date: 19.04.2024 current local time in Toruń:
  
Opinion research
How many times have you visited Toruń?
From among hundreds of entertainment and cultural events organised every year in Toruń, we point to a few of large cyclic events, which always gather an audience of several thousand people.
 
January
 
Afryka Reggae Festival
This is the oldest reggae music festival in Poland. It has been organized since 1991. Over the next eight editions event was known under the name "Africa is Hungry" (with that name is associated to this day). Africa since the beginning of its existence has been a charity campaign. Income from the Festival is either passed through the Polish mission to the poorest countries in Africa, to a specific locality in which the Polish nuns lead a hospital or orphanage, or by specializing in the field of humanitarian organizations, among others Polish Humanitarian Organization. Untill today the festival supported countries such as Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Congo and Tanzania.
 
February
 
Jazz Od Nowa Festival
 
Festival has been organized by Students Culture Club "Od Nowa" year by year since 2001. Jazz Festival, during which present themselves best Polish and foreign performers of traditional jazz group, and presenting the latest trends jazz. Thanks to the previous editions the festival has gained considerable fame and prestige.
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March
 
"Klamra" Academic Theatre Meetings
 
First Meeting of Alternative Theatre was held in 1992. Since then, every year in mid-March, meeting has been taking place and gather theatre groups from around the country. "Klamra" is an opportunity to meet with today's alternative theatre seeking new means of expression. It is not the nature of the contest. Viewers turn out to be the best critics, and their acceptance - applause duration - is the only reward. Maybe that is why the group plays well here and feel happy to return.
  The Work of Year
 
The Work of Year is the cyclic event held by the Executive Board of District Association of Polish Artists in Toruń. The annual show presents the work of artists and can keep track the activities of our region's artists in all arts disciplines.
 
CoCArt Music Festival
 
CoCArt Music Festival is a creative follow-up of the festival's first edition, that took place at the Centre of Contemporary Art in March 2008.
The basic idea of CoCArt organizers is to present current trends in the field of contemporary sound&visual art. The international event features multimedia concerts of artists that integrate music, image and performance.
The main events of 2009 CoCArt Music Festival were audiovisual concerts in CoCA's underground car park. What's new about this edition are the CoCArt Music Poland concerts, audio installations, educational workshops and a pannel discussion, entitled Experimental multimedia art versus new technologies.
 
April
 
Toruń Festival of Science and Art
 
Toruń Festival of Science and Art (Polish: Toruński Festiwal Nauki i Sztuki) has already become one of the most popular events held in our city. For a couple of days several thousand people take part in nearly 140 meetings, lectures, discussions, trips, exhibitions, workshops and competitions. All of them are free of charge. At the time of the festival all kinds of scientific and artistic achievements are presented to the general public. You gain access to what is otherwise inaccessible – university labs and studies of scientists and artists. The Festival in Toruń is run under the auspices of the European Science Events Association.
 
May  
"Probaltica" Music and Art Festival of the Baltic Countries
 
Probaltica (Polish: Festiwal Muzyki i Sztuki Krajów Bałtyckich) is a regular annual event held in May. The event aims to present cultural achievements of all countries located in the basin of the Baltic Sea. For the last several years about 3,000 outstanding artists, musicians and visual artists from ten countries have taken part in the Festival. They have given several hundred concerts and presented over 2,000 paintings, works of graphic and ceramic arts, sculptures and works made of stained glass. Probaltica has gained appraisal of the European Commission as one of the best ideas promoting integration of the Continent. Thanks to the support given by the EU from the funds available within the Culture 2000 programme, two other Baltic towns have joined the community of Festival Cities: Klaipeda in Lithuania and Visby-Gothland in Sweden.
 
"Kontakt" International Theatre Festival
 
Kontakt International Theatre Festival is one of the major theatrical events in Poland. So far the organizer - Wilam Horzyca Theatre - has hosted theatre companies from such countries as Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, the UK, the USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yugoslavia. During the Festival other accompanying events are usually held: visual arts exhibitions, film shows, concerts, meetings, including an Informal European Theatre Meeting of the IETM working group, held for the first time in Poland, and a Forum of European Theatrical Journals. Performances are followed by meetings with their creators. The Festival is a competition; performances are assessed by an international jury whose members grant three main festival prizes.
 
