Advent in Prague 2026: Dates, Markets, Trees and Concerts
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Advent 2026 begins on Sunday 29 November and ends on Christmas Eve, 24 December; the four Advent Sundays are 29 November and 6, 13 and 20 December. Prague's main Christmas markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square run from Saturday 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, daily from 10 am to 10 pm, and the Old Town Square Christmas tree is lit for the first time on opening day (the time has not yet been announced). The nationwide carol singing "Česko zpívá koledy" takes place on Wednesday 9 December at 6 pm. Around Prague checked these dates against the Advent calendar, Trhy Praha, Prague City Tourism, Prague 1, the National Theatre and the event organisers on 30 October 2026.
Advent in Prague 2026: the calendar
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| from Fri 20 Nov | Christmas market, until 24 Dec, 10 am–8 pm | náměstí Míru, Vinohrady |
| from 25 and 26 Nov | Christmas markets, until 24 Dec | náměstí Republiky, Tylovo náměstí |
| 26 Nov – 5 Dec | Prague 1 lights Christmas trees at nine spots | Old Town, New Town, Lesser Town |
| Sat 28 Nov | main markets open, first lighting of the tree | Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square |
| from Sat 28 Nov | Advent na Jiřáku market, until 23 Dec | náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad |
| Sun 29 Nov | 1st Advent Sunday, Advent concert at 11 am | National Theatre |
| Sat 5 Dec | St Nicholas Eve (Mikuláš); tree lighting on Kampa at 5 pm | all over Czechia; Kampa |
| Sun 6 Dec | 2nd Advent Sunday; one-day Christmas market, 12–8 pm | Karlínské náměstí |
| Wed 9 Dec, 6 pm | Česko zpívá koledy, carols sung across the country | town squares nationwide |
| Sat 19 Dec | Scouts distribute the Bethlehem Light across Czechia | nationwide |
| Thu 24 Dec | Christmas Eve; Advent ends, smaller markets close | — |
| Wed 6 Jan 2027 | last day of the main markets | Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square |
Markets and Christmas trees
Old Town Square gets a spruce about 23 metres tall from Šimonovice in northern Bohemia, Wenceslas Square one of about 21 metres from the Lusatian Mountains. The organiser, Trhy Praha, is still preparing the stage programme. The opening weekend brings the first tree lighting and the first Advent Sunday; 5–6 December adds St Nicholas Eve, the Kampa tree lighting and a one-day market in Karlín with a wooden nativity scene. Dates for a Kampa market and the Prague Castle market had not been published by 30 October. More in our guide to Prague Christmas markets 2026.
Czech Advent traditions
The Advent wreath with four candles, one more lit each Sunday, goes back to the Hamburg pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern in 1838. Czechs also name the four Sundays iron, bronze (or copper), silver and gold. The names came from Germany via shopkeepers and marked the days of the biggest takings, not the church calendar. In 2026 "golden Sunday" falls on 20 December.
- 4 December, St Barbara. People cut a cherry twig, a barborka. If it blossoms by Christmas, it brings luck, and for a girl, a wedding.
- 5 December, St Nicholas Eve. Mikuláš walks the streets with an angel and a devil, rewarding good children and warning the naughty ones. More in our guide to Christmas traditions in Czechia.
- Cukroví. Families bake trays of Christmas biscuits; Czech Radio's 2024 poll favourites were vosí hnízda ("wasps' nests"), vanilla crescents and Linzer biscuits.
- Bethlehem Light. Scouts hand out a flame lit in Bethlehem across the country from 19 December; local points are on betlemskesvetlo.cz.
Advent concerts and the Czech Christmas Mass
The music of a Czech Christmas is the Czech Christmas Mass by Jakub Jan Ryba (1796), known simply as "Rybovka". Confirmed performances in Prague for 2026:
- National Theatre, 29 Nov and 6, 13, 20 Dec at 11 am. Ryba's Mass and carols with the Kühn Children's Choir and the theatre orchestra, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Church of St Henry and St Kunhuta, 21 Dec at 6 pm. Ryba's Mass; admission by voluntary donation.
- Municipal House (Obecní dům), 22 Dec at 4 pm and 7:30 pm, 23 Dec at 10 am. "Kouzelná Rybovka", Matěj Forman's staging with puppets, orchestra and choir; good for families.
- Prague main station, 23 Dec at 1 pm. "Rybovka na Hlaváku", the 26th open performance in the station hall; anyone may sing or play.
- 25 Dec. St Nicholas Church in the Lesser Town at 5 pm; St Wenceslas Church in Smíchov at 4 pm (250 CZK).
At "Česko zpívá koledy" (16th year, this time with the band Čechomor) whole town squares sing the same carols at the same moment.
Nativity scenes, Prague Castle and Christmas Mass
Bethlehem Chapel (Betlémská kaple) hosts its traditional Christmas exhibition, this year called "Lidová zdobnost" (folk decoration), from 28 November to 3 January. The Charles Bridge Museum shows folk nativity scenes from Kašperské Hory in the Šumava region from late November to 2 February 2027. Prague Castle has not yet announced its 2026 Advent programme; last season it had a free Christmas trail with a nativity landscape and carols outside St Vitus Cathedral every Advent Sunday. By 30 October the cathedral had not published its December service times, including Midnight Mass on 24 December. Services there are free and need no registration.
Getting there and booking
All markets are free to enter. For Old Town Square take metro line A to Staroměstská, for Wenceslas Square Můstek (lines A and B), and for náměstí Míru and Jiřák the line A stations of the same names. National Theatre tickets are sold online at narodni-divadlo.cz up to six months ahead; on 30 October tickets were still available for all four Sundays. Market programme: trhypraha.cz; Christmas Mass performances: prague.eu. Coming by rail? See our guide to trains to Prague.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
When does Advent start in 2026?
On Sunday 29 November 2026. The other Advent Sundays are 6, 13 and 20 December.
When do the Prague Christmas markets open in 2026?
Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square: 28 November to 6 January 2027. The náměstí Míru market opens earlier, on 20 November.
When is the Old Town Square Christmas tree lit in 2026?
On Saturday 28 November 2026, the markets' opening day; the time has not yet been announced.
Where can I hear an Advent concert in Prague?
At the National Theatre every Advent Sunday at 11 am, at the Municipal House on 22–23 December, and in several churches on 21 and 25 December.
When do the smaller Prague Christmas markets close?
The markets on náměstí Míru, náměstí Republiky and Tylovo náměstí close on Christmas Eve, 24 December; Advent na Jiřáku ends on 23 December.
Sources: Advent calendar 2026, Trhy Praha: market dates, Trhy Praha on the trees (26 Oct 2026), vanocnitrhy.cz, Prague City Tourism: markets, Karlín Christmas market, Advent na Jiřáku, Prague 1 tree lightings, Česko zpívá koledy, start time (Třeboňsko), National Theatre, Prague City Tourism: Ryba's Mass, Kudy z nudy: Bethlehem Chapel, Charles Bridge Museum, Prague 1: Advent at the Castle 2025, St Vitus Cathedral, Kudy z nudy: Advent traditions, Seznam Zprávy: Advent Sundays, Radio Prague: cukroví, Bethlehem Light. Checked on 30 October 2026.
See also: Prague Christmas Markets 2026, Christmas markets in Prague and Czechia: top 12, Christmas in Czechia: Vánoce and Mikuláš, Prague in winter: 11 ideas, St Nicholas Day in Prague 2026 (Mikuláš).
Photo: Christmas market on Old Town Square, December 2025. Helena Melezínková, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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