What's on in Poznań, Poland through the year

Quiet — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Trade fair weeks

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  The fairgrounds sit next to the main station and have done since 1921, so a big fair week fills every central hotel and doubles the rate with no relation to the season. Check the calendar before booking. Source ↗

Still on: Winter smog (10 Nov – 5 Mar (usually))

Busy — Ferie zimowe (winter) holidays in Poland, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter smog (10 Nov – 5 Mar (usually))

Busy — Easter break in Poland, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter smog (10 Nov – 5 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Summer holidays in Poland, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Malta Festival

  15 Jun – 10 Jul · usuallyMajor festival

  International theatre and performance staged around Lake Malta and in the city, with a good share of it free and outdoors. It started as street theatre on the lake shore and still works best there. Source ↗

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Summer holidays in Poland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Malta Festival (15 Jun – 10 Jul (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Poland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — St Martin's Day croissants, Betlejem Poznańskie

• Hazard

  Winter smog

  10 Nov – 5 Mar · usually

  Solid-fuel stoves in the older districts and windless, freezing days push the air into the range Poland is known for. Better than Kraków's valley, worse than the coast, and it comes in spells of a few days. Source ↗

• Festival

  St Martin's Day croissants

  10–12 NovNational holidayCrowded

  On 11 November the city eats about a million rogale świętomarcińskie — protected-status croissants stuffed with white poppy seed — and parades a rider on a white horse down Święty Marcin street. Bakeries queue round the block. Source ↗

• Festival

  Betlejem Poznańskie

  25 Nov – 27 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  The market spreads over Plac Wolności and the old market square, with an ice rink and a run of ice sculptures that draws its own crowd. Smaller and less coach-driven than Wrocław's, an hour and a half down the line. Source ↗

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — Betlejem Poznańskie, Christmas break in Poland

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Trade fair weeks (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter smog (10 Nov – 5 Mar (usually)), Betlejem Poznańskie (25 Nov – 27 Dec (usually))