Performances under the banner of the European Music Celebration will take place simultaneously in the cities of Poznań, Rzeszów, Kraków, Bydgoszcz and Gdańsk, featuring more than 100 musicians in total.
The events will serve as a symbolic finale to Poland’s national cultural programme for the EU presidency, which has included hundreds of concerts, theatre performances, and public gatherings since January.
Coordinated by the National Centre for Culture (NCK) and local partners, the programme highlighted themes of European identity, dialogue and creative exchange.
“This is a project that shows the power of music to bring people together,” said NCK director Robert Piaskowski. “It opens space for multiple genres, generations and perspectives, and reminds us that culture and shared values are what unite Europe.”
Each of the five concerts will reflect the unique character of its host city.
Gdańsk, known as the birthplace of the Solidarity movement which triggered the downfall of communist rule in the 1980s, will host "Liberty is a Woman," a performance dedicated to women’s contributions to democracy and social change.
Performers include Kasia Moś, Doda, Piotr Cugowski and the Polska Filharmonia Kameralna Sopot, a chamber orchestra set up in the coastal city in 1982.
Kraków will stage "Music from Kraków – In Four Directions," blending jazz, pop and Polish hits with international appeal.
Featured performers include Kuba Badach, Ania Dąbrowska and Renata Przemyk. The concert's name refers to the most iconic sound of the country, a bugler's call made on the hour from the high tower of the city's Basilica of St. Mary.
Bydgoszcz, chosen as a UNESCO Creative City of Music - the only one in Poland, will host "Bydgoszcz – City of Music," a show filled with classic rock covers and performances by Polish and Ukrainian musicians, including Krzysztof Iwaneczko and the Orchestra of Odessa.
Poznań will hold the largest concert of the series – "Songs to the Four Corners of the World," on four stages, each themed around solidarity, nature, technology and spirituality.
Dozens of performers will appear, including Edyta Górniak, Maria Peszek, Natalia Kukulska, leading jazz vocalist Anna Maria Jopek and more.
Rzeszów will continue its tradition of cross-cultural collaboration, showcasing joint performances by musicians from Poland and Eastern Europe.
The lineup includes Polish rapper Abradab (Kaliber 44), Ukrainian singer Serhii Babkin (5’nizza), Małgorzata Uściłowska known as Lanberry, and Ukrainian electro-pop band Kazka, among others.
The concerts are free to attend, and more information (in Polish) is available at nck.pl.