Why book this evening
Why book this evening
An interactive evening, not a stage script
Folklore Garden bills its show as an interactive experience rather than a passive performance — guests are invited to learn Czech songs, dances and games, and to try playing the folk instruments themselves. It's built to pull you in by the end, not just seat you in front of a stage.
A shared table, not a private one
Dinner is served family-style around a large shared table rather than at separate two-tops, which is part of what visitors describe as the room's rustic, tavern-like feel. You're eating alongside other guests, not watching a show from a private booth.
The instruments explained, then handed to you
The band plays on a cimbalom — a large hammered dulcimer struck with two sticks — alongside violin, clarinet and double bass, the same combination that has carried Moravian folk music for well over a century. Part of the evening's format is letting guests try the instruments themselves, not just hear them from a distance.
Twenty years in a chateau garden
Folklore Garden has run this format since May 2003, on grounds that sit beside a small Hlubočepy chateau on the edge of central Prague — an outdoor garden in summer, an indoor folk house through the colder months, rather than a purpose-built tourist theatre.
The dances, and the band that plays them
The dances, and the band that plays them
The performance draws on dances from three different Czech and Moravian traditions, carried by a cimbalom band — the same instrument line-up that has anchored Moravian folk music for well over a century. Here is what you'll see, region by region.
At the centre: the band
- Cimbalom
- Violin (primáš & obligát)
- Clarinet
- Double bass
Cimbalom
A large trapezoidal hammered dulcimer, struck with two cotton-tipped sticks — the instrument the whole band is built around.
Violin (primáš & obligát)
A lead fiddler (primáš) carries the ornamented melody; a second violinist (obligát) plays a plainer line beneath it.
Clarinet
Ornaments and doubles the melody line above the strings — the instrument you'll see guests handed to try.
Double bass
Anchors the rhythm under the cimbalom and violins, the same role it has played in Moravian bands for generations.
01 · Bohemian — Sousedská
A calm, swaying couple's dance opens the floor
The sousedská is a semi-slow Bohemian dance in three-quarter time, danced in pairs with a calm, swaying character — the form Antonín Dvořák reached for repeatedly in his Slavonic Dances. It's a gentler opening than what follows, easing the room onto its feet.
02 · Bohemian — Polka & furiant
Then the tempo lifts
The polka — Bohemia's best-known dance internationally — and the furiant, a fast dance built on shifting cross-accents, both became symbols of Czech national identity in the nineteenth century. Together they're the turn where the evening stops being a dinner with music and starts being a dance floor.
03 · Moravian — Kolečko
A Moravian round dance follows
Kolečko is an old round dance of Slavic origin, traditionally danced by girls in a circle with a light up-down step — a different register again from the Bohemian pairs dances that came before it, and a first taste of Moravia's own repertoire.
04 · Moravian — Beseda
The Beseda tells its own story
Beseda — literally “gathering” — is a quadrille-form dance performed in eight parts, working through a story of young people searching for a partner. It exists in different versions across both Bohemia and Moravia, and it's usually the most theatrical turn of the night.
05 · Slovácko — Verbuňk
Slovácko's verbuňk closes the dances, danced solo
The verbuňk is an improvised men's solo dance from the Slovácko region of South Moravia, UNESCO-listed since 2005 — each dancer performs alone within the group, marked by spontaneity, individual style and, often, jumping. It's the evening's most demanding dance, and usually its closing statement before the floor opens to everyone.
How the evening runs
How the evening runs
The format is straightforward: dinner first, then a 2.5-hour performance built to end with the whole room on its feet.
- On arrival
A glass of medovina, and a seat at the table
The evening opens with a welcome drink of medovina — mead made from Moravian honey — as guests are shown to their places around the shared tables.
- Through dinner
A four-course Czech dinner, family-style
A cheese-spread starter, a traditional potato soup with wild forest mushrooms, a mixed grill main of pork neck, chicken drumstick and smoked pork with potatoes and vegetables, and apple pie with coffee to finish — served family-style around the table, with the open bar running throughout.
- The band sets up
The cimbalom band takes its place
As the meal winds down, the band — cimbalom, violin, clarinet and double bass, in traditional Bohemian and Moravian costume — moves into position and the formal 2.5-hour performance begins.
- The dances
Bohemian, Moravian and Slovácko dances, in turn
The programme moves through the sousedská and furiant of Bohemia, a Moravian kolečko and beseda, and the solo verbuňk of Slovácko — five dances across three regional traditions, performed by dancers in period costume.
- Everybody up
Songs, games and the instruments, handed to the room
By the later part of the show the format turns interactive — guests are invited to learn a song or a step, try the folk instruments, and, by most accounts, end up on the floor themselves before the night closes.
Hlubočepy, and the chateau garden
Hlubočepy, and the chateau garden
Folklore Garden sits in Hlubočepy, a quiet corner of Prague 5 on the edge of the city centre, beside the grounds of a small chateau — worth knowing before you book, since it shapes both the setting and how you'll get there.
A chateau garden, not a tourist theatre
The restaurant sits beside the grounds of the Hlubočepy chateau, a small manor house on the edge of central Prague — described by its own operator as a folk village setting rather than a purpose-built show venue. It's a garden and a chateau first, with the performance built into that setting.
Twenty years of the same evening
Folklore Garden has run this format since May 2003, blending what it calls Czech hospitality tradition with a more contemporary approach to running an evening for visitors — over two decades of the same essential format, rather than a recent addition to Prague's tourist circuit.