Majowy Buum Poetycki (May Poetic Boom)
 
May Buum refers to the great poetic tradition of "Poetic Toruń May" and later held meetings with the poetry in the period of 1970s.
Buum is a multidisciplinary festival, which presents mainly the work of young contemporary poets and independent literary writings and related environmental art.
After several years of the event turned into a festival of independent members of the art. As part of the Buum there are held exhibitions, film screenings, performances, concerts, meetings and discussions with critics and, above all, poetry, stage presentations, most often in the interpretation of the authors.
  St. John's Festival of Organ Music
  Mid-summer Eve’s (or St. John’s) Festival of Organ Music (Polish: Świętojański Festiwal Muzyki Organowej) has been held in Toruń for nearly 20 years. The event is a showcase for Polish and international artists who play their concerts in churches belonging to the Toruń Diocese. For two months (May and June) not only do old historical instruments liven up but so do new ones installed in recent years. Musicians invited play the most interesting pieces written for the organ, ranging from very old pieces to modern ones.
 
Summer
 
Europe-Toruń. Music and Architecture International Summer Festival
  Every Saturday and Sunday of the summer (June till September) holiday Toruń resounds with music by artists invited to take part in the "Europe-Toruń. Music and Architecture Summer Festival" (Polish: "Letni Festiwal Europa-Toruń. Muzyka i Architekura"). During the festival concerts are held in the most impressive historic places of Toruń: the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady, the Old City Town Hall, the remains of the Teutonic Castle, the Star House, the Cathedral of SS John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, St. James’s Church, the seat of the Learned Society in Toruń, the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Dąmbski Mansion and the Artus House. During the festival concerts one can listen to music from all periods: from Renaissance to contemporary pieces played by artists from Poland and abroad.
  "Song of Songs" International Ecumenical Festival of Christian Music
  The end of June, the first vacations weekend, is the time of the ‘Song of Songs’. Polish and international artists have been presenting contemporary Christian music every year since 1998. The message of the Festival, the enthusiasm of thousands of young people who come to Toruń to take part in this event, the unique stage-set design, the top class musicians who come to play, the great interest of the media and the general atmosphere of the Festival - all make the ‘Song of Songs’ one of the most important cultural events held in Toruń.
 
Days of Toruń. City Festival
 
Toruń celebrates its City Festival (Polish: Święto Miasta) on June 24th - on the day of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of Toruń.
The patronage of St. John the Baptist over Toruń dates back to the times of the foundation of the city in the 13th century and the building of the first temple - the church of St. John.
Toruń Feast held on St. John’s day is a day of festivities crowning a series of events called ‘Days of Toruń’ (Polish: Dni Torunia) lasting throughout the month of June. The main feature of the Feast Day is its Vistula River character; most of the concerts, shows and meetings take place on the Vistula riverfront, Philadelphia Boulevard and the riverside common. Shows and concerts given by Toruń-based music bands and dance ensembles as well as performances given by Toruń-based actors and displays of skills by athletes have become regular features of the day.
John the Baptist, the Patron of Toruń, is among the best-known biblical characters. He is also worshipped in Florence, on Malta, in Burgundy, Provence and Amiens.
  International Meetings of Folk Bands
  The International Meetings of Folk Bands belongs among Poland’s most interesting events promoting folk culture. Launched in 1980 on the stage of the amphitheatre in front of the Ethnographic Museum, the event shows through traditional music how universal is the love of music, dance and singing. Colourful processions of folk bands and dancing ensembles making their way through the streets of Toruń Old Quarter, improvised concerts in the streets and games on the stage always accompany the event, which makes the Meetings one of the most popular regular events among the people of Toruń. So far the Ethnographic Museum has hosted groups from nearly 30 countries.
  "Tofifest" International Film Festival
  The Tofifest Festival is one of the fastest growing film festivals in Poland. One of the very few festivals of this kind, it presents film productions made by young filmmakers from many countries of the world and both feature films and professional productions made by independent artists (the selection criteria are based on those used for the American Independent Spirit Award). The award-winning productions find their place in the regular cinema distribution network, while reviews of Polish short-length and full-length films are shown at most interesting film festivals both in Europe and on other continents. The festival holds two competitions: one for the Best Short-Length Film and the other – for the Best Full-Length Film.
  Artus Jazz Festival
  Artus Jazz Festival is a summer outdoor jazz festival held in the courtyard of the Toruń Old City Town Hall. Music that is heard during the festival is very diverse but it combines a broad area of jazz.
The best musicians, holiday atmosphere - these are inherent elements of Artus Jazz Festival.
  "Toruń-Bydgoszcz Harmonica Bridge" International Harmonica Festival
  The International Harmonica Festival ‘Harmonica Bridge Toruń-Bydgoszcz’ is another, though not very typical, music event held annually in the City of Nicolaus Copernicus. The Festival bridges the gap between two neighbouring cities. Artists from Poland and abroad perform both in Toruń and Bydgoszcz, starring the harmonica, a versatile instrument used in many kinds of music. The festival is accompanied by workshops, a competition and – quite often – jam sessions. So far among the guests invited to perform at the festival have been musicians from France, Belgium, the UK, the Netherlands, Austria and, naturally, from the USA. This event is mandatory not only for every lover of blues, rock and swing but of classical music as well.
 
