Kids at the festival
Keeping your kids entertained can sometimes be difficult, which is why we also have the youngest film fans and their parents in mind.
Practical information – child-minding services and children’s play corners
- Need a babysitter? Whether you’re going to see a film or out for a romantic dinner, we will gladly look after your offspring from age 1.5 to 12 at the Kids’ Center. The maximum capacity is 6 children at a time, and we will look after each child for up to 3 hours. Operating hours of the Kids’ Center:
28 June noon – 8pm
29 June – 6 July 8.45am – 8pm
Price: CZK 100 for the first hour; CZK 70 for every additional hour. The Kids’ Center ensures your child gets enough to drink, but for longer stays please don’t forget to pack a snack.
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New this year, professional child-minding services are provided by Bestnanny. In view of limited availability, please reserve dates and times as soon as possible.
- If you’re looking to relax or to have a bite to eat, stop by the Rohlík Park. Besides refreshing drinks and food made with farm-fresh ingredients, this year Rohlík offers an even larger Rohlíček Zone, where you will find a fully-equipped diaper-changing and nursing station and a food corner with a microwave and a bottle warmer/sterilizer. And of course lots of toys and babysitting so that you can spend some time by yourselves.
Things to do at the festival with kids?
Film and theater
- • Pragueshorts for Kids presents six short animated films: Battery Mommy,
Pond,
To Be Sisters,
Luce and the Rock,
Dormouse,
Prince Ki Ki Do: Tea cup. Screenings are in Cinema B at the Hotel Thermal on 30 June and 5 July at 9am.
- Fairy-tale theater at the “Under the Bridge” Summer Stage, every day from 28 June to 7 July at 4pm. Performances last 45–50 minutes, and admission is just CZK 60.
- The children’s theater at the ORLEN Zone (T.G. Masaryka 559/1) has performances for the youngest festivalgoers (1–3 July at 1:30pm and 6 July at 2pm).
- Antonie Rašilovová presents Don’t Be Afraid, Little Mushroom!, a puppet performance for little children, at innogy Point (Mlýnská kolonáda) on Sunday 30 June and Monday 1 July. The performances are followed by a children’s puppet workshop. Performance times HERE.
Sports and entertainment
- On Saturday 29 June and Wednesday 3 July at 3pm, don’t miss the captivating soap bubble show at the ORLEN Zone (T.G. Masaryka Street). Our bubble artist has put together a combination of the best and most popular tricks for the audience. Children can enjoy bubbles of all shapes and sizes. And on Sunday, come down for the magical Pan Kravata (Mr. Necktie) and his magic and balloon show (1:30 and 3pm).
- Children of all ages are invited to the innogy Point for always-popular face painting (30 June and 1 July).
- At KVIFF.TV Park next to the Hotel Thermal, you can pretend you’re a hockey forward and try your hand at shooting on goal at the CCM hockey shooting range. Every day from 11am to 8pm.
- The ORLEN Zone comes alive with sports and contests. Older children are sure to enjoy thrilling moments from the latest Formula One races and can learn all about Czech racing and hockey.
- The game zone in the Vodafone Zone (Dvořák Park) is open every day from 10am to 8pm.
- Fun educational programmes await parents and children at the Profimed pop-up store on Stará Louka.
- You’ll find our popular photo booths at the Hotel Thermal (festival photo walls, the Právo photo booth, and the Reflex magazine photo booth), or stop by the seznam.cz Interactive Star Corner at the Thermal Spring Colonnade (Vřídelní kolonáda).
- There is nothing children love more than swimming in summer. In Karlovy Vary, one place where they can enjoy a swim is the renovated Hotel Thermal swimming pool. And while children enjoy frolicking in the water, their parents will surely appreciate the professionally run saunas.
Science & technology
- The ORLEN Zone (T.G. Masaryka 559/1) will host an educational chemistry show, A Wonderful Day with Chemistry. Come with your kids on 1 and 2 July starting at 3pm.
- ČEZ Group’s ReakTour is the world’s first virtual tour of nuclear power plants. Every day from 10am to 8pm, you and your children can peer inside Temelín and Dukovany thanks to special virtual reality goggles that will transport you all the way to the nuclear reactor. Come and experience some of the most heavily guarded places on Earth, which ordinary mortals have no chance of seeing in person. In the Municipal Savings Bank building on Divadelní náměstí.
Czech Television House
- You’ll find the Czech Television House at its usual location on Divadelní náměstí. Here, kids can enjoy a diverse dance and art program. You’ll meet children’s show characters with whom you can take a picture at the ČT :D photo studio. Parents will also appreciate our café with a special breakfast menu. The ČT House is open from 9am to 10pm; admission is free. Every day at 6pm until Friday 5 July, the youngest children can enjoy an hour full of early evening stories. During the morning and afternoon hours, children can let loose with dancing games led by Dominik Vodička and Michal Paděvet (daily at 10am and 2pm).
Workshops
- Nová Louka is a place for anyone seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of the festival world. Come with your kids to make art while forgetting about your surroundings for a while. Workshops are held Sunday to Thursday between 11am and 2pm, and from 4pm on Friday. On Sunday, kids can make personalized notebooks, on Monday we will be making soap cars, on Tuesday participants will come up with their own t-shirt designs, and on Wednesday we will be designing and binding notebooks with Creyones. On Thursday and Friday, the space is open for collaborative and free-form art making.
Exhibitions
- Traditional Czech Crafts at the Thermal Spring Colonnade. Daily from 10am to 6pm.
Explore nature
- If all the hustle and bustle gets to be too much, you can head out into nature.
- The city’s organization responsible for forests and parks especially recommends the Saint Linhart Forest Center and the Goethe Lookout. At the Saint Linhart Forest Center, you can walk along a path lined with animal silhouettes, some of which you can see in the local enclosures. There’s also some amazing tree houses and a popular rope course. At the Goethe Lookout, you can try a zip line. On your hike up to the lookout tower, you will encounter various spooky forest beings.
- Day-trippers can make use of the cable car up to the Diana Lookout Tower, where you get a perfect view and can also check out a butterfly house and a mini-zoo. From here, it’s a beautiful walk to the Chamois Statue – the symbol of Karlovy Vary.