Very First Polish Cultural Festival in Edinburgh April 2009

Dear All,

I would like to announce that our festival project is going well so far. We have managed to secure almost all of the funds needed to organize series of exciting cultural events. I hope that festival will bring us- Poles and Brits together and that the scope and the variety of events will allow everybody to find something for themselves.

For more information please visit our website polishculturalfestival.org.uk.

Our programme is growing bigger and bigger... More details soon on our website.

All the best and hope you will join us during the festival events!

Alternatively you can drop me a line and I will send you an information pack. Email me at: joanna@polishculturalfestival.org.uk

Tickets on sale for 1st Polish Cultural Festival in Edinburgh

Tickets are now on sale for the very first Polish Cultural Festival in Edinburgh. The week-long celebration from20-26 April will feature nearly thirty events, staged at fourteen different venues throughout the capital.

Lidia Krzynówek, -festival founder and director, said: “The Festival has been programme, fund-raised and staffed entirely by a voluntary network of Polish people most of whom are under 30 and all of whom work full time alongside these commitments”.

“It is our wish that the Festival will allow our Scottish friends to gain deeper understanding of who we are and for everyone in Edinburgh to unite inn doing what they do better than anywhere rising a glass!”

The Festival will feature: traditional folk music and dance, retrospectives by the founding fathers of Polish cinema, theatre, art exhibitions, lectures by eminent historians, a medieval tournament and market and much more… As a whole, the Festival speaks in the voice of young Poland and the culture that is a vibrant of Scotland today.

Some of the big-guns of Polish culture appearing at the Festival include premier jazz musician Jarosław Śmietana, famous film director Krzysztof Zanussi, and mountaineer Piotr Pustelnik – great people and great artists.

The official Opening Celebration of the Festival is on Thursday 23rd April at the Queen’s Hall with the very best of Polish traditional folk musicians, the St. Nicolas Orkiestra and folk singing and dancing group “Krakowiacy”.

25 April, Leith Links Park will be staging a Polish Medieval Tournament and Market. The day will be packed with entertainment, thrilling combat, dancing and good old fashioned fun.

The Festival has the support of the Consul General of the Republic of Poland Aleksander Dietkow, who said: “I hope that this Festival will not only help the integration process but also help people to understand Polish culture better and through this to understand Poles even without knowing the language of our country”.

Malcolm Chisholm, MSP for Edinburgh North and Leith, commented: “The programme on offer from Polish Cultural Festival Association will, I believe, be of enormous appeal both to the many Polish people in Scotland and also to the wider Scottish community. I am enormously impressed by the outstanding efficiency and enthusiasm of those who are organising the Festival”.

“We have tried to include something for everyone in the community to enjoy and warm Polish welcome awaits all our visitors,” added festival co-director Joanna Zawadzka.

-ENDS-

Not a lot of Scots like being called "Brits".


Thats better !

Any web links ?

Oh yes they do.

A lot of Brits don't like being called Brits. Most English prefer to be called English, most Welsh prefer to be Welsh, and most Scots prefer Scotch.

Picked up a leaflet for this at my work the other day. Hopefully one of my Polish chums at work will fancy going to see something.

Hope to see you there! I am afraid I'll not have the time to see all of the things I want to see . My favourites are: Village Kollective, St Nicolas Orkiestra and Jaroslaw Smietana not forgetting Medieval Tournament and Market.

P.S. Excuse me for using Scots/Brits words I was trying to be as political correct as I could but recently learned that using them (Scots/Brits/Poles etc.) might be offensive for some people.

Well, the festival is getting closer and there is some hype about it in Edinburgh.

The good news is, some of the events are free (although tickets may have to be booked) so this festival will suit all budgets. ;)

One free event will be held on Saturday 25th April in Leith Links Park from 10am until 3pm and that is the Polish Medieval Tournament and Market.

Go back 500 years in time and celebrate in Polish medieval style. There will be entertainment, combat, old fashioned fun and, of course, cooking. There will also be a medieval dancing demonstration and medieval cookery demonstration. Watch as forty contenders take part in an actual foot combat tournament and see them battle until one Knight is victorious!

There will also be market stalls and a variety of other demonstrations to keep you amused throughout the day.

Feel like a lecture?

Tuesday 21st of April, Pani Solińska restaurant is the venue for a lecture about the Polish Scottish heritage. There will be stories from history about these two cultures that have always been drawn to each other. £12 per ticket for this one but it does also include a 2 course meal and a drink. Time for this lecture is 6pm and will last about two hours.

"The Offsiders" is a film about a homeless gent called Jacek Mróz who formerly played for the National Polish football team (Boruc might want to pay attention to this one ;). He decides to start a homeless football team. This is being shown at the Filmhouse on Wednesday 22nd April at 6.30pm. Prices are £6.30 or £4.70 for concessions.

There are many, many more events in the festival and you can find out more by visiting the website: polishculturalfestival.org.uk but I hope to post a few more events before the actual beginning of the event one week from today! :)

You can also copy/paste this address into your browser edinburgh.com.pl/images/stories/Polish_Cultural_Festival_Progra mme.pdf and it will take you to the brochure. :)