September
 
"Field of View" Multimedia Festival
  The idea of the festival (Polish: "Pole widzenia") is the presentation of moving images: animation and video art in the context of the historical structure of the city, the daily rhythm of life of its inhabitants and the tourist chaos. The program consist of several parts over a period of time, and presented in various locations.
  "Colour in Graphic Arts" International Graphic Arts Triennial
  The "Colour in Graphic Arts” (Polish: "Kolor w Grafice") rates among world’s most important artistic events devoted to graphic arts exclusively. Works by nearly 50 artists from 20 countries took part in the exhibition held in Wozownia Art Gallery last year. Besides works by renowned artists, the exhibition also included works by young artists debuting in the Triennial. Some works displayed were made in traditional ways (wood engraving, linoleum-block printing, dry needle, lithography) and others with the use of computer techniques or of both traditional and modern ones.
 

October
 
Toruń International Puppet Theatre Festival
 
The International Puppet Theatre Festival (Polish: Międzynarodowe Toruńskie Spotkania Teatrów Lalek) organised by the Baj Pomorski Theatre for many years now still remains a very important theatre review of Polish and international puppet theatre productions. The companies participating in the event compete for prizes. The Jury comprising professional theatre makers and critics and the Children’s Jury grant prizes in such categories as Best Actor, Best Stage-Set Design, Best Directing Work and Best Music Setting.
  "Forte Piano" International Festival of Piano Masters
  On every Sunday and Monday of October and November the festival combines almost all the arts: literature, music, film, art and theatre. The first edition was to celebrate the 775th anniverstaty of Toruń city rights in 2008.
 
November  
Toruń Book Festival
  Toruń Book Festival is a regular annual event held at the turn of November and December. Over the period of a couple of years it has been organised, the festival has become Toruń’s very important cultural event. The festival programme abounds in meetings with authors, workshops, competitions, discussions, exhibitions and surveys.
  Toruń Blues Meeting
 
Toruń Blues Meeting is a unique blues music festival, known mainly as a great atmosphere, which is similar to the annual meeting of friends. The idea behind the festival is to present the different forms and styles of blues and a combination of youth and experience. On stage there are performers representing the electrical and acoustic blues, boogie, jump, west coast, blues-rock, country blues and Chicago blues of course.
  Toruń One-Man Theatre Shows
  The best monodrama of Polish and foreign performers can be watched and listened to in Baj Pomorski Theatre.
  International Violin Competition
  Held every three years competition is open to professional violinists who have not completed 30 years of age.
  International Biennal of Graphic Art of Children and Youth
  The Biennal is addressed to participants from all over the world. Its purpose is to promote among young people graphics as an art. Biennial is an opportunity for exchange of experience among its participants.
 
December  
Grzegorz Ciechowski Artistic Awards
  The award bears the name of Grzegorz Ciechowski - the famous artist-musician associated with Toruń, the legendary founder of founded in Toruń rock group Republika. Honoured are artistic personalities drawing inspiration from different fields of art.
 
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