Not just candles and keys: The Nov. 17 parade you may not have heard about

On November 17, Prague fills with candles, Czech flags, and the sound of jingling keys, symbols of the student demonstrations and mass protests that helped bring down communist rule in 1989.

But another way to celebrate gets far less attention amid the concerts and commemorations of the Velvet Revolution: giant masks, lanterns, drummers, and a very Czech dose of political satire. And puppetry.

It's called Sametové posvícení, or Velvet Carnival, and this year it celebrates its 15th anniversary.

The name combines sametová revoluce (Velvet Revolution) with posvícení, a traditional Czech feast or community celebration. But instead of familiar folk characters, the parade features oversized masks and allegorical figures representing the thornier issues rippling through Czech society today.

"We founded the Velvet Carnival [in 2012] because November 17 shouldn't just be a solemn remembrance of past events," says founder Olga Cieslarová in the organizers' announcement. "It is a day when we remember that freedom of speech and civic courage cannot be taken for granted."

Straight into the box!

One of this year's groups is tackling a subject familiar to anyone who's ever been reduced to a label.

Students from Prague's Gymnázium Elišky Krásnohorské have teamed up with DOMA, a community and integration project run by Diakonie ČCE, to create masks exploring stereotypes about nationality, gender, race, professions and social minorities.

Their motto is Šup do škatulky! — "Straight into the Box!"

The collaboration brings Czech students and migrants together to challenge the assumptions people make about one another.

It's an example of what makes Sametové posvícení more than a commemorative parade. The participants aren't simply celebrating the freedoms won in 1989. They're using those freedoms to question how people see one another today.

Other groups will address contemporary political and social concerns, including the defense of public-service media.

This year's procession brings together 12 groups from Prague and across the country, including university students, neighborhood residents, mothers who organized through Facebook and children from Central Bohemian children's homes.

International guests from partner carnivals in Utrecht and other European cities will also participate, with musical accompaniment from 150 drummers from Basel and Brussels.

Over its 15 editions, Velvet Carnival has involved 86 artists, 57 nonprofit organizations and 64 student groups, according to its organizers.

The people behind the parade also organize Vynášení Morany, a reinterpretation of the traditional Morana Czech spring ritual in which an effigy representing winter is carried away and symbolically destroyed.

In their version, the effigy represents the problems and frustrations (typically at the hands of national politics) people want to leave behind.

Where to see Velvet Carnival on November 17

The parade takes place on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, beginning at 3 p.m. in Kampa Park.

The procession will cross Charles Bridge and continue through Old Town Square, Národní třída, and Wenceslas Square before finishing at Kampus Hybernská.

A concert and refreshments will follow.

Velvet Carnival is an irreverent take on a revered anniversary. For anyone who has experienced November 17 mainly through speeches and commemorative ceremonies, it's a reminder that democracy is something people can participate in, question, and occasionally poke fun at.

More to explore: For the full lineup of November 17 events, including concerts, exhibitions, and commemorations, follow Díky, že můžem (Thanks That We Can).