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Beskidy Culture Week

The Beskidy Culture Week is one of the largest folklore festivals in Poland, held since 1964 at the turn of July and August. For around 10 days, stages in Wisła, Żywiec, Szczyrk, Istebna or Maków Podhalański fill with the music, dance and song of ensembles from Poland and abroad.

How the festival began

The event was born in Wisła, and its initiator was Jerzy Drozd. The organiser is the Regional Centre of Culture in Bielsko-Biała. Year by year the festival grew to include further Beskidy towns — today it also reaches Ujsoły, Bielsko-Biała and Oświęcim, and even Czech Jablunkov, where Gorolski Święto takes place as part of the festival.

What you will see and hear

Stages host ensembles presenting folk music, dance and rituals, and you can also buy local handicrafts. The festival consists of a series of events: the Festival of Polish Highlanders Folklore in Żywiec, the International Folklore Meetings in Wisła, Wawrzyńcowe Hudy in Ujsoły and the Istebna Fair in Istebna. The symbol of the event is the klepok, a traditional wooden toy.

Practical information

Concerts take place, among others, in the amphitheatre in Wisła, on the market square in Żywiec and at the Skalite stage in Szczyrk. The programme of each edition is published before the event, so it is worth checking the exact dates and venues with the organiser.