High-end music, the rustle of festive robes, clinking glasses and romantic Renaissance architecture. Chill out in the grass on the second stage.
Welcome to Smetana Litomysl.
The Smetana Litomyšl Festival is inseparably linked with classical music and especially opera. However, it has come a long way since its inception in 1946, and today's subtitle of the National Festival aptly describes its nature. It invites audiences from across different genres to visit Litomyšl. On the one hand, there are top classical music performers from home and abroad, on the other hand, the festival offers a wide multi-genre overlap. A separate section is the Festival Gardens, which prepare a programme for everyone, including families with small children.
The main venue of the festival is the second courtyard of Litomyšl Castle. The space, enclosed on three sides by arcades, is filled with a stage structure and above all a tiered auditorium, which is worth noticing in itself. Thanks to tailor-made technology, the roof covers the audience in case of bad weather, while on a hot summer night nothing prevents the sky from being the backdrop for the ongoing performance. However, the individual shows are not only held here from afar. Other venues include the castle riding hall, the Litomyšl churches, and the Cream House. Since 2012, the rococo chateau Nové Hrady, 15 km away, has also come alive every year with the festival. The local stagion always presents its own productions of baroque opera for several days in a row.
Thefestival gardens have recently become a new and popular part of Smetana Litomyšl. It is a free zone with a second stage located in the Monastery Gardens. This space itself directly invites you to have a pleasant experience, relax in the grass and spend some time with the whole family. Instead of an auditorium, seating bags and deck chairs are set out on the grass, and great refreshments are within easy reach, including first-class bus cuisine or goodies from the outdoor barbecue. Festival gardens run throughout the festival. On weekdays you can watch broadcasts or recordings of concerts on the big screen, while the weekend programme consists of concerts, theatre performances, workshops and children's programmes. You can come unprepared, and they will provide you with everything you might need on site - a blanket, board games or a picnic basket.
The second oldest music festival in the Czech Republic takes place every year at the turn of June and July and lasts almost a whole month! Come and taste the atmosphere of Litomyšl, which is truly creamy.