Olomouc cheese festival: for the eighth time in the centre of Olomouc

Dozens of vendors and regional restaurants will offer specialties in all kinds of ways. Top chefs will show off their skills in a culinary show and there will also be a rich cultural programme on two stages. This year’s edition also promises several novelties.

Tvarůžky cheese everywhere you look

Every year at the Olomouc cheese festival you can taste tvarůžky cheese in hot and cold cuisine, savoury and sweet, fresh and pickled. For example, in the form of burgers, pancakes, pizza, but also various dips and spreads. And of course there are also cheese desserts. “This year’s interest in sales at the Olomouc cheese festival was the biggest since the beginning of the event. Nearly 80 vendors will offer their cheese specialties, including well-known restaurants from Olomouc and the surrounding area,” said Karin Vykydalová, head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Olomouc City Hall. She added that in addition to the stalls with tvarůžky cheese specialities, the festival will traditionally also include a fair with regional products from nearly forty producers who hold the Haná Regional Product® label. This year, one of Olomouc’s partner cities, Pécs, Hungary, will be among the vendors for the first time. At their stand you will be able to taste a variety of Hungarian specialities, not only cheese.

A rich programme on two squares and several novelties

The stage at Upper Square will be the venue for popular cooking shows on both days of the festival, where top chefs from local restaurants will present their original cheee dishes. Last year’s Tvarůžek Cheese King Michal Duračka from the Asado grill restaurant will also be cooking. Saturday will be closed by a concert of Petr Vondráček and his band Lokomotiva, and the Sunday finale of the festival will be provided by Anna K. “Cymbal bands and singer Zbyněk Drda, finalist of SuperStar and the 2007 Czech Nightingale Jumper of the Year, will also perform. We are also preparing a lecture on nutrition and healthy eating by Kateřina Cajthamlová, a well-known doctor, internist and psychotherapist,” invited Lucie Rozbořilová from the department of social events organisation.

The Lower Square will traditionally offer a programme for families with children. New this year will be a family zone where children can play among the straw bales. There will also be the popular children’s workshops, picture sanding and face painting.

Another new feature this year will be a large painting wall in the area between the two squares, which will be used for collaborative painting during both days of the festival.

“The Olomouc cheese festival has been an integral part of Olomouc’s cultural calendar for eight years. During this time it has built up a wide base of die-hard fans who come here regularly, and year after year it gains more enthusiastic visitors. And not only from the Czech Republic, but also from abroad. Maintaining its level and at the same time coming up with something new every year is a big commitment for the city of Olomouc,” said Deputy Mayor Viktor Tichák.

Gifts in festival colours

“Tvarglšop”, a stand with souvenirs, will again offer cheerful T-shirts and funny children’s items. You will be able to taste the original cheese praline, which will have another new flavour this year. And the gift items in the colours of the Olomouc tvarůžky festival will grow with more practical gifts for the kitchen. “This year, visitors will be able to buy a set of kitchen aprons and gloves in the same spirit as the cookbook or practical bowls for cheese specialities,” said Lucie Bartovská, head of the Tourism and Information Centre, adding that new tourist cards are also being prepared for collectors.

Competition for those who arrive by train

In cooperation with the company A.W. spol. s r.o., the producer of Olomouc tvarůžky cheese, a new competition has also been created this year for all those who come to the Olomouc cheese festival by train. “All you have to do is hide your ticket, show it in the “Tvarglšop” and fill in the draw ticket. One lucky winner will receive shopping vouchers worth a total of CZK 3,600, which he or she will be able to redeem for one year at any Olomoucké tvarůžky cheese shop in Olomouc, Ostrava or Brno,” Vykydalová explained. The other seven winners can look forward to a voucher to the Asado grill restaurant, a package of regional products and small prizes themed around the tvarůžky festival. The draw will take place on Sunday before the final concert of Anna K.