In the wake of all the jolly Christmas and New Year gatherings and parties, you may find yourself gazing longingly at your favourite armchair… Yet Kraków gives us plenty of reasons to get up and head out into the city – even if January balls and galas aren’t your thing. After all, winter isn’t all doom and gloom: it’s the time of Carnival, bringing plenty of opportunities to lift your mood among happy crowds right there on the streets. So wrap up warm and join us for a stroll “All Around Nativity Scenes”, follow the colourful Cortege of the Three Wise Men, and get involved in the events and campaigns of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.
Kraków’s latest festival, Opera Rara, also has Carnival in its spirit. The name is familiar, of course: the Cracovian cycle of individual performances of lost Baroque works rediscovered and reconstructed after centuries of oblivion is evolving into a three-week-long festival aimed at audiences wider than just seasoned opera buffs. World-famous ensembles and conductors, acclaimed soloists, actors and dancers… The festival features fourteen events – including the dazzling “Le Carnaval Baroque” – bringing stage and concert versions of operas and song recitals. Some even star amateurs – Cracovians themselves! Sometimes good intentions and sincere enthusiasm are all that matters!
After all, it’s Carnival time!
- It’s a huge metamorphosis! Opera Rara is becoming a full-blown festival with a brand new format and an extended programme. But the trademark remains the same: the finest performers and the finest music. read more
- Breaking with tradition, the 25th finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation is held on the third Sunday of January. read more
- Christmas is over, but the city is still enjoyinga festive atmosphere. Cracovian and tourists flock to the post-competition exhibition of nativity scenes at the Krzysztofory Palace (to 26 February), while over twenty beautiful works from previous years are on display in the windows of shops, banks and restaurants around the Main Market Square until 6 January. read more
- They first performed in Poland in 1991 for literally just room and board. Since then, Green Day have sold over 75 million records, and their albums, including Dookie (1994) and American Idiot (2004), are classics in the rock canon. On 21 January at Tauron Arena Kraków, the wild trio shows that they still have plenty more to say about the world. read more
