The paper provides an economic analysis of Czech Walpurgis “Witches’ Night” (called “Pálení čarodějnic” and held annually on the 30th of April as a very popular but unofficial holiday). The research employs the open-source intelligence (OSINT) of satellite images with the patterns of bonfires used as a proxy for celebration density over Czechia and translates them into estimated local sales and revenues. Our results reveal that Czech Walpurgis “Witches’ Night” may generate around CZK 107 million (USD 5 million) in turnover nationwide. Estimated gross operating profit reaches around CZK 44 million (USD 2 million). From the spatial point of view, the strongest commercial hotspot is not just Prague, the capital of Czechia, but especially Central Bohemia District which accounts for about USD 1.39 million in revenues. It is followed by South Moravia District with about USD 0.99 million in revenues, Moravian-Silesia with USD 0.42 million and South Bohemia with about USD 0.38 million. Nowadays, Czech Walpurgis “Witches’ Night” represents a good example how ancient rituals can be transformed into an efficient and profitable operational framework for local economies. However, even though the holiday remains highly popular in Czechia, it is likely to face profound transformation due to the sustainable economy concerns and climate change issues.
Wadim Striełkowski (Thu,) studied this question.