Indoors or under the trees
The indoor folk house seats up to around 120 guests; when the garden itself opens through the warmer months, seating extends outdoors under the trees around the chateau, taking capacity up toward 320. Which setting you get depends on the season and the date you book.
Transport is arranged for you
Hlubočepy sits away from Prague's historic centre, so this booking includes transport from a central Prague meeting point rather than leaving you to find the chateau grounds on your own — useful on an evening that runs late and ends after dark.
The evening, in pictures
The evening, in pictures
A Czech folk band in performance, Moravian folk costume, an evening garden table and the kind of hearty dinner the format is built around. These are representative photographs of Czech and Moravian folklore, and of an evening garden dinner generally — not photographs of Folklore Garden, its dancers or its dining room.
The menu, and your options
The menu, and your options
| Menu | What's on it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional 4-course menu | Welcome medovina, a cheese-spread starter, potato soup with wild forest mushrooms, a mixed grill of pork neck, chicken drumstick and smoked pork with potatoes and vegetables, and apple pie to finish | The default menu on this booking, with unlimited Czech beer, wine and soft drinks throughout |
| Vegetarian menu | The same four courses, built around a vegetarian main in place of the mixed grill | Flag it when you book — the kitchen needs advance notice to prepare it |
| Chicken-only menu | A chicken-based main course through the same four-course format | Worth requesting if you'd rather avoid pork specifically, without going fully vegetarian |
Ways to book the evening
Find a date for your evening
Every option below is booked through GetYourGuide, with live availability and the final price shown in your own currency.
Planning your evening
Planning your evening
Book before the week you want
Folklore Garden runs its evening every night of the week, but the room seats one sitting at a handful of long tables, so check GetYourGuide's live calendar and book the date you want rather than assuming there will be space on the night.
Flag dietary needs when you book
Vegetarian and chicken-only alternatives to the standard four-course menu are both available, but need to be requested in advance — raise it at booking rather than at the table.
Come ready to be pulled in
The format is built to be interactive by its later stages — guests are invited to learn songs and dances and try the instruments. Come with an appetite and shoes you don't mind dancing in.
Plan for a full evening, not a quick stop
Between the four-course dinner and the 2.5-hour performance that follows it, this is a several-hour evening rather than a short show. Transport is included from a central Prague meeting point, which matters on a night that runs late.
Planning a folklore evening in Prague
Planning a folklore evening in Prague
The Prague folklore evening at Folklore Garden: what actually happens
A welcome glass of medovina, a family-style Czech dinner around a shared table, and a cimbalom band that turns a 2.5-hour performance into a dance floor — here's the shape of the night, in order.
Read more →The dances, explainedSousedská, beseda and verbuňk: Czech folk dance by region, for first-timers
What the folklore performance's five dances actually are, why Bohemia and Moravia dance differently, and why the Slovácko region's verbuňk carries a UNESCO listing that the others don't.
Read more →The music, explainedThe cimbalom, and the rest of a Czech folk band, explained
What a cimbalom actually is, why a Moravian folk band is built around a lead and a second violin, and where clarinet and double bass fit — the instrument line-up behind every dance in the evening's performance.
Read more →What's includedWhat the Folklore Garden drinks package actually covers
Medovina to start, then an open bar running through the whole four-course dinner — what's poured, what isn't, and what to know if you'd rather not drink at all.
Read more →Practical detailsGetting to Folklore Garden: transport, dress and how late it runs
Hlubočepy sits away from central Prague, so here's what to know about the included transport, what to wear, and how long to set aside for the whole evening.
Read more →Cross-sellPrague evenings beyond the folklore garden
A folk dinner in a chateau garden is one way to spend an evening in Prague — here's how it compares to the city's castle and countryside daytime options if you're building out a longer trip.
Read more →FAQ
Folklore evening questions
What is the Prague folklore garden party at Folklore Garden?
It's an evening at Folklore Garden, a restaurant and performance space beside a small chateau in Hlubočepy, Prague, that combines a family-style four-course Czech dinner and open bar with a 2.5-hour folk music and dance performance — Bohemian, Moravian and Slovácko dances carried by a cimbalom band, with guests invited to join in by the end.
What's included in the price?
A welcome drink of medovina (honey mead), a family-style four-course Czech dinner, an open bar of unlimited Czech beer, wine and soft drinks through the meal, and the 2.5-hour folklore performance that follows. Transport from a central Prague meeting point is included on this booking.
How long does the evening last?
Dinner is followed by a 2.5-hour performance, so plan for a full evening rather than a quick show — several hours in total once you include the meal and the transport to and from the venue.
Can dietary requirements be accommodated?
Yes — vegetarian and chicken-only alternatives to the standard four-course menu are both available, but need to be requested in advance rather than at the table, so flag any dietary needs when you book.
Where is Folklore Garden, and is transport included?
Folklore Garden sits in Hlubočepy, Prague 5, beside the grounds of a small chateau on the edge of central Prague — away from the historic centre most visitors stay near. This booking includes transport from a central Prague meeting point, so you don't need to find the venue yourself.
What dances and music will I see?
A cimbalom band — cimbalom, violin, clarinet and double bass — in traditional Bohemian and Moravian costume, playing through dances from three regional traditions: the Bohemian sousedská and furiant, a Moravian kolečko and beseda, and the solo verbuňk of the Slovácko region, which is UNESCO-listed. Guests are invited to learn steps and try the instruments as the evening goes on.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
The listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund, and many options let you reserve now and pay later. The exact cancellation terms for your booking are shown on GetYourGuide before you pay.