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.

The still-anonymous Banksy (rumoured to go by the first name of Robert or Robin and thought to be from Bristol) pulled off quite a heist in late 2021. His piece Love is in the Bin, which famously self-destructed at a Sotheby's auction several years earlier, was put back on the block and fetched an astonishing £18.5 million. While original works by this elusive British artist aren't currently on public display, reproductions are on view from 30th August at The Mystery of BANKSY: A Genius Mind exhibition on the grounds of the Poznań International Fair.

This autumn, two evenings promise to be a real treat with a pair of exciting jazz concerts. These performances will take place in the Earth Hall on Poznań International Fair grounds as part of the "Enter Enea Festival Presents" series. Interestingly, the audience will have a unique opportunity to compare the styles and current artistic expressions of two exceptional figures from different musical traditions: Jan Garbarek, representing the European scene, and Branford Marsalis, from the American jazz scene.

Bambie Thug - or, to use her full name, Bambie Ray Robinson - is one of the most fascinating and unpredictable figures on today's pop music scene. On one side, she dives into occult themes and uses a Ouija board for summoning spirits, while on the other, she explores futuristic, hyper-punk landscapes. What's it all about? It doesn't really matter. What does is that it works! After all, few artists can turn quasi-radio hits into something so original as Bambie Thug, who shot to fame with her* performance at the 68th Eurovision Song Contest representing Ireland. If you're curious to see how she reinvents popular music styles in exciting ways, you won't want to miss her show at Tama!

Experimental, avant-garde, and electronic. Ambiguous, multifaceted, and mysterious. Challenging the listener and demanding full attention yet offering a musical experience that can only be described as cathartic. These are the promises of OPERA 2024, a multi-day festival organised by the Zamek Cultural Centre and the LAS project.

The iconic festival is back. The 34^th edition of the Malta Festival will be held from September 7 to 15 in Poznań. The event will be packed with celebrities, internationally acclaimed artists, performances, shows in urban spaces, out-of-the-box debates as well as unique meetings, all of which will inspire hope for a better world, giving nature and women their rightful place. The catchphrase of this year's edition, run for the first time under the aegis of Dominika Kulczyk, is: "To Love!"

A vintage car parade, Little Jazz Academy for kids, a painting exhibition opening, and, above all, hours of concerts in the Old Market Square, are the main highlights of this year's Poznań Old Jazz Festival.

Looking for a good rock concert? No need to leave Poznań. Won't make it to Pol'and'Rock and the Jarocin festivals? Don't despair. All you need to do is head over to Ławica Airport from 22 and 24 August. There, you'll find Coma, Kult, Zalewski, Nocny Kochanek, Łydka Grubasa, and even the international star Royal Republic, all performing at the Poznań edition of Rockowizna Festival 2024.

Soon Poznań will once again become Poland's dance capital. The Dancing fairPlayce Poznań workshops kick off on August 17. They continue the International Contemporary Dance Workshops, an original project launched by Ewa Wycichowska at the Polish Dance Theatre in 1994.

It was a warm summer evening. The gentle semi-darkness in the Poznań Parish Church is pierced by the last rays of the setting sun. The sound of footsteps from a growing crowd echoes within. Vastly outnumbered, a handful of tourists quickly blend in. Cordial greetings and hushed conversations can be heard. Faces familiar from Poznań's concert halls occasionally appear. Whispers gradually die down in the tightly packed pews. Up on the gallery, a musician takes a seat at the organ. Another "Old Town Organ Concert" is about to commence.

The Polish Stereoscopic Club (PKS) was founded almost two decades ago by Kasia and Borys Wasiuk. Although still relatively small, the club is growing steadily, welcoming new members from across Poland. Its members, who are buffs of 3D photography, share their insights not only online but also during National Three-Dimensional Weekends, which are outdoor events during which stunning 3D photos and films are produced.