This old-time folk festival, which is held on Whit Sunday in Vlčnov, has a tradition going back more than 200 years. Like the Carnival parades in Hlinecko, it has been registered in the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The culmination of the celebration is the procession of the king and his entourage on adorned horses, which passes through the entire village.
This is an original initiation ceremony in which eighteen-year-old boys are welcomed among the adult population of the village. Each of them serves in the royal entourage only once in his life, and the king is a small boy aged 10-12, dressed in girl’s clothing. The Ride of the Kings is accompanied by performances of folklore ensembles, concerts of wind and dulcimer music, wine testing, a crafts fair and exhibition. Before the Second World War, the Ride of the Kings was held in almost every village in Slovácko. In addition to Vlčnov, this tradition is still preserved in Hluk, Kunovice and Skoronice.
