You can either stay curled up at home under a blanket or head out to wander the stalls of Poznań's Bethlehem, set up in three locations: Plac Wolności, the Old Market Square, and the Poznań International Fair grounds.

The countdown to Christmas is overflowing with cultural events, such as gifts spilling out of Poznań's Santa's sack. The list is long, well worth a look to choose a few artistic treats for yourself and your loved ones.

Plac Wolności (Freedom Square, known as Wilhelmsplatz until 1919) is one of those urban spaces that reflect the evolution of Poznań's architecture. Positioned at the heart of Poznań's multi-layered historic district, it is flanked by the medieval Old Market Square and the 20th-century Imperial District.

The National Museum of Poznań encourages visitors to take a good look... within. The exhibition Hidden Meanings does not focus on a single artist, like the recent Chełmoński showcase, nor a particular period in art history. This time, what draws viewers is a unifying theme that runs through all of the works on display: Interior.

Mid-November will mark the kick-off of the second edition of the British Film Festival, Poland's first such event (and one of a handful in Europe) dedicated fully to British cinema. This year's edition brings not just a bigger lineup but also more venues with audiences set to experience British culture across two Poznań cinemas.

Housed in the historic cathedral lock building on Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island), Galeria Śluza (Lock Gallery) hosts temporary exhibitions that are modern in both form and content. Managed by the Porta Posnania Heritage Centre, the gallery presents narratives tied to historic and contemporary Poznań.

Picture turning a globe to position the Arctic smack at the centre of our world. Precisely that new vantage point is offered by Anka Gregorczyk, artistic director and owner of Galeria Centrala. The occasion is The Polar Silk Road: Observation of the Hidden, an exhibition showcasing the work of Austrian photographer Gregor Sailer.

It had long been a dream. After the Björk Digital exhibition, a display of David LaChapelle's photographs, and an exhibition on the history of trainers held in collaboration with the Design Museum London, the Pop Culture Gallery now turns to Andy Warhol.

After an opening performance by the Niechęć ensemble, an array of other musicians will take to the stage, bringing a modern and admittedly progressive take on jazz over three nights this autumn and winter. All this coming to the 2Progi club.

Ahead of live performances coming up in November by this year's Chopin Competition winners in