Imagine lying on the beach, the sound of the waves, the sun pleasantly warming your body, and then listening to your favorite band playing live or watching a performance. For many, seaside festivals are the main reason to travel to the Polish coast!
Every year, thousands of people from all over the country come here in the summer to combine their love for art with relaxation by the water. Don’t hesitate any longer, explore the festival offerings, book good accommodations, and hit the road.
Staying by the Baltic Sea is the perfect way to rejuvenate – the health benefits of sea air, opportunities for active recreation, and beautiful landscapes ensure you return home with new energy. Seaside festivals offer the chance to experience unforgettable moments with your favorite music or films in a natural setting, and they also provide an opportunity to explore coastal towns and villages. Can you imagine a better way to spend your vacation?
Famous Seaside Festivals
Open’er Festival in Gdynia is one of the largest and most famous music festivals in Poland. Its stage has hosted artists like Depeche Mode, Gorillaz, Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Lizzo, and many other stars. It attracts world-class artists and thousands of fans eager for the best live music. In 2023, during its 20th edition, over 110,000 people came to Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport. The event went down in history as a special occasion both on the Polish and European scales. The festival always takes place at the beginning of July and, in addition to amazing concerts, it also offers additional attractions: author meetings, theater performances, and exhibitions.
The Gdynia Film Festival is the most important event in the film industry. In September, filmmakers and cinema lovers from all over the country come to the Tricity to compete for the Golden and Silver Lions, as well as numerous individual awards, with the most interesting domestic films. Many laureates later gain recognition on the world stage, including Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieślowski, and Agnieszka Holland.
Those who cannot get tickets to premiere screenings can enjoy a rich program of accompanying events, and selfie hunters – who still collect autographs – can look forward to numerous meetings with stars, panel discussions, and workshops. Festival towns buzz with life almost around the clock. In recent years, the festival has also moved into the urban space. Open-air screenings on the beach and special shows in unusual places attract not only cinephiles but also tourists.
Top of the Top Sopot Festival, also known as the International Song Festival in Sopot, is one of the oldest seaside festivals and a true celebration of Polish song. Its creator was Władysław Szpilman, an outstanding Polish pianist and composer. Since 1961, it has been appreciated by popular music lovers, gaining international renown over the years. No other seaside festival can boast such an atmospheric amphitheater hidden among the forest greenery and such excellent sound quality. Stars like Boney M, Whitney Houston, and Lionel Richie have performed on the iconic Forest Opera stage. Each year, the most excitement comes from the competition for the Amber Nightingale award, sometimes seen as a ticket to a big career. During the other days, music lovers watch performances by their favorite stars, beloved music legends, and emerging artists.
The Stars Festival in Międzyzdroje is not just about handprints on the Promenade of Stars and serious discussions about art. Seaside festivals can surprise you, but this one has a magical factor that always accompanies the famous and beloved! Imagine walking along the beach and suddenly your favorite actor appears next to you, holding a script in one hand and a waffle with whipped cream in the other. Sounds like a scene from a romantic comedy? That’s Międzyzdroje every June.
During the Stars Festival, there is no shortage of red carpets, stars in evening wear, and lots of music, laughter, and fun. When night falls, the city reveals its other, entertaining face. Beach concerts, open-air parties, and spontaneous jam sessions on the promenade create a light and joyful atmosphere. Seaside festivals have dancing on the sand until dawn in their DNA. In Międzyzdroje, this tradition has continued since 1996.
Smaller Seaside Festivals
The Sopot Literary Festival has existed since 2012 and always takes place in the second half of August. Each year, the organizers choose one country whose literature is the main theme. The first edition was devoted to Polish reportage, and in 2024, the theme is literature and culture from the Baltic Sea region.
At the end of July and beginning of August, the Shakespeare Festival takes place in Gdańsk. This annual theater celebration attracts lovers of William Shakespeare’s dramas from around the world. They have the opportunity to see both classic and modern interpretations of the English playwright’s works.
In the first half of July, the International Festival of Outdoor and Street Theaters FETA in Gdańsk brings the streets and parks of the city to life. Artists present their performances in the open air, engaging the audience, sometimes in unconventional ways. FETA is a colorful event, a real feast for the senses, full of surprising performances, acrobatics, music, and dance.
The Sounds of the North Festival in Gdańsk is a unique musical event, a wealth of tradition and culture of the Baltic Sea region. Every year, in the first half of July, the festival allows you to immerse yourself in the mesmerizing sounds of traditional music and culture of the Nordic and Baltic countries, discovering both contemporary and historical northern sounds. The program includes phenomenal concerts, dance workshops, singing, instrumental and handicraft workshops, film screenings, meetings, theatrical and culinary presentations, and even live music dance parties.
The Globaltica World Cultures Festival in Gdynia is an annual celebration of diversity that takes participants on a journey around the world without leaving the city. It takes place in the picturesque Kolibki Park and offers concerts, workshops, film screenings, and culinary tastings. It’s a great opportunity to experience the richness of cultures from different corners of the globe.
The International Mozart Festival Mozartiana in Gdańsk is a real treat for classical music lovers who want to feel the atmosphere of 18th-century Austria, but with access to modern conveniences like take-out coffee and Wi-Fi. The festival’s offer reaches a wide audience thanks to its diversity. In the second half of August, in the magical setting of Oliwa Park, large instrumental and vocal forms, opera music concerts, jazz and highland music inspired by Mozart’s work, and performances for children are organized.
The August Electronic Music Festival Wisłoujście is a one-of-a-kind rave party in a historic fortress, where bass reverberates off the ancient walls. On the weekend when Wisłoujście turns into an electronic kingdom full of people dancing under the stars, lasers, and the latest beats, it is the perfect place to positively tire your body with good fun while “recharging your batteries” with positive energy.
Summary
The Polish coast is primarily sandy beaches and the sound of waves, but it is also a stage for numerous festivals that attract tourists from all over the country and abroad. From summer open-air concerts to film events and theatrical performances – everyone can find something for themselves by the Baltic Sea. Therefore, it’s worth combining a long stay in Fantazja Dębki with an interesting seaside festival.
