Where to go in September: wine harvest festivals, St. Wenceslas celebrations and a military tech parade

Throughout September, dozens of traditional festivals take place across Czechia — from young wine harvest festivals to St. Wenceslas celebrations and military aviation air shows. Most events fall on the weekends of September 18-20 and 25-27, when the country's biggest wine festivals, pilgrimages and vintage car parades all take place at the same time.

Wine harvest festivals across the country

The season of young wine and burčák kicks off on September 11-12 with the Bolevec Wine Harvest Festival in Plzeň and the Vinohrady Wine Harvest Festival in Prague. On Saturday, September 12, wine will traditionally flow down the historic staircase of Kuks Castle, while the same weekend sees the harvest celebrated at the St. Clara Vineyard in Prague's Troja district.

The Litoměřice Wine Harvest Festival takes place on September 19, while Mělník hosts its popular three-day winemakers' celebration from September 18-20. But the largest and most traditional wine harvest festivals belong to Moravia: on September 18-19, Bzenec holds its costumed wine harvest festival featuring folklore performances and a parade in traditional folk dress, alongside the Valtice Castle wine harvest with two stages, a retro programme and a grape-picking championship. A week later, on September 25-26, visitors can head to the Velké Pavlovice Wine Harvest Festival.

Other September highlights include a bio-wine and cheese festival in Mikulov (September 19), the wine harvest festival at Grébovka in Prague (September 18-19), plus wine harvest events in Karlštejn (September 26-27) and Sedlec (September 26).

Steam trains, a railway depository and NATO Days

Railway enthusiasts can look forward to the Steam Locomotive Festival in Benešov from September 18-20, featuring more than 40 trains, including historic engines from Czechia and abroad. On Saturday, September 26, the narrow-gauge line in Mladějov wraps up its season with the traditional Mladějov Railway Day.

The National Technical Museum's railway depository in Chomutov remains open until September 27, 2026, Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 — visitors can explore dozens of historic locomotives, along with a special exhibition dedicated to Chomutov-born engineer František Josef Gerstner. On weekends and public holidays until November 1, the playful "Cyklohráček" train continues to run from Prague's main railway station to Slaný (Zlonice) at the standard Prague public transport or Czech Railways fare.

On September 19-20, Leoš Janáček Airport in Ostrava hosts NATO Days, one of Central Europe's largest military aviation exhibitions. Visitors can expect flying displays, heavy military, police and rescue equipment, and demonstrations by special forces units. Admission is free.

St. Ludmila and the St. Wenceslas celebrations

Every year, Tetín commemorates the murder of St. Ludmila, the first Czech and Slavic saint and grandmother of the future St. Wenceslas. The main day of the Ludmila pilgrimage this year falls on Saturday, September 19, with additional programming on Friday and Sunday. Ludmila was killed at Tetín on September 15, 921 — marking 1,105 years since her death this year.

From September 25-27, Český Krumlov will hold its traditional St. Wenceslas celebrations, complete with a fair, an international folklore festival and a gathering of people named Václav and Václava. On September 28, Mladá Boleslav will host the 24th St. Wenceslas Run, in which a convoy of several dozen vintage cars will parade through the city from Komenského Square, ending with a display of the vehicles at the city football stadium.

The most significant event remains the National St. Wenceslas Pilgrimage in Stará Boleslav, running from September 26-28, 2026, which draws thousands of pilgrims every year. The main celebration traditionally takes place on September 28 — Czech Statehood Day and the feast of St. Wenceslas. A unique feature of the pilgrimage is the sacred relic of St. Wenceslas: it will arrive at the basilica on the evening of September 27, and on September 28, from 9:30 to 16:30, anyone wishing to view and pay their respects to it may do so, after which the relic will be returned to Prague Castle at 17:00.

Read also: 6 Prague cemeteries where history and art matter more than mourning: a guide to necropolis-museums

Source: kudyznudy.cz