What to do in Prague this Weekend: Prague Signal Festival 2017

The days are getting shorter and the nights are drawing in. However, it’s not all bad news. Prague is simply beautiful by night and between October 12^th and October 15^th this year, there will be a few added incentives to take a walk around the city’s streets under the veil of darkness.

This year, Prague will be hosting the 5th annual Signal Festival 2017, which is a highly popular event dedicated to show casing some cutting-edge video mapping and light art technology. It’s a great opportunity to view some of the city’s most iconic and significant landmarks in an entirely new light, as history and modern technology are brought together.

A few changes have been made for this year’s festival. Those of you who have visited in the past, will be aware of just how busy this festival can be. The unfortunate downside to this is that the streets can get crowded, especially around the more popular installations. This year, organisers have tried to combat this and dilute the crowds by having two separate routes.

• The first route will take you around Prague’s downtown. This route includes some of the city’s most famous landmarks and will take visitors through the historical centre.
• The second, slightly shorter route, will take you around the beautiful district of Vinohrady. This route will take in a charming area of the city, which is a little more “off the beaten track”.

What to look out for: Downtown

Octopus Garden (Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia)

This quirky installation takes the form of an imaginary garden, which is home to a selection of peacefully slumbering octopuses. The installation plays with both light and sound to create an thoroughly absorbing experience, which unites sci-fi fiction with real life technology.

HEARDT (Hastalska Street)

This quirky installation, hidden away in the back streets of Prague’s old town has already attracted a lot of attention from the international artistic community. It is basically a customised piano, placed within a glowing giant cage, which takes the shape of a human heart. By playing the piano, visitors can interact with the installation and send a unique pattern of light pulses to the cage.

There will be many more installations to discover throughout Prague’s downtown. For the full programme, check out Signal Festival’s website.

What to look out for: Vinohrady

Caryatyds (Namesti Miru)

For the past couple of years, this has been by far the most talked about installation at Signal Fest. It draws huge crowds and if you’re going to see just one installation this year, it should probably be this one. This large-scale video mapping projection covers the impressive façade of St. Ludmilla’s Church. This year, thE installation will combine technology, history, poetry and music to create a spellbinding effect.

Submergence (Riegrovy Sady)

This installation caught my attention because it is located in the beautiful Riegrovy Sady Park. Submerge yourself into this neon jungle of hanging ropes, covered with over 8000 tiny lights. This installation aims to blur the lines between reality and the digital world.

There will be many more installations to discover throughout Vinohrady. For the full programme, check out Signal Festival’s website.

Additional Information

Cost & Tickets

• All outdoor installations are completely free. However, for the first time this year, there will also be an additional Gallery Zone. This zone is spread over 4 indoor venues. After purchasing a ribbon for 100 CZK, you will have access to all 4 venues.
• Some installations require 3D glasses, it is possible to buy a pair for 50 CZK.

Opening Hours

• The festival runs from 7 pm to midnight each day.

Refreshments

• In honour of the festival, additional food trucks, stalls and bars will be set up along both routes. A large Relax Zone, offering food, drinks and souvenirs, will be open from 6 pm in The Gardens of Svatopluka Cecha (Vinohrady).

Festival Maps

• Festival maps, showing not only the locations of all installations but also giving additional information about each installation, will be available to buy for 30 CZK. You will be able to find volunteers selling maps along both routes.