Warsaw Events

Easter Sunday

Easter is a huge celebration in this overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country and is celebrated all over Poland. In Warsaw, the day is marked by religious services that are attended by young and old alike. It is a particularly popular festival where children decorate traditional eggs and bring them to Mass to have them blessed. Afterward families traditionally go home to a brunch or early lunch on dishes and delicacies denied during Lent.

Date: 04 April 2021 - 04 April 2021
Venue: Various locations in Warsaw.
Cost:

Free.

Constitution Day

3 May is Constitution Day in Poland and marks the ratification of the Polish Constitution on this day in 1791. However, the constitution was to last for just a year as Poland was partitioned by invading forces who effectively disbanded the country, dividing it between Russia, Prussia and Habsburg, Austria. And it was not until November 1918 that Poland regained its independence. To this day, 3 May is an important civic holiday that is recognised throughout the country and is marked with patriotic parades and festivities in the capital.

Date: 03 May 2021 - 03 May 2021
Venue: Various locations in Warsaw.
Cost:

Free.

Anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising

Nearly 200,000 people lost their lives in the fight against Nazi occupation during the Warsaw Uprising of 1 August 1944, which is one of the most important events in modern Polish history. Each year, Poles all over the world remember the event and the heroic men and women who took part in the fighting to defend their city. The commemorations in Warsaw include a special ceremony at the Warsaw Uprising Museum and the city comes to a standstill for a minute's silence to remember the dead.

Date: 01 August 2021 - 01 August 2021
Venue: Various venues, including the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
Website: http://www.1944.pl
Cost:

Free.

Chopin and His Europe

This two-week festival of orchestral and chamber music focuses not just on the great Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin but usually on the works of one or two other European composers as well such as Bach, Schumann and/or Beethoven. It is organised by the Fryderyk Chopin National Institute (Narodowy Instytut Fryderyka Chopina) and held at various venues throughout the city, including the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall.

Date: 01 August 2021 - 31 August 2021
(Date to be confirmed)
Venue: Various concert halls in Warsaw.
Website: http://en.chopin.nifc.pl/festival
Cost:

Various.

Warsaw International Film Festival

Though not yet on the same level as Berlin and Cannes, the Warsaw International Film Festival offers a packed programme of art house film premieres, lectures and screen-writing workshops. Along with an array of cash prizes awarded annually, the festival also features an audience prize.

Date: 08 October 2021 - 17 October 2021
Venue: Cinemas across Warsaw.
Website: http://www.wff.pl
Cost:

Various.

New Year's Eve (Sylwester)

Celebrated all over Poland but particularly in the bigger towns and cities, New Year's Eve is a great time to be in Warsaw. Many people throng into the Old Town Square close to the Vistula River for a spectacular fireworks display. Most restaurants, theatres, clubs and bars hold some kind of event on New Year's Eve and those that want to keep on partying after the stroke of midnight have no shortage of options to choose from.

Date: 31 December 2021 - 31 December 2021
Venue: Old town square, Vistula riverbanks and various other venues and locations throughout the city.
Cost:

Free.