Calendar / Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
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Film Festivals in Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Jul 2–10, 2027ExpectedKVIFF 2027
Run by Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary, with published dates and a real program.
Dates & details verified against: Official event site ↗
Why go
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is central Europe's leading film event and one of the oldest festivals in the world, running since 1946. Each July the Bohemian spa town of Karlovy Vary fills with premieres, competition titles and industry crowds, centerd on the modernist Hotel Thermal and the colonnades along the Tepla river. As a FIAPF-accredited competitive festival it programs world and international premieres alongside strong retrospectives, and it has kept a reputation for being unusually open and public, with young audiences camping and queueing for tickets rather than a red-carpet-only affair. The setting, a 19th-century spa resort of grand hotels, hot springs and forested hills, makes it as much a summer pilgrimage as a screening schedule. The 2026 edition is the 60th, marking 80 years since the first festival.
When it runs
Nine days in early July each year in Karlovy Vary, centerd on the Hotel Thermal. Upcoming: 3 to 11 July 2026 (60th edition); a 2027 edition is expected in early July.
- Jul 2–10, 2027ExpectedKVIFF 2027
- Ran Jul 3–11, 2026KVIFF 2026 (60th)
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
These dates aren't confirmed yet.
Jul 2–10, 2027 is our best read from the pattern, not an announcement. Leave your email and we'll message you the day the real dates land. One email, that's the whole deal.
What to expect
The festival runs for nine days in early July, with the main venues walkable along the Tepla valley around the Hotel Thermal. July in Karlovy Vary is warm, and the town and its hotels are fully booked during the festival. Public screening passes and single tickets sell through the festival; the spa town itself stays open year round for its springs and colonnades.
Getting there & around
Karlovy Vary is about two hours west of Prague by direct bus or road, with the festival venues concentrated around the Hotel Thermal and the spa colonnades. Accommodation fills months ahead for the festival, so book early or stay in Prague and travel in. The town is compact and walkable, with the film venues, springs and cafes close together.
Where it happens
Karlovy Vary, Czechia.
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