Summer in Poland is festival season in the broadest sense of the word. From large-scale open-air music events and riverside celebrations to niche film, fantasy and cultural festivals, the warmer months bring an almost constant rhythm of activity to cities, towns and unexpected corners of the country. Many events take place outdoors and are either free or easily accessible, combining live music, performance, tradition and contemporary culture in ways that reflect Poland’s growing confidence as a summer destination. Whether you’re planning a city break or a longer journey, the festival calendar offers an easy way to experience the country at its most social, creative and open-air.
WIANKI
First things first - We need to talk about Wianki, that is, the pagan Slavic tradition of welcoming Summer, and one that has amazingly stuck around since Poland's baptism. It corresponds with the Summer Solstice, which occurs around the 20th, 21st, or 23rd of June.
JAZZ
Polish Jazz has been above and below ground since the 1930s, and the whole time it has always had a loyal following and participation. There's a tonne of annual events spread throughout the calendar, however, the big one is Summer Jazz Days in Warsaw, running since the 1990s and remaining one of the capital's most popular events. Contrasting in size but certainly not in quality is Poznań's Enter Enea Festival, which enjoys an intimate, open-air forest setting on the shore of Lake Strzeszyńskie.
ROCK / ALTERNATIVE
Poland loves to rock out, and there's no shortage of festivals with loud, guitar-oriented bands to prove that point. Pol'and Rock near Szczecin is Europe's largest free music festival, with an attendance exceeding 400,000 every year. Nationally, Open'er is the biggest in Poland, taking place just north of Gdynia and always guaranteeing an impressive international line-up.
JEWISH CULTURE
The mid-20th Century saw Poland's once-thriving Jewish population decimated, however, what remains is celebrated with vitality and positivity every year in the Polish Summer. Krakow's Jewish Culture Festival is one of the largest festivals celebrating Jewish culture in the world, turning the city's former Jewish district, Kazimierz, into a buzzing quarter of live music, film screenings, tours, lectures, workshops, and much much more.
Elsewhere in Poland, Singer's Warsaw doubles down on the performative side of things, with international artists of jazz, pop, klezmer, cabaret, theatre, literature, visual arts and more, performing intimately indoors, on the streets, or on outdoor stages in front of large, enthusiastic crowds.
ARTISANAL / ARTS & CRAFTS
Summer fairs turn out to be an opportunity for browsing local wares, as well as all the fun in the cultural program that accompanies it. The St. Dominic's Fair (Jarmark Dominikanski) has been popping up every summer in Gdańsk since the year 1260, and is now the biggest of its kind in Europe.Getting more specialised, the Festival of High Temperatures in Wrocław adds to the Summer heat with all manner of glass making, pottery, or artistic blacksmithing.
FANTASY, CONS & COSPLAY
Poland is the home of the hugely successful Wiedźmin (The Witcher) franchise, so expect a decent slice of geek festivities in the Summer. In fact, the Pyrkon Fantasy Festival in Poznań is the largest fantasy festival in Europe, which includes 'Masquerade' - the most prestigious cosplay contest in the country!
WORLD MUSIC
Ethno Port Poznan
Globaltica
STREET THEATRE
ULICA STREET THEATRE FESTIVAL Krakow
KRAKÓW
Dragon Parade
Łódź Summer Festival
ŁÓDŹ
Good Taste Festival
Fotofestiwal
WROCŁAW
WROCŁAW GNOME FESTIVAL
POZNAŃ
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