Organizer Jana Janulíková: Advent markets in Brno are top Christmas destinations
How many times has he been organizing Brno’s Christmas?
I have been organizing events every year since 2015, when I joined this company. This year, my colleagues and I have prepared the seventh year.
Who is Jana Janulíková
* She is forty-five years old.
* He lives in Tvrdonice in the Břeclav region.
* She studied musicology and film at Masaryk University in Brno.
* She also graduated in Marketing and Social Communication at Tomas Bata University in Zlín.
* In 2015, she became the director of the Brno Tourist Information Center (TIC BRNO).
* Prior to that, she worked at the National Theater in Brno and in the corporate and marketing spheres. She also works in marketing as an external lecturer at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno.
* She likes to spend her free time with her thirteen-year-old daughter. She and Brno are her heart’s business.
How long have you been preparing this event for you?
We have Christmas all year round. Literally. (laughs) The event lasts about a month. It will end just before Christmas. We charge everything and in January After that I convene the first Christmas meeting for the next year.
Are you preparing for a variant that similar actions will be canceled due to the covid pandemic, or that greater restrictions will apply?
From the beginning of the event planning, we have been consulting the current government regulations with the staff of the regional hygiene station, so that we can also present the event as safe in terms of marketing. There are gaps between the stalls at the market and disinfectants are available on site.
Do you plan to inspect police or police to make sure people comply with government regulations?
In cooperation with the police and other departments, we will warn people to follow the rules. We also plan infectivity checks for event organizers, vendors and subcontractors. to make the marketplace what we want the most secure.
Will there be food and drink stalls in the markets this year?
So far, Christmas markets are built on a combination of gastronomy and resale.
Will the number of stalls in the markets decrease?
We are planning forty-five stalls and a winter bar on Svobody Square. In the past, there were about sixty-five. We have twelve stalls in Dominican Square. There are also a smaller number of them at the Cabbage Market and other places. We didn’t want the center to be crowded. The offer will be complemented by winter restaurant gardens, which were closed last year.
Why won’t there be markets on Moravské náměstí this year?
This is due to its planned reconstruction.
Will people see the traditional lighting of a tree in Freedom Square?
No. We do not want a large number of people to accumulate in one place. We will light the tree at the opening of the markets on Friday, November 26 in the morning, as will the tree at the Cabbage Market.
Will you remember how old the tradition of the Christmas tree of the republic is?
Ninety-seven years has been an indispensable symbol of Christmas in Brno. It was first erected in Svobody Square in 1924 at the instigation of the writer Rudolf Těsnohlídek. It was the first public Christmas tree in Czech squares. This year, people there will see a thirteen-meter white man eating. Below it is the Czech Red Cross money box, where they can contribute to the healing stays of children from SOS villages and seniors.
Are there any news waiting for the event visitors?
The biggest novelty is the design market in the courtyard of the Old Town Hall with six stalls and a smaller cultural program. It is exclusively about local fashion designers, jewelers and production clothes, various accessories. Various workshops and a winter cinema in the Yalta Palace are prepared for children on Dominican Square so that they are not cold. A technical novelty are vending machines that speed up the return of packaging. There is no one else in the Czech Republic yet.
What is hidden under the nickname ecological Brno Christmas?
We have introduced a returnable packaging system. The sellers will pour various drinks into plastic cups or ceramic mugs. You can return at two vending machines on Svobody Square and Zelní trh. You will not receive cash, but you will receive a voucher.
Will we see a knitted red and white pattern on Christmas souvenirs again this year?
Yes. Red is the color of the city of Brno. Knit patterns then refer to its successful textile past. We created twenty-nine different Christmas mugs. The same number as the boroughs. The same visual style is on pancakes, chocolates, socks or a special edition of astronomical clock balls.
Can you believe what you like most about the event personally?
We have moved the Brno Christmas brand very high. Foreign tourists also come here. In the market, we mainly invite local sellers and artists, where people can find goods that you would not normally buy. The music in the squares is no longer crowded, but calmer for the time of Advent.