The scale of this year’s EtnoKraków / Crossroads festival is best illustrated by its duration - the three-day celebration of traditional and ethnic music that we have come to love in recent years has been extended to… over two weeks.
The festival initially focused on the musical traditions of the Carpathian Basin. During its 28th edition, it will remain true to its roots, showcasing world music in the broadest sense of the word. Some 100 artists from 10 countries, ranging from Estonia and the United Kingdom to Senegal and Burkina Faso, open-air and chamber concerts, Dance Nights, music and crafts workshops… The main festival venue will be the Wesoła area, though we will also visit the Vistula Boulevards (for the Concert at Dawn, which coincides with Wianki in Krakow) and the headquarters of Polish Radio, to listen to concerts by the Polish-Palestinian NAP trio (14 June) and Sofia Le (also known as ax.polski), who is taking the internet by storm, alongside the acclaimed jazz musician Grzech Piotrowski and the experimental Estonian band Puuluup (both on 21 June).
In Wesoła, the festival will run throughout June. Workshops are held every day in the Strefa Nowa, some of them organised by The School on Crossroads, which will introduce us to the secrets of the songs of the Żywiec Beskids, various aspects of Ukrainian and Bulgarian music, polyphonic singing, and playing in the festival ensemble and more. The roster of hosts includes: Joanna Słowińska, Sofia Herian, Brygida Sordyl, Oksana But and Elina Toneva, Łada and Ostrowski Ensemble. Dance parties and Dance Nights – including at Wesoła Immersive and in the historic Main Railway Station building located nearby – will be hosted by bands such as Dusza, Muzykanci, Kapela Samo Południe, Odloty and the Maria Stępień Trio. All these events will help participants get the most out of the experience and get them involved in the fesival events - over 50 of them! At the heart of the Crossroads – the Strefa Nowa club - the line-up will feature both festival regulars and the oud virtuoso Wassim Ibrahim in the programme Ugarit – Songs of Clay Tablets, as well as The Petrov Boys from Brighton, who boldly infuse Balkan themes with elements and sounds of rock and funk. We will also feel the energy of the Burkina Azza musicians, bringing us good vibes from faraway Burkina Faso. The concerts on the Meadow in Wesoła, under the stars and… featuring the stars, will be a real treat, eagerly awaited by at least two generations of festival-goers! During the final weekend of EtnoKraków / Crossroads, on Friday and Saturday (19 and 20 June) the line-up will include the Senegalese band Guiss Guiss Bou Bess, who blend traditional instruments with electronic sounds. The musicians of the Crossroads Ensemble and the workshop group hosted by Nierodzinna Kapela Ostrowskich will show off their newly acquired skills. FiśBanda will perform with highlander spirit and a jazzy twist. And then we will meet the legend – the Hungarian Roma band Kalyi Jag, returning to the festival after many years.
This year, the organisers have chosen rhymes – rhythms – myths as the main theme of the festival, encouraging visitors to check it out by urging everybody: ‘Let us listen to ourselves – and to one another. Let’s meet at the Crossroads!’ (Karnet 6/2026)
