This year’s innovations at the St. Matthew’s Fair will please both adrenalin freaks and families with children

This year’s innovations at the St. Matthew’s Fair will please both adrenalin freaks and families with children

St. Matthew’s Fair (Matějská pouť in Czech) – the traditional showcase of hundreds of attractions and stands, luring thousands of Prague citizens at the beginning of spring – started the last February weekend. What kind of innovations can you look forward to?

St. Matthew’s Fair will take place at the Prague Exhibition Grounds in Holešovice until 22 April 2019. The innovations include farmers’ markets offering craft products and traditional food, an Italian roller-coaster, adrenalin attractions from the Netherlands, and a paintball shooting gallery.

New adrenalin blockbusters

For thick-skinned visitors, St. Matthew’s Fair has prepared the super crazy attractions Top Scan and Techno Power. The first one has a star shape and rotates with the visitors in all directions in high speed – you will be looking for terra firma for a long time after you get off. Techno Power will enable real adrenalin freaks to experience 2G-force.

Tips for families with children

However, you won’t find the cult roller-coaster, remembered by both parents and grandparents, at St. Matthew’s Fair this year. After the contract termination, the organisers replaced it with three more modern roller-coasters and the Super Mouse ride which is popular with children.

Besides classic merry-go-rounds, bumper cars and other rides, children can have fun on a paintball shooting gallery or look around from two huge (28m and 33m) Ferris wheels.

Children who love cartoons can have a rest from the fair merrymaking at the exhibition of the Pixar studio at the Exhibition Grounds that presents sketches, drawings and models from films such as Toy Story, Cars or Ratatouille.

Farmers’ markets for the first time

The lower part of the Prague Exhibition Grounds will be house farmers’ markets for the first time this year. They will be open from Friday to Sunday and on holidays. The sellers will offer home-made cheese, candles, candlesticks, bracelets, and other hand-crafted products.

When and how can you get to St. Matthew’s Fair?

To get to the fair, you can take several tram lines from the Nádraží Holešovice red metro station. Cars can be parked next to the nearby swimming pool. Be careful, the fair is closed on Mondays, except for holidays. On weekdays, the fair is open from 2 PM to 9 PM and the entrance is free. At the weekends and on holidays, you can visit the fair from 10 AM to 10 PM, and the ticket costs CZK 30 (you buy one in advance via Ticketportal). Prices of the attractions rank from CZK 70 to 150.