You can keep Rio's "Carnival" and Spain's crazy shindig where they throw tomatoes at each other because Prague is where it's at when it comes to festivals. Alongside the biggies--the Prague Spring and Proms music festivals--there are a host of other events keeping the city abuzz throughout spring and summer.
All in the spirit of "research", I volunteered to attend one of the most hallowed: The Czech Beer Festival, and I wasn't the only one. The main tent alone can hold 10,000 revelers supping on their 1-liter "tupláky" and when I visited, it was bursting at the seams.
I spotted a rugby team, a table of heavy-metal rockers, and an oompa-loompa with Evil Knievel. No wonder that the Financial Times in London calls the Czech Beer Festival one of 2012's global must-see events, ranking it alongside the London Olympics, the Cannes Film Festival and (of course) Munich's Oktoberfest.
The amber nectar was flowing (perhaps too freely), the sun was shining, a rock band was playing, and all was well with the world. My favorite sight was an elderly gentleman in "beer goggles" --glasses shaped like pints.
Czech beer is amongst the best in the world, and this huge circus tent in a park was the perfect place to sample it.
However, a word of warning: a liter of beer is a lot for anyone. In addition, it slips down surprisingly easily which can lead to an inability to recognize when you have had enough, a propensity to dance to Barry White rather exuberantly, a general feeling of bonhomie, and a crashing hangover the next day. But hey, I'm not naming any names here.
If beer's not your scene, never fear. All in the following weeks, there's the Prague Food Festival, the Prague Fringe (much like the Edinburgh Fringe), the aforementioned Prague Spring and Prague Proms, the Khamoro festival of Roma culture, the Shakespeare festival, a host of music events, and much more.
Now, I'll raise a glass to that (possibly filled with water as I recover)...