Wianki is one of Kraków’s great Summer festivals of music and fun, to celebrate the pagan tradition, popular in slavic countries, of weaving flower head garlands or wreaths (Wianki in Polish) which are worn by young women.
The flower wreaths are then placed into the Wisła river, sometimes with a candle to float away, traditionally for young men to retrieve to capture the heart of the woman launching the wreath. The sight of ladies walking around wearing the floral head wear certainly brightens up the city over Wianki weekend.
In previous years Wianki featured spectacular riverside fireworks displays, however for the sake of animal welfare and environmental awareness, the fireworks no longer form part of the event. Instead the focus is on music, nature, flowers, water, science and all round family fun.
This year’s event will celebrate the Year of Wisława Szymborska and the Year of Nicolaus Copernicus.
Head to Powisle, Wesola, Planty to join the activities, and then on Sunday there is a dawn concert at 4am at Park Jordana.
KBF have prepared a summary of the Wianki Picnic, in English, along with an English summary (below) of the main Wianki events:
Wianki (Wreaths) in Krakow. Celebrate the arrival of summer with us!
24 June 2023 – Powiśle – Planty – Wesoła – Jordan Park
When Krakow’s streets begin to resound with the sounds of music, bustle with passers-by and fill up with flowers, it is a sign that the longest days of the year have arrived! Open-air concerts, street music, a competition for the most beautiful garland, a picnic for families…
This is how we have been welcoming the arrival of summer in Krakow for years. The Wianki Festival in Krakow starts on 24 June!
Wianki is all about music! This year on the main stage in Powiśle they will play:
– Dina Jashari with her band Drugari – an artist from North Macedonia, singer and songwriter. Emotional lyrics, modern and fresh beats, yet subtle melodies are the elements that distinguish her music. She is among the nine artists who have qualified for the next stage of the HEMI Music Awards 2023.
– Kasia Lins is a singer, pianist, composer and songwriter. Her music, concerts and videos are
characterised by a sultry atmosphere and a cinematic feel. In 2020, she released the highly acclaimed album Moja wina. As part of the Wianki festival in Krakow, in addition to her existing material, she will present singles from her forthcoming third album, scheduled for release this autumn.
– Piotr Zioła – an artist who unexpectedly disappeared from the scene after a successful debut in 2016. His latest album Wariat takes us on a journey through which we discover what has been going on with him over the past few years. Each track subtly describes experiences from this period.
– Miuosh – actually Miłosz Borycki, a rapper who has been breaking the schemes of thinking about hip-hop music for more than a dozen years, gathering loyal fans not only among lovers of the genre. On 24 June, he will perform acoustically in Powiśle with guest appearances by Piotr Zioła and Julia Pietrucha.
Programme Wianki 2023
Saturday, 24th June
11:00-16:00: Science and nature picnic (polanka on Wesoła Street, Śniadeckich Street)
What awaits you? Astronomical experiments and workshops, fun and curiosities, watching meteorites and observing celestial bodies, a mobile planetarium and a 5-meter model of the Sun, as well as searching for a fern flower, sensory workshops and a fun zone.
14:00: Competition for the most beautiful wreath
The competition takes place from 14:00 to 16:00 on Bulwar Czerwieński (Powiśle 11). The competition jury will deliberate between 16:00 and 17:00. The award ceremony will take place on the stage at Powiśle 11 at 17:40 – 18:00.
14:00: Wianki Wreath weaving – workshops
In these locations we will weave wreaths (14.00-16.00)
1: Demarczyk Square (by the Żeleński monument)
2: Skrzyneckiego Square (by the Grażyna monument)
3: Square by the church of St. Kazimierz (near the Palace of Art)
4:00 pm: Street Granie
At 4:00 pm concerts of local artists will begin on the streets of Krakow. You will be able to listen to them in as many as four places.
