Dear festival visitors, it is our hope that you will come away from our festival with only positive experiences and that each visit will go smoothly. Please allow us to give you a few tips that will help you to avoid any inconveniences and to enjoy the festival programme fully.

Dress code

The word “festival” means an event, holiday, or celebration. A festival concert is therefore a formal event, and the dress code corresponds to this. Please follow the dress code out of respect for the artists who come to the festival in part to honour the greatest Czech composer Antonín Dvořák by giving superior performances of his works.

·        Unless stated otherwise, the dress code for concerts is dark suit, i.e. evening attire. For men, this means a dark suit with a collared shirt and a tie. Women should wear a dress of appropriate length or evening attire.

·        At the opening and closing concerts, black tie is recommended. Men are to wear a dinner jacket (tuxedo) with an evening waistcoat or cummerbund, a black bow tie, a handkerchief, and a white dress shirt. Women are to wear an evening gown (long dress). A dark suit is also acceptable at these concerts. At the debut concert, however, informal dress is permitted.

·        There are, however, concerts where wearing a suit or dress shoes is not necessary. At family day concerts and the debut concert, informal dress is permitted.

Are you still unsure about what to wear? Watch the videos we have prepared for you.

Black Tie and Dark Suit for Women HERE.

Dark Suit for Men HERE.

Security

Unfortunately, security has become a topic of discussion around the world, and the Dvořák Prague Festival wishes to draw attention to its security measures at concert venues and in the halls. Our primary concern is for your safety as well as the safety of the performers and our entire team.

·        Please check any larger belongings in the cloakroom along with any items that could impede other audience members in the hall. For security reasons, you will not be permitted to enter the concert hall with such items.

·        Bringing weapons, sharp or pointed items, or objects of any kind that are seen as dangerous or could be used as a weapon into concert halls is forbidden. This includes selfie sticks.

·        We ask visitors to carry a valid form of identification to identify themselves if necessary.

·        For security reasons, we ask for your understanding concerning any spot checks of persons and their belongings.

Arriving at the hall

We will be opening the concert venues an hour before concerts begin.

We recommend that you arrive sufficiently in advance, ideally at least 30 minutes before the concert begins. When making your plans, please take traffic and difficulties with finding parking near the concert hall into consideration. By arriving on time, you will be able to enjoy the festival atmosphere and prepare for the concert. Please check your coats, large belongings, and other objects in the cloakroom – see the section on Security. We always close the hall 5 minutes before the beginning of the programme. If you arrive late, ushers will seat you only during applause or at the interval. Please remember that under such circumstances, you will be given a currently available seat to avoid disturbing the other concertgoers. For the second half of the concert (after the official interval), you may take the seat that you have purchased.

We will seat audience members from the Youth Club in vacant seats after the third bell before the concert. When you arrive at the concert venue, please check your belongings at the cloakroom and gather at the designated place, usually the foyer of the concert venue. Please present your valid ISIC ID card together with your ticket when it is checked.

In the case of concerts broadcast live on Czech Television, we close the hall 10 minutes before the concert begins.

During the concert

Taking photographs and making audio or video recordings at concerts is forbidden. It is far more worthwhile to concentrate on experiencing the concert than on preserving it. Cameras and video cameras are very disruptive to artists, so they are strictly forbidden during festival concerts.

Out of respect for the artists and other audience members, please avoid making disturbing noises, such as the ringing of mobile telephones, speaking, whispering, shuffling etc.

Intervals

Concerts usually have intervals, which are an opportunity for the artists and audience members to rest. The intervals at our concerts last 20 minutes, except for concerts that are broadcast live on Czech Television. At those concerts, the interval lasts only 15 minutes. We will warn you that the interval is ending by ringing a bell. Please respect the instructions of the ushers, whose job is to ensure that the evening goes smoothly and to keep to the interval on schedule.

Applause

Applause is a sign of recognition and respect, so please do not overlook it. When reading your programme, you will notice whether the concert consists of separate compositions or of one large work. This is already an indication of when to begin to applaud. But be careful – don’t be in too much of a hurry! The magic of a quiet ending can be disturbed all too easily by insensitive audience members who rush to start clapping.

So when does one applaud? The best solution is to follow the conductor, who will show you when a piece is over. Just wait until the conductor lowers his or her hands and turns to face the public.

If you are still in doubt, you can always wait until the majority of the audience begins to clap. At every concert, there are always experienced concertgoers whose example you can follow.

Encounter after the Applause

Encounter after the Applause is a traditional event at the Dvořák Prague Festival. After concerts, selected artists meet with the public to answer their questions, reveal something about themselves, and possibly sign autographs. These encounters always take place in the concert hall.