with the raising of the maypole, and dulcimer and workshops, according to Bořecký. The main day will be Saturday, culminating in the afternoon dance of the Moravian Beseda, during which all the chasy will come together, with approximately 100 couples in costume.
“Of course, we can also look forward to a costume parade with a presentation of the costumes of the individual chasy and festival entertainment with a brass band. The festival will end with a church service on Sunday,” Bořecký added. An accompanying program will be prepared for visitors at namesti Svobody, featuring dance lessons, folklore workshops, and music workshops.
“The restoration of traditional costumes and the city-wide hody are a great opportunity to learn about the history of individual city districts and local folklore,” said Kateřina Jarošová, Brno’s representative for marketing and PR. “I am very happy that more and more young people are interested in this topic. It is a part of our history and future which we want to support, including through marketing. I think it fits perfectly into the city’s brand.”
Last week, the city approved CZK 3.6 million in funding for further activities in the Brno costume restoration project for 2026-27. According to Jarošová, the city would like to hold exhibitions of local costumes in the participating town halls, and also involve local kindergartens and primary schools.
City districts whose chasy are currently participating in the project include: Bosonohy, Bohunice, Brno-south, Černovice, Husovice, Chrlice, Ivanovice, Jehnice, Jundrov, Kohoutovice, Komín, Královo Pole, Kníničky, Líšeň, Maloměřice a Obřany, Medlánky, Nový Lískovec, Řečkovice a Mokrá Hora, Slatina, Starý Lískovec, Tuřany, and Žabovřesky.
