Easter Folklore Festival in Prague

May 28

The first April weekend was exceptionally warm and summery in gorgeous Prague. The streets and parks quickly became crowded with people eager to soak up in the sun as the spring finally sprung.

While celebrating Easter, I completely forgot about the upcoming photography job that my husband got us. Prague hosts annual Folklore Festivals organized by Blue Diamond Events.

Saturday started early as we had to be at Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square) before noon, as the plan was to gather in front of the Easter market, take group pictures, and to slowly walk to Náměstí Republiky (Republic Square). There were numerous countries presented: Bulgaria, Slovenia, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Croatia, Greece, Italy.

The spring sun turned out to be quite strong but much needed after almost 6 months of cloudy and gloomy Czech winter. The walk from the Old Town Square to the stage was short but beautiful, as the participants got all the attention from the locals and tourists; they were dancing and showing off their moves, and happily waving back at the curious crowds.

The seating area for the stage was already fully occupied as the groups approached. And the performances started shortly after.

As a former professional dancer, it was truly magical to capture the national dances of so many countries. The rhythmic tapping, quick shuffling of the feet, happy smiles, and eager attitude definitely put me back to the memory lane, to the years where I was also performing ballet in front of the thousands of people. But this time, I was on the other side of the stage, capturing the memories of the participants and their eager cheerleaders.