Gay Prague: Essential Mini Guide to Nightlife and Events

Gay Prague mainly concentrates in Vinohrady. This leafy neighborhood is full of colourful buildings with beautiful Art Nouveau facades. Gay bars and clubs fill up during weekends but are fairly quiet the rest of the week. Gay Prague is very relaxed for LGTBs. That was different in the past. The Communist regime was hostile to being queer. From 1961, homosexuality and same-sex sexual activities were decriminalized. Most gays were coming out of the closet only after the fall of Communism.

Gay Prague: Clubs and Bars

Gay Prague offers popular meetings places for LGTBs. Just outside the tourist centre of Prague is the three-storey club Valentino, Vinohradska 40, open from 23.00. Inside is a maze of halls and rooms where you can drink, dance and more.

Right next to Valentino is the Celebrity Cafe, a good place to start the night. Especially when you consider that beer has almost the same price as water. One street further down, you will find the Termix Club, Trebizskeho 4a, in a basement. Termix is tiny especially when compared to Valentino. There is a compact dance floor, a mini lounge with chairs that invite to relax. At weekends you will mix with Czechs, tourists and ex-pats here. Every month, Radost FX hosts a gay party called Lollypop. Radost is located in Belehradska Street 120.
And for those who do not know what thermix is: this was the most famous chocolate curd dessert for children in the communist era.

Gay Prague: Saunas and Hotels

Babylonia at 6 Martinska Street, always packed at weekends. Very popular is sauna Marco with two branches, one at Lublanska Street 17 with a mainly younger clientele and the other at Legerova 33. At David, Sokolovska Street 44 you will meet mainly middle-aged clientele.

Gay-friendly three-star hotels, Claris Hotel, Slezska 26, Tosca Hotel, Blanicka 10, both in the Vinohrady district of Prague. If money is not an issue: five-star Hotel Kempinski, Hybernska 12 in the Nove Mesto district.

Mezipatra Queer Film Festival

The Mezipatra Queer Film Festival is held in Prague and Brno. This festival takes place during the first two weeks of November in Prague and the last two weeks of November in Brno. It is a festival with an extensive selection of queer films (documentaries, retrospectives, short films, feature films, etc.), but it is also a cultural event. The programme includes themed parties, lectures, exhibitions and more.

Prague Pride

Prague Pride is a week-long festival of music, culture and sports that takes place every August. On the last day there is a parade from Wenceslas Square to Letna Park. Tens of thousands of LGTB members gather for this popular event, one of the largest cultural events in the Czech Republic.

Queer Ball

Held in both Prague and Brno, the Queer Ball is an annual event for gays, lesbians and their friends. It is an event with live music, dance performances, a lottery competition and just a fun night out for everyone. The ball has a different theme every year. The chosen theme determines which clothing is worn. The Queer ball is held in February or March.

Prague Rainbow Spring

This is an international sports tournament for LGTBQ athletes, their friends, colleagues and supporters in which more than 400 participants from many countries compete in volleyball, badminton, swimming and beach volleyball. This sports tournament takes place in May.

Related article:
Best gay-friendly bars and pubs in Prague

photos; wiki commons and termix