What's on in Warsaw (Warszawa), Poland through the year

Peak crowds — WOSP charity finale, Christmas lights and markets

• Festival

  WOSP charity finale

  24–31 Jan · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  On one Sunday at the end of January the country fundraises in the street; Warsaw gets the main stage and free concerts, closing with fireworks at eight in the evening. Road closures around the venue. Source ↗

Still on: Winter smog (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually)), Christmas lights and markets (25 Nov – 6 Jan (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: Winter smog (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Winter smog (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

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

• Season

  Vistula riverside season

  1 May – 20 Sep · usuallySummer season opens

  The wild east bank and the boulevards opposite it are where the city drinks from May to September. Sand, bars on barges, and nothing at all on the same stretch in winter.

• Festival

  Chopin concerts in Lazienki

  5 Jul – 27 SepMajor festival

  Free piano recitals at the foot of the Chopin monument, every Sunday at noon and four through the summer. In 2026 the season starts in July because the monument surrounds are being rebuilt. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Vistula riverside season (1 May – 20 Sep (usually)), Chopin concerts in Lazienki (5 Jul – 27 Sep)

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

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Vistula riverside season (1 May – 20 Sep (usually)), Chopin concerts in Lazienki (5 Jul – 27 Sep)

Peak crowds — Warsaw Uprising anniversary, Summer holidays in Poland

• Holiday

  Warsaw Uprising anniversary

  1 Aug

  At five in the afternoon on 1 August the sirens sound and the whole city stops where it stands, traffic included, for a minute. It is the most affecting hour of the Warsaw year. Source ↗

Still on: Vistula riverside season (1 May – 20 Sep (usually)), Chopin concerts in Lazienki (5 Jul – 27 Sep)

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Vistula riverside season (1 May – 20 Sep (usually)), Chopin concerts in Lazienki (5 Jul – 27 Sep)

Busy — All Saints, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  All Saints

  30 Oct – 2 NovNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  The country travels home on 1 November and the cemeteries burn with candles after dark; Powazki is the one to walk. Roads and trains out of the city are the worst of the year. Source ↗

Peak crowds — All Saints, Christmas lights and markets

• Hazard

  Winter smog

  1 Nov – 15 Mar · usually

  Coal and wood heating in the surrounding towns plus a cold, still inversion give the city its worst air between November and March. Bad days come in runs of three or four. Source ↗

• Festival

  Christmas lights and markets

  25 Nov – 6 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  The illuminations run the length of the Krakowskie Przedmiescie from late November to Epiphany, with a market on the Old Town square. Dark by half past three, which does the work. Source ↗

Still on: All Saints (30 Oct – 2 Nov)

Peak crowds — Christmas lights and markets, Christmas break in Poland

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Winter smog (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually)), Christmas lights and markets (25 Nov – 6 Jan (usually))