Wielkopolska is a lively and bustling region! There are many interesting events taking place almost every day. Below we gathered some of the most interesting recurring events in Wielkopolska.

Spring

Easter Market in Szreniawa – the annual Easter market at the National Museum of Agriculture is a good idea to prepare yourself for Easter. There you can buy traditional food, honey, regional spirits, hand-made decorations.

Marzanna in Jaracz – Marzanna is an old Polish tradition, associated with the end of winter and having its roots deeply in pagan beliefs. During this celebration a figure of wood and paper, symbolizing winter, which is then burnt. This celebration is recreated every year at the Museum of Mills in Jaracz .

The Days of Rhododendrons and Azaleas – on these days the Kórnik Arboretum is blooming with thousand colourful flowers. Better hurry, as the last only for a week or two.

Steam Engine Parade in Wolsztyn – at the end of April steam engines from all over the Europe arrive to Wolsztyn for an unique festival. Only there you can observe a dozen or more steam trans running there and fourth, smell engine tar and hear the whistles.

Summer

Weekend on the Piast Route – the Piast Route, a tourist trail linking all the historical places related to the earliest chapters of Polish history, also has its festival. For three days you can see historical reenactments, take part in walking tours, enter mysterious places closed on other occasions.

Slavic Culture Festival in Ląd – one of the many historical reenactment events. For a few days a small village of Ląd attracts dozens of history-lovers pretending to be medieval warriors, merchants and craftsmen.

Royal Coronation in Gniezno – that event brings you back the times of the Piast dynasty and the first royal coronation of Bolesław the Brave. More then a hundred history reenactors, tens of tents with crafts, food and drinks, medieval battles and open-air shows.

Saint John’s Market – The oldest and the largest market in Poznań, dating its traditions back to the Middle Ages. For two weeks you can stroll between numerous stands and look for food, honey, craft beer, spices but also antiques and hand-made jewelry.

The Poznań Stronghold Days – not every one knows, that for decades Poznań was one of the largest strongholds in Europe with 18 forts and over 100 other fortifications. For one weekend in August you can visit them and discover their incredible history.

Autumn

Farewell to Summer – one of the best events at the Wielkopolska Ethnographic Park in Dziekanowice. For the whole weekend the open air museum is filled with life and buzz. You can learn how farmers prepared for winter and gathered crops a hundred years ago, see how butter and bread were made in the times of our great-grandparents and buy some bio and eco food,

Musica Sacromontana – an Autumn festival to church and choral music, organized in the Holy Mountain Basilica in Gostyń. The basilica offers incredible acoustics . And hey, the admission is free!

Saint Martin’s Day Celebration – in Poznań the 11th of November is not only Poland’s Independence Day but also Saint Martin’s Day. Try the awesome St-Martin’s-Croissant, watch the colourful parade in the cite centre and join the locals at evening concerts and fireworks show.

Dziady – enter the mystical world of pre-christian beliefs. The Irish have Halloween and we have Dziady. In November, when the sun goes down over the Giecz Archeological Reserve you can watch a show, bringing back the old funeral rituals of our ancestors and learn how the imagined the afterlife.

Winter

Poznań Christmas Market – winter is comming! And guess what, it has the taste of gingerbread, the smell of mulled wine and glitters with colourful lamps. The Poznań Christmas Market offers much more: Ferris wheel, shows, Christmas carol concerts and of course the one and only Poznań Ice Festival, where the best teams from all over the world compete in an ice carving contest.

Christmas Market in Szreniawa – you’d wish to step back from the crowds in the city centre? Check out the Christmas Market at the Museum of Agriculture in Szreniawa. It’s the best place to buy some traditional food, best Polish honey, regional spirits or hand-made Christmas decorations.

Text: Jacek Cieślewicz
Update: Sep 2020