There are two large (well, speaking of Brno measures) and quite interesting music festivals going to take place in Brno this Thursday and Friday.

Čarodějáles (“witchfest”), inspired by the tradition of “burning witches” on the Walpurgis Night, brings some mascara to Riviéra outdoor swimming pool on Thursday, April 28. There are three stages, occupied mostly by Czech and Slovak rock bands. Tickets cost CZK 350.

Majáles takes place in the sport areal at Hněvkovského st. (in quarter Komárov) on Friday, April 29. It is a “spin off” of probably the oldest Czech student festival, held in Prague since the 1960s (and attended even by Allen Ginsberg in 1965). There will be four stages and the genres will be more diverse than at Čarodějáles. Tickets cost also CZK 350.

There are several open air swimming pools in the town – try out one of these on your next day off!

Kraví hora

Outdoor swimming pool at Kraví hora (source: kravihora-brno.cz)

Kraví hora outdoor swimming pool is located five tram stops from the city centre, next to the great indoor swimming pool.

In July and August, the place is opened from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m; 3 hours of sunbathing and swimming cost CZK 50, all-day ticket is worth CZK 100.

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Riviéra

Riviéra in Pisárky quarter (source: rivec.cz)

Located next to the Exhibition ground, outdoor swimming pool Riviéra was a promising project in the early 1990s, but it quickly turned in one of the stillborn businesses of the early Czech capitalism. However, life is returning to the huge area and you may enjoy several swimming pools, as well as other leisure time facilities.

Riviéra is opened daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and all-day ticket costs CZK 90.

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Dobrák

You may know about Dobrák from a recent post about an open air cinema running there until the end of August.

All-day ticket costs CZK 95 but you’ll get a CZK 30 discount after 4 p.m.

Btw, you can check out a webcam capturing the swimming pool.

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Zábrdovice

Spa in Zábrdovice, next to Zbrojovka factory (source: lazne-brno.cz)

Designed in the 1920s by renowed functionalist architect Bohuslav Fuchs, “spa” in quarter Zábrdovice is not a shiny place anymore. On the other side, with entrance fee of CZK 80, it is one of the cheapest places to go for a swim.

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Brno dam lake

Technically speaking, Brno dam lake is not a pool, but hundreds or thousand people swim or ride boats there every day. State has invested a lot of money to clean out the water and there is a nude beach located on the northern bank, approx. 2 kilometers from the ship dock.

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Poster of Babylonfest 2010

Babylonfest takes place at Riviéra swimming pool on Friday and Saturday. My personal highlights are “beatboxer” En.dru (check out his performance on a street of Brno) and Mr. Elijah Prophet of Jamaica.

Tickets for both days cost CZK 260 (€10).

The event has a handy English language website with a complete schedule.

Walpurgis night (source: Wikimedia Commons)

The tradition of lighting bonfires and throwing straw witches into the fire on the Walpurgis night is very common in the Czech republic, especially among students.

If you want to take a part in the old pagan feast, you may take your kids to hotel Santon in Brno Bystrc on Friday, 5 p.m. I was there last year and it was a nice event, with free admission, live music and many families with happy kids.

Every year, students light bonfires at Palackého vrch. Bring your own beer and have some fun.

Čarodějáles

Annual music festival Čarodějáles (“Witchfest”) is held on Friday at open air pool Riviéra. For CZK 250, you may listen to famous bands Sunshine, Charlie Straight, I Am Ghost (USA), Lower Than Atlantis (UK), Eyes Set to Kill (USA) and many other Czech musicians. The gates open before 2 p.m.

Parking lot next to the Moravian Archive in Lískovec is always empty

If you are travelling to Brno by car, just print this article and have it always in your vehicle.

Parking in the centre of Brno

The very centre of the town between (Masarykova st. and Česká st.) is closed for cars. You can leave your vehicle in several places around, but I recommend two: a roof of Vaňkovka shopping mall and a parking house at Moravské náměstí sq. They both have closed circuit TVs which makes the parking somehow secure.

Special tip: Parking at Vaňkovka is free during weekends.

(The only) park & ride solution

If you want to leave your car somewhere outside the inner town and travel there by public transportation, I recommend leaving your car at a large parking lot near the Moravian archive. It is not an ideal solution, as you have to take a walk to a bus stop at Netroufalky st. or a tram stop at Osová st., but it is free and the parking lot is located close to D1 highway.

Parking at the exhibition ground (or at Velodrome)

The streets around the exhibition ground get really crowded during big expos, so it’s a pretty good idea to use some of the parking houses around. You only have to prepare about CZK 100 for a day. The same works for concerts at Velodrome or at Riviéra venues, which are located in the same place as the exhibition ground.

Airport parking

If you fly from Brno and need to get to the airport by your own car, you can park it there for approx. CZK 200 per day (depends on the total time, see a machine-translated price list). Taking a taxi is way cheaper and you can also use a bus connecting the airport with main train station (the ride takes 20 minutes), so think twice about spending your money for parking.

Parking at Automotodrom Racing Circuit

There are huge parking lots around the racing circuit at Brno-Žebětín (Automotodrom or Masaryk Circuit), but during races of Superbike WC and MotoGP, it’s pretty hard to find a free place. Park your car in the centre and take a free bus from Mendlovo náměstí sq. or leave your car in a camp or in a nearby village and take a walk to the circuit.

Parking in suburbs: rent a garage if you can afford it

It’s complicated to find a parking place at late evening in most of suburbs. If you don’t want to walk 3 blocks from your car to your flat, rent a garage via a real estate agency for approx. CZK 1,500 a month.

How can the police punish you for wrong parking?

Especially constables, who should care more about citizens’ safety and lost dogs, are obsessed with punishing drivers for wrong parking, no matter how absurd the situation may be. I know people whose cars were towed away for standing 10 centimeters outside the very parking place etc. – these people swear that the police is financially connected with the tow-away companies.

Connected or not, just don’t give the cops reasons to harrass you. The fines go up to CZK 2,500 (€100).