Krakow Events and Festivals

(Krakow, Malopolskie, Poland)

Known for being home to one of the richest cycles of festivals and cultural events in Poland, Krakow is a city where there are always things to do, places to go and sights to see. For information about the latest festivals and goings on in Krakow, pay a visit to the Cultural Information Centre on the Ulica Sw Jana.

Easter time in Krakow is always a time for great celebration and some of the most popular events include the highly acclaimed passion play each Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Close by and in the city of Chorzów, the Silesian Stadium has a capacity of around 50,000 spectators and regularly hosts a series of sporting events, massive rock concerts and speedway racing, being home to Poland's national football team.

Krakow Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• World Cup Ski Jumping - mid-January, an acclaimed ski-jumping tournament, held within reach of Krakow, in the relatively nearby resort of Zakopane

February

• Festival of Sailors' Songs (Shanties) - throughout February, more than two thousand people gather at venues such as the Rotunda Cultural Centre and the Wisa Arena, to hear both modern and traditional sea shanties, together with similarly themed songs

March

• Organ Music Festival - March and April, with a rich tradition dating back some 40 years, featuring many organ recitals in churches around the city

April

• Easter Celebrations - early April, featuring religious ceremonies, parades and more, with various events based around the Wawel Cathedral (Basilica of St. Stanislaw and St. Vaclav)

May

• Krakow International Film Festival - throughout May, with short films and documentaries produced by many up-and-coming filmmakers
• Cracovia Marathon - mid-May, a popular running race with gains popularity year on year
• Juvenalia - mid-May, a student carnival, where the many students of Krakow receive symbolic keys to the city's gates. Expect to see fancy dress processions, dancing on the streets and masquerades
• Student Song Festival - mid-May, with performances staged on the Main Market Square since the 1960s

June

• Summer Opera and Operetta Festival - throughout June and July, held at the Opera and Operetta Theatre and attracting an array of worldly operatic singers
• Festival of Jewish Culture - throughout June and July, the thriving Jewish community of Krakow remembers its origins and past, with a range of celebrations at the many synagogues within the Jewish district of Kazimierz
• Lajkonik - mid-June, commemorating the city's victory of the Tartars, a notable event which took place towards the end of the 13th century and is still very much celebrated today, with costumed street parades to the Market Square

July

• International Festival of Street Theatre - throughout July, a celebration of all kinds of street entertainment, lasting a total of four days and boasting everything from tightrope walking and juggling, to stilt walking, singing and plenty of comedy acts
• Summer Jazz Festival - mid-July, showcasing the very best in modern Polish jazz and blues

August

• Summer Organ Concerts - throughout August, with performances at many of the city's more impressive churches, including St. Mary's Church, within the historic Old Market Square itself
• Music in Old Krakow (Muzyka w Starym Krakowie) - mid to late August, one of the largest events in the whole of Poland, this festival of music began in the mid-1970s and now features concerts at venues throughout the city, including sell-out performances by the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra

September

• Sacrum Profanum Festival - mid-September, classical music concerts staged at the city's Philharmonic Hall

October

• Magic Green Islands Folk Festival - mid-October, lasting three nights, with live Celtic music, folk dancing and many colourful sounds, held at the Rotunda Cultural Centre and clearly demonstrating the talents of the diverse musical community living in the city of Krakow

November

• Zaduszki Jazz Festival (All Souls Jazz Festival) - early November, a taste of jazz with a definite autumnal flavour and hosted by the CK Norwid Cultural Centre, look out for performances by favourites such as the Old Metropolitan Band
• Audio Art Festival - mid to late November, a chance to appreciate modern audio art at various venues, such as the Academy of Music and the Goethe Institute
• Krakow's Christmas Market - mid-November to late December, heralding the very start of seasonal festivities in the city and taking place around the Main Market Square of Rynek Glówny. Carol singing, hot food and dancing are just some of the many highlights that you can expect

December

• Jazz Juniors - throughout December, a event attracting young jazz artists from all over Europe, all of which must be under 25 to participate. A variety of jazz concerts take place at the Rotunda Cultural Centre during this popular three-day event
• Krakow Nativity Cribs Exhibition / Christmas Crèche Contest - December and January, showcasing local Polish talent, with art exhibitions and elaborately decorated religious cribs around the Old Town Square, later moved and judged within Krakow's Historical Museum
• Competition of Szopki - early December, based in the main square, next to the statue of Adam Mickiewicz on the very first Sunday each December