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Witness / Attend in Hlinsko
Masopust - Shrovetide Processions of the Hlinecko Region
A small town in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands of eastern Bohemia, at the heart of the Hlinecko region known for its UNESCO-listed Masopust Shrovetide processions and the Vesely Kopec open-air museum of folk architecture.
No organizer, no ticket office. This is a living tradition, and the way in is simply to be there; guides get you inside it.
Dates & details verified against: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ↗
Why here
Masopust, the Czech pre-Lenten carnival, survives in its oldest door-to-door form in the villages of the Hlinecko region around Hlinsko, where UNESCO listed the Shrovetide processions as intangible cultural heritage in 2010. On set days in late winter, the men and boys of each village put on two kinds of hand-made mask, red for the unmarried and dark for the married, and move house to house behind a brass band. At each home four masked figures perform a short ritual dance, with the householder's permission, to bring a good harvest and prosperity, and receive food, drink and a small fee in return. After the last house comes the symbolic killing of the mare, a mock trial and testament read out in the street. Nothing is staged for outsiders: these are the community's own rounds, unbroken for generations, and to stand in a cold Bohemian village while the masks come down the lane is to watch an old rural Europe carry on.
Best months
The processions fall at Shrovetide, in the weeks before Lent, so the dates move each year and are spread across several villages on different days from late January into February. In 2026 the rounds run on 31 January at Vesely Kopec and Hamry, 8 February at Blatno, 14 February at Vortova and Studnice, and 17 February in Hlinsko, weather permitting. It is winter in the highlands, often below freezing with snow, so dress warmly. The most accessible staged version runs at the Vesely Kopec open-air museum.
Getting there & around
There is no ticket office and no organiser to book; the processions happen on the villages' own streets and you simply come and watch, ideally following the printed schedule from the Hlinsko information centre or the Vesely Kopec open-air museum. Hlinsko is about two hours southeast of Prague by road, with Pardubice the nearest larger town and rail hub; the surrounding villages need a car to reach. Respect the households being visited, keep to the edges of the ritual dances, and ask before photographing people close up. A small contribution to the masked group is customary.
Skill levels: beginner
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