Detailed information and the programme of the current edition can be found on the official website www.kffestival.cz, on Facebook and on Instagram at @kffestival.

The 31st Karlovy Vary Folklore Festival will take place this year from 2 to 6 September 2026, from Wednesday to Sunday. The festival is held under the auspices of the City of Karlovy Vary, the Mayor of Karlovy Vary, and the Governor of the Karlovy Vary Region.

The Karlovy Vary Folklore Festival will bring the spa town to life with folklore from the Czech Republic and abroad. On 2 September 2026, the Folk Crafts Fair will open on T. G. Masaryk Avenue. After the opening concert, which will take place on Thursday, 3 September 2026, in the cultural hall of Hotel Imperial, where the festival is traditionally opened by the highest representatives of the City of Karlovy Vary and the Karlovy Vary Region, several concerts by festival participants are planned in the surroundings of Karlovy Vary. Thursday’s programme will also include the Slovak Celebration, organised by the Association of Slovaks Living in Bohemia.

Friday’s programme will begin with the morning educational concert for schools, The World Dances, in the Grand Hall of Hotel Thermal, and will culminate in an afternoon concert inviting audiences to enjoy the festival in its full scope. The day will conclude with a Folklore Party, dedicated to a friendly gathering of all Czech and international ensembles. From Friday to Sunday, the stage on T. G. Masaryk Avenue will come alive with concerts by folk music groups and ensembles.

A rich programme is prepared for Saturday. In addition to the colonnade and promenade concerts and the concerts mentioned above, visitors will also have the opportunity to see an exhibition of historic vehicles in front of Hotel Thermal. One of the opportunities to dance together with the ensembles will be offered during dance workshops near the stage on T. G. Masaryk Avenue, where folk music groups will also perform. These concerts will continue on Sunday morning. On Saturday afternoon, a concert of folk music groups will also take place at the Karlovy Vary Museum, accompanied by a lecture by Mgr. Eva Hanková.

The Saturday programme will be further enriched by a parade of performers through the spa town. The highlight of the festival day will be the evening Gala Programme in the Grand Hall of Hotel Thermal, where the participating ensembles will present themselves in short and dynamic performances.

Sunday’s programme will open with a gathering of all performers for a joint Toast by the Springs at the Market Colonnade. Afterwards, musicians and dancers will move to the springs and to T. G. Masaryk Avenue, singing for passers-by during their morning spa walk. This will be followed directly at 2:30 p.m. by the traditional ensemble concert at Poštovní dvůr, where the festival will be ceremonially concluded and where visitors will also be able to dance to the accompaniment of folk music groups.

From Wednesday, 2 September 2026, the festival will be accompanied by the Folk Crafts Fair on T. G. Masaryk Avenue and in Smetana Park. The ensembles will also perform as part of the accompanying programme of the Porcelain Festival.

This year, the Karlovy Vary Folklore Festival will welcome international ensembles from Crete, Kyrgyzstan, Slovakia and Germany, as well as a Japanese folk music group. From the Czech Republic, the festival will host the ensemble Jarošovci from Mělník, the Mrákov Ethnographic Ensemble from the Chodsko region, Nisanka from Jablonec, the folk music group Vinohrad from Znojmo, Krušnohor from Chomutov, Marjánek from Mariánské Lázně, and Stázka from Teplá. In total, around 300 performers will take part.

During the festival, the ensembles will give approximately 46 performances and concerts as part of the colonnade and promenade programme.