Traditional festivals, month by month
Processions, historical re-enactments, fairs and festivals worth planning a trip around: the festivals from our regional guides, gathered in a single calendar.
January
No festivals listed for this month.
February
- St Valentine's festivalFebruary · Kuyavia-PomeraniaChełmno.
March
- Great Escape commemorationLate March · LubuszŻagań, at the prisoner-of-war camps museum.
- Holy Week in KalwariaHoly Week · Lesser PolandKalwaria Zebrzydowska, the Passion performed in the streets.
- Palm contestPalm Sunday · Lesser PolandLipnica Murowana.
April
- Steam Locomotive ParadeLate April or early May · Greater PolandWolsztyn.
- Holy Week in KalwariaHoly Week · Lesser PolandKalwaria Zebrzydowska, the Passion performed in the streets.
- Palm contestPalm Sunday · Lesser PolandLipnica Murowana.
May
- Hajnowskie Dni Muzyki CerkiewnejMay · PodlaskieHajnówka and Białystok, festival of Orthodox sacred music.
- Steam Locomotive ParadeLate April or early May · Greater PolandWolsztyn.
- Chopin concerts in ŁazienkiMay-September · MasoviaWarsaw, every Sunday at 12 noon and 4 pm.
- Night of MuseumsMid-May · MasoviaWarsaw, museums open late into the night.
- Corpus ChristiMay or June · Łódź ProvinceŁowicz, procession in costume.
- Azalea FestivalMay · Opole ProvinceMoszna.
- LajkonikThursday after Corpus Christi · Lesser PolandKraków, a Tatar horseman dances through the streets.
- Łańcut Music FestivalMay · SubcarpathiaŁańcut, concerts in the castle.
June
- Organ music festivalSummer · West PomeraniaKamień Pomorski.
- Days of the SeaJune · West PomeraniaSzczecin.
- Organ music festivalSummer · Warmia-MasuriaŚwięta Lipka and Frombork.
- Podlaska Oktawa KulturJune · PodlaskieBiałystok, festival of borderland cultures.
- Pol'and'Rock festivalSummer · LubuszHeld for years at Kostrzyn on the Oder.
- Malta FestivalJune · Greater PolandPoznań, theatre and music.
- Lednica youth meetingEarly June · Greater PolandLednica, a large religious youth gathering.
- Chopin concerts in ŁazienkiMay-September · MasoviaWarsaw, every Sunday at 12 noon and 4 pm.
- Good Food and Wine FestivalJune · Lower SilesiaWrocław.
- Corpus ChristiMay or June · Łódź ProvinceŁowicz, procession in costume.
- Festival of Polish SongJune · Opole ProvinceOpole.
- Festival of Flowers and ArtJune · Opole ProvinceOtmuchów.
- Night of CulturesEarly June · Lublin ProvinceLublin.
- Festival of Folk Bands and SingersLate June · Lublin ProvinceKazimierz Dolny.
- LajkonikThursday after Corpus Christi · Lesser PolandKraków, a Tatar horseman dances through the streets.
- Jewish Culture FestivalLate June-early July · Lesser PolandKazimierz, Kraków.
- Bieg RzeźnikaJune · SubcarpathiaMountain ultramarathon from Komańcza to Ustrzyki Górne.
July
- Organ music festivalSummer · West PomeraniaKamień Pomorski.
- St Dominic's FairLate July to mid-August · PomeraniaGdańsk, a fair held since 1260.
- Siege of MalborkJuly · PomeraniaMalbork, historical re-enactment at the castle.
- Open'er FestivalEarly July · PomeraniaGdynia, one of Europe's big music festivals.
- Battle of GrunwaldMid-July · Warmia-MasuriaGrunwald, the great historical re-enactment.
- Organ music festivalSummer · Warmia-MasuriaŚwięta Lipka and Frombork.
- Szanty w GiżyckuLate July · Warmia-MasuriaGiżycko, sea shanty festival on the lake.
- Suwałki Blues FestivalJuly · PodlaskieSuwałki.
- Lubuskie Lato FilmoweJuly · LubuszŁagów, film festival.
- Pol'and'Rock festivalSummer · LubuszHeld for years at Kostrzyn on the Oder.
- Knights' tournamentJuly · Kuyavia-PomeraniaGolub-Dobrzyń.
- Chopin concerts in ŁazienkiMay-September · MasoviaWarsaw, every Sunday at 12 noon and 4 pm.