Gazebo in Planty:
16:00 | Erin Jolie
17:00 | Owczarek/Łoboda Duo
18:00 | Werusha
Ewa Demarczyk Square
16:00 | Marimbazzi Duo
Square at the church of St. Kazimierz (near the Palace of Art)
16:00 | Ad Libitum
Piotr Skrzynecki Square
17:00 | Luftbones
17:00: Dina Jashari & Drugari (stage Powiśle)
North Macedonian artist, singer and songwriter. Emotional lyrics, modern and fresh beats, and at the same time subtle melodies are the elements that distinguish her music. She is one of nine artists who qualified for the HEMI MUSIC AWARD 2023 competition. At Wianki she will play with the band Drugari.
18:00: Kasia Lins (stage Powiśle)
Singer, pianist, composer and songwriter. Her music, concerts and clips are characterised by a stuffy atmosphere and cinematographic mood. In 2020, she released the very well received album My Fault . As part of the Wianki festival in Krakow, in addition to the previous material, he will present singles from the upcoming third album, which is scheduled for release in autumn this year.
19:00: Piotr Zioła (stage Powiśle)
An artist who, after a successful debut in 2016, unexpectedly disappeared from the stage. His latest album Wariat takes us on a journey, thanks to which we discover what has been going on with him over the last few years. Each of the songs subtly describes the experiences of that period.
20:30: Miuosh (stage Powiśle)
Actually Miłosz Borycki, a rapper who has been breaking patterns of thinking about hip-hop music for several years, gathering loyal fans not only among fans of the genre. On June 24, he will perform acoustically in Powiśle with guest appearances by Piotr Zioła, Julia Pietrucha and Marek Dyjak.
22:00: Wianki na Pocztcie – afterparty
For the second time, the Meeting Club of Poczta Główna will host the Wianki afterparty! We invite you right after the end of the concerts in Powiśle, to continue the dance fun and welcome summer together! On this special night, we will be carried away by the COCO SALAD duo, who will present the best mix of disco, house and funk rhythms.
AfterParty Tickets: FREE until 23:00, then PLN 10
Party 18+
Sunday, 25th June 2023
04:00: Dawn concert. EtnoKraków/Crossroads XXV years | prologue (Jordan Park)
A concert of Lithuanian, Ukrainian and Polish songs from the Green Forest and Wielkopolska, referring to the symbolism of fire, water, carp and Midsummer traditions, will open this year’s 25th edition of the EtnoKraków/Crossroads festival. This extraordinary vocal, acoustic event – without wires, electricity or speakers – will start at sunrise on June 25 at 4 am. They will sing: Ola Bilińska & the Kriščiūnaitė sisters (Poland/Lithuania), Joanna Słowińska with the Dola group, Śpiewu Czasa band and Iryna Klymenko & Babsky Kozachok (Ukraine).
Michael Łyczek, the Deputy Programme Director of KBF introduces Wianki 2023
More information can be found at the links below.
Wianki 2023 official page on kbf:
Wianki 2023 on www.krakow.pl
Wianki – Changes to public transport
Wianki Programme English – pdf (google translated)
Wianki Programme Polish- pdf download
Wianki – Facebook Event
Wianki Picnic – Facebook Event
Wianki AfterParty – Facebook Event
Wianki Dawn Concert – Facebook Event
Wianki w Krakowie – Facebook
WHO ARE KBF?
Kraków Festival Office, KBF (Krakowskie Biuro Festiwalowe) are the amazing people behind so many great festivals in Kraków, mostly, but not only related to music, literature and film, they also do a number of other activities and cooperate in the field of arts and culture.
Kraków Expats Directory, recently became a partner of KBF, we plan to develop our cooperation to inform about cultural events and integrate cultures in our magical city.
Look out for more cultural content in the future in cooperation with our new partners KBF.
We are preparing a more detailed article on KBF, but in the meantime, we took the opportunity to ask Micheal to explain their activities.
You can also find out more on our KBF Listing.
A Scot in Kraków. The founder and editor of Kraków Expats Directory, and our sister sites Kraków TV and Kraków Stories Podcast.
David fell in love with Kraków 24 years ago, making it his home in 2011.
In 2020 he was awarded the title of Kraków’s Ambassador of Multiculturalism, by the President of Kraków, and is also a member of the GlobalScot network, representing Scottish culture and business abroad.
We’re always looking for interesting stories, events, characters or groups to feature. Likewise, if you’d like to join us, as a contributor, please get in touch.
