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Czechoslovakia’s new-found freedom was underlined in August 1990 by a concert at Prague’s Strahov Stadium by the Rolling Stones, who became the first major Western band to perform in the country. In a now famous video message broadcast before the gig, Mick Jagger told fans – in Czech – “the Stones are rolling to Prague”. The man who taught the rock star the phrase was Jan Rubeš. A Czechoslovak TV employee in those years, he later brought shows such as Dallas and The Simpsons to the country’s TV screens. When I spoke to Rubeš, who now works in film

Celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution are taking place not only in the Czech Republic but also among Czech and Slovak communities abroad. The Czech consulate in Chicago has prepared several events highlighting the 30 years of freedom, including a showcase of photos by the award-winning photographer Karel Cudlín.

Czech President Miloš Zeman is not planning to take part in events commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which marked the end of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.

In an interview for the website Blesk, the Czech head of state said he would remember the events of November 1989 alone at home. He also said most people who would attend the events had not taken part in them 30 years ago.

Last year, angry protestors at Národní Street threw away the flowers laid to the monument at Prague’s Národní Street by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and the populist politician Tomio Okamura, as well as the wreath sent by the president.

Jan Šibík 1989, a photography exhibition now running in Prague, brings to life some of the most dramatic moments of that momentous period. Šibík, who was then in his mid-20s, succeeded in capturing the police brutality that sparked the Velvet Revolution – as well as events that foreshadowed and followed it.

A new exhibition dedicated to the late Czech president, playwright and dissident Václav Havel will open at the National Bohemian Hall in New York on Thursday, launching a series of events marking the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia.

On the occasion of the 30-year anniversary of the Velvet Revolution which led to the fall of communism in November 1989, the Czech Senate will hold three conferences, the speaker of the upper house Jaroslav Kubera told journalists on Wednesday.

These will not only focus on the Velvet Revolution, but two further events that took place during the last two months of 1989 – the canonisation of St. Agnes of Bohemia and the reestablishment of the Czech Scouts movement. According to Senate Speaker Kubera the reason behind organising the three conferences is the current relativizing of the values and heritage of November 17, 1989 and the Senate’s role as a guarantor of the constitutional order.

An exhibition marking the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution has just got underway at Prague’s Municipal House. Called Nezlomní, or The Steadfast, it showcases the work, but also personal diaries and correspondence, of 30 artists, active between the years 1919 and 1989, including Jindřich Štyrský, Toyen and Karel Nepraš. It also highlights their joint inspiration by the writings of Franz Kafka.

John Lennon’s wall in Prague, which features a wide array of thematic street art, is a popular destination for tourists and a symbolic site of Czech opposition to the communist regime. Now its surface features a whole array of new pieces. Thanks to a special event organised on the occasion of the 30 Years of Freedom, 20 artists from a multitude of countries added their artwork carrying messages of peace.

In view of the upcoming 30th anniversary of the fall of communism later this year the CTK news agency has appealed to the public to dip into their family albums and share personal photos from the days of the Velvet Revolution in 1989.

Although the CTK news agency has an extensive archive of photos documenting this milestone period in the country’s history, it wants to organize an exhibition with a broader, more personal scope showing how the public lived through the tumultuous days of the Velvet Revolution away from the big cities.

The group Post Bellum, which collects oral histories on key events in Czech history, has agreed with some 30 cities to stage events commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.

Founder and director Mikuláš Kroupa told journalists the aim is to coordinate with municipalities and other civil society group events nationwide marking the November 1989 protest that led to the collapse of communism.

Post Bellum works to increase public understanding of 20th Century history, especially among younger generations. It has collected interviews from 8,962 people so far and published tens of thousands of audio and video clips, photos and scanned documents.