- City birthdayLate July · Łódź ProvinceŁódź.
- Feast of St AnneLate July · Opole ProvinceGóra Świętej Anny.
- Carnaval SztukmistrzówLate July · Lublin ProvinceLublin, festival of circus and street art.
- Jewish Culture FestivalLate June-early July · Lesser PolandKazimierz, Kraków.
- Lemko Festival (Watra)July · SubcarpathiaZdynia, just across the border in Lesser Poland, a great gathering of Lemko culture.
August
- Festival of Slavs and VikingsEarly August · West PomeraniaWolin.
- Organ music festivalSummer · West PomeraniaKamień Pomorski.
- St Dominic's FairLate July to mid-August · PomeraniaGdańsk, a fair held since 1260.
- Sopot FestivalAugust · PomeraniaSopot, the song festival at the Forest Opera.
- Organ music festivalSummer · Warmia-MasuriaŚwięta Lipka and Frombork.
- Piknik CountryAugust · Warmia-MasuriaMrągowo, the country music festival founded in 1983.
- Feast of the Transfiguration18–19 August · PodlaskieGrabarka, Orthodox pilgrimage.
- Pol'and'Rock festivalSummer · LubuszHeld for years at Kostrzyn on the Oder.
- SkywayAugust · Kuyavia-PomeraniaToruń, festival of light.
- Chopin concerts in ŁazienkiMay-September · MasoviaWarsaw, every Sunday at 12 noon and 4 pm.
- Anniversary of the Uprising1 August · MasoviaWarsaw, at 5 pm the city stops and the sirens sound.
- Chopin FestivalAugust · Lower SilesiaDuszniki-Zdrój, the oldest piano festival in the world.
- Pottery FestivalAugust · Lower SilesiaBolesławiec.
- Festival of Ancient MetallurgyAugust · ŚwiętokrzyskieNowa Słupia.
- Jarmark JagiellońskiAugust · Lublin ProvinceLublin, traditional crafts fair.
- Assumption pilgrimage15 August · SilesiaJasna Góra, Częstochowa.
- Off FestivalEarly August · SilesiaKatowice, alternative music.
- Beskid Culture WeekEarly August · SilesiaWisła and other towns, folk groups from all over the world.
- International Festival of Highland FolkloreLate August · Lesser PolandZakopane, folk groups from mountain regions all over the world.
- Kalwaria Pacławska pilgrimageAugust · SubcarpathiaKalwaria Pacławska.
September
- Grape-harvest festivalSeptember · LubuszZielona Góra.
- Chopin in Autumn ColoursSeptember · Greater PolandAntonin.
- Archaeological festivalSeptember · Kuyavia-PomeraniaBiskupin.
- Chopin concerts in ŁazienkiMay-September · MasoviaWarsaw, every Sunday at 12 noon and 4 pm.
- Warsaw Autumn FestivalSeptember · MasoviaWarsaw, contemporary music since 1956.
- Wratislavia CantansSeptember · Lower SilesiaWrocław, oratorio music festival.
- Light Move FestivalSeptember · Łódź ProvinceŁódź, festival of light.
- Beethoven FestivalSeptember · Opole ProvinceGłogówek.
- Grape harvestSeptember · ŚwiętokrzyskieSandomierz and around.
- Festival of the Land of Three CulturesSeptember · Lublin ProvinceWłodawa.
October
No festivals listed for this month.
November
- Christmas marketLate November-December · PomeraniaGdańsk, Coal Market square.
- St Martin's Day11 November · Greater PolandPoznań, the festival of St Martin's Street and Independence Day.
- Camerimage film festivalNovember · Kuyavia-PomeraniaToruń, devoted to cinematographers.
- All Saints' Day1 November · MasoviaCemeteries lit by thousands of candles, in Powązki and everywhere.
- Christmas marketLate November-December · Lower SilesiaWrocław, Market Square.
December
- Christmas marketLate November-December · PomeraniaGdańsk, Coal Market square.
- Christmas marketLate November-December · Lower SilesiaWrocław, Market Square.
- Barbórka4 December · SilesiaThe feast of St Barbara, patron saint of miners, throughout Upper Silesia.
- Kraków Nativity Scene ContestEarly December · Lesser PolandThe szopki, colourful nativity scenes shaped like churches, in the Market Square.
The dates of festivals tied to Easter, Carnival and Corpus Christi change every year: you'll find them under the months in which they usually fall. Always check programmes and exact dates on the websites of the town councils and the organising associations.