WeDiscoverCities during summer holidays

Did you know that the residents of Kraków first heard the Royal Sigismund Bell 500 years ago, on 13 July, and on 29 July, exactly 528 years ago, Łódź was granted municipal rights? Do you know Wrocław, the City of a Hundred Bridges, where you can also find hundreds of dwarves? You can learn this and a lot of other interesting information by visiting Our Cities. #WeDiscoverCities! For the first time or anew.

Concerts, festivals, City Days, and many other cultural and tourist events are organised by the Cities of the Union of Polish Metropolises. This is an excellent opportunity to visit Białystok, Bydgoszcz, or Gdańsk during your summer holidays. Or to go to Katowice, Kraków or Lublin. Or spend a weekend in Łódź, Poznań, or Rzeszów. Or to see the parade of sailing ships in Szczecin, visit Wrocław, or drop by on Warsaw. 

You will certainly find something you will enjoy in the Cities during the summer holidays. Below you can find just a few of the many events to be held for the locals and tourists alike.

13 July will mark the 500th anniversary of the residents of Kraków hearing the Royal Sigismund Bell for the first time

This huge bell was cast in Kraków in 1520 by the Nuremberg bell founder Hans Behem. It was hanged on an old fortified tower of the Royal Castle, built specifically for this purpose on the Wawel Hill. The bell was funded by Sigismund I the Old, who believed its purpose was to “toll not only for Lord God Almighty, but also for the praise of the House of Jagiellon and the Kingdom of Poland.” Over the years it has been elevated to one of the primary national symbols. Clearly, Sigismund is the king of Polish bells and the master of Polish hearts. To celebrate this jubilee, Kraków will have a host of events from 9 to 13 July. The celebrations will culminate with the Sigismund Parade, which will march from the Barbican, along Floriańska Street, and past the Main Square to the Wawel Royal Castle.

Historically dressed actors, dancers and musicians will make sure Krakowians and visitors to the city can enjoy the festive atmosphere. The chief “participant” in the parade will be the unique replica of the Sigismund bell. It will be showcased at a number of locations across the city throughout the summer. The Royal Wawel Castle will exhibit Jan Matejko’s painting entitled “The Hanging of the Sigismund Bell”. The painting will be brought to Krakow from the National Museum in Warsaw specifically to mark this occasion. The Wawel Cathedral will host open tours, there will be concerts and multimedia shows. Kraków is the place to be for a jubilee!

The 31st edition of Malta Festival Poznań will be guided by the “Back to the Ground” theme.

“We are leaving the virtual spaces of the pandemic months to get back among people and experience art live, in urban spaces, outdoors, and in comfortable theatre chairs. We are also back with our international programme, which we had to cancel last year due to the pandemic”, says the announcement on the Poznań festival's website. 

The 27th Jazz na Starówce Festival is due to start on 3 July in Warsaw.

This is the only outdoor jazz festival in Poland addressed to broad audiences and at no charge. The concerts will be held for the two summer months, on each Saturday of July and August, featuring jazz legends, international and Polish stars, as well as jazz premières and revelations. Jazz na Starówce has been Warsaw’s artistic and tourist showcase for many years. Throughout its 26 years in existence, it has amassed an impressive audience of almost a million. A single edition of the Festival can bring together an about 40 thousand-strong audience of different ages.

A family outdoor event in the heart of Szczecin

The end of July will see the three-day-long finale of the two-stage Baltic Regatta. In addition to sailing and the magnificent vessels moored along Szczecin’s wharfs, the event will feature various music performances and variety fairs, amusement parks and children's, sporting and catering zones. 

The Capital of Lower Silesia... and of a summer film festival!

Enjoy the beauty of diversity in cinema with the 21st International New Horizons Film Festival! The event will be held in Wrocław between 12 and 22 August in theatres, and until 29 August online. The programme includes Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Toronto hits, as well as some indie gems not to be seen anywhere else. Suffice it to say this is one of the most frequented festivals in Poland, and one of the most popular such events in this part of Europe!

Lublin Legends Festival

On the last weekend of August, Lublin’s Old Town will become a legendary space to tell stories about the city. Lublin's residents and tourists will have four days to take part in Festival events such as street spectacles by Polish and Lutsk-based theatres, location-based games, tours with Inspiration Guides, creative workshops for younger audiences and artistic installations managed by actors. 

You are also cordially invited to Łódź for the International Theatre Festival Retroperspektywy 2021: Meeting / Community / Holiday, to be held between 20 and 29 August 2021 in one of Łódź’s cultural landmarks – the revitalised buildings of the Art Factory. The 2021 edition of the Festival will be themed around building artistic communities, the question of artists’ responsibility in view of the digitisation of our lives and human relations, and holiday and meeting as the ever-living, original functions of theatre.

This year will see the first Women’s Voices Bydgoszcz Festival –  a Poland-wide event, this time held on a stage in Bydgoszcz’s Myślęcinek district, featuring Poland's best female vocalists. In 2018 and 2019 concerts as part of this project were held in Poland’s major cities. For two years, the Women's Voices project visited 10 cities with a total of 13 concerts, bringing together an audience of about 14,000. Featured artists included Paulina and Natalia Przybysz, Kayah, Brodka, Kasia Nosowska, Edyta Bartosiewicz, Daria Rusowicz and the Bydgoszcz native Ania Rusowicz. This time the event will come to Bydgoszcz as the Women’s Voices Bydgoszcz Festival.

Come to Białystok for another edition of the Up To Date Festival between 3 and 5 September!

The Up To Date Festival highlights new trends in contemporary electronic music, combining it with elements of visual arts, theatre and symphonic music. The event features local, national and international artists, from established stalwarts to up-and-coming talents in the world of electronic music. As in the past editions, there will be several artist announcements on different dates before the Festival.

You also can't miss the birthday of the City of Katowice.

Katowice was granted municipal rights on 11 September 1865, and it has become its tradition to celebrate this day as its birthday. Each year, on the weekend closest to 11 September, the city organises outdoor concerts in the Culture Zone. A detailed programme has not been announced yet, but no doubt it will be interesting, colourful and diverse. This year's edition will be combined with the 50th anniversary jubilee of the legendary Spodek. 

Between 16 and 18 September Rzeszów will host Breakout Days – a well-established blues-rock fest.

This music festival came about to honour the memory of the outstanding and timeless artist Tadeusz Nalepa and the band Breakout he formed. The Festival aims to commemorate Tadeusz Nalepa and his works to cherish his memory among Poles, drawing in young artists inspired by the band Breakout. The Artistic Director for the Festival is Tadeusz’s Son – Piotr Nalepa. The event is open for a broad community, but our primary aim is to cherish and honour the works of Tadeusz Nalepa. Interdisciplinary projects – contests, concerts, seminars – will help to confront the music of the band Breakout with the modern interpretations of blues and rock. The Festival features newcomers, professional musicians and contests participants, all of whom can share their experiences.

St. Dominic’s Fair in Gdańsk to be held already for the 761st time!

The place to buy, haggle and search for treasures, with some lovely views to capture on camera. Immerse yourself in this melting pot of languages, traditions and customs. Enjoy the busy and colourful spaces at the world-famous St. Dominic’s Fair! Each year hundreds of stalls transform Gdańsk's Main City into a large marketplace for three summer weeks – a centuries-long tradition that lives on! The event is accompanied by a host of concerts, parades, shows and many other attractions. We make sure there is something for everyone here!  

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