As we dashed around the shops in the pre-Christmas frenzy, we were bombarded with sounds from every direction. The music in shopping centres was force-feeding us the Christmas spirit, competing with announcements of sales and promotions. Holiday classics echoed everywhere, and some were still licking their wounds from losing the online #Whamageddon challenge. In this game, participants aim to make it to 24 December without even once hearing Last Christmas by Wham! If they fail, they post the appropriate hashtag online. When Christmas Eve finally arrived, and the dust began to settle, we sat down for dinner and a timeless, natural element of the winter soundscape came to the fore - carols.

Jeans, miniskirts, printed T-shirts, and sunglasses are now fashion classics-almost clichés. The same could be said of trainers. Could there possibly be anything noteworthy about shoes worn by generations of students in PE lessons and dyed for rock festivals? As it turns out, 40 years have passed since an event transformed these sports shoes into a style icon, a collector's item, and an identity symbol all at once.

Who said Christmas only lasts a few days? Once again, the City of Poznań and local artists prove they have a different idea. We've gathered a programme of festive winter events waiting for you to join in. Enjoy!

Since 18 October, the Zamek Cultural Centre has been hosting the compelling exhibition Illusions of Omnipotence, curated by Aleksandra Paradowska in collaboration with Annika Wienert

It's as official as King Charles III's ceremonial attire and the protocols of Buckingham Palace: Poznań has a new film festival! On 13 November, the Muza cinema will host the very first edition of the British Film Festival, likely the most British festival of its kind in this part of Europe.

Piano virtuoso, composer, activist, politician, prime minister: for the people of Wielkopolska, Jan Ignacy Paderewski is a figure closely tied to the breakout of the 1918 uprising. This year, the Wielkopolska Bona Fide Association will celebrate him with a festival in his honour and name for the third time.

The Warta. Exercises in Imagination is a new temporary exhibition on view since mid-October at the Śluza Gallery on Cathedral Island. The exhibition explores the recent history of the Warta River in Poznań through ecological, historical, and social lenses.

What was Wilda like in the past? Full of surprises and contrasts. This is vividly captured in the latest exhibition at Poznań's Fotoplastikon. Using a remarkable collection of photographs posted on cyryl.poznan.pl, the exhibition reveals the extent of the transformations seen in this part of the city over the past few decades. These historic images are paired with contemporary photos by Grzegorz Dembiński.

Can a city become a sanctuary of calm? What helps us unwind? Can architecture and design play a role? For answers to all these questions, join us for the 11th edition of the Poznań Design Festival.

Every time one improvises in music, it is a plunge into the unknown, not just for the audience, but also for the artists themselves. It involves exploring new undiscovered sounds and emotions that emerge the moment they are produced. Through its emphasis on interacting with the audience, improvised music excels over all other approaches. In Poznań, the annual Spontaneous Music Festival offers a perfect setting for exploring this unique form of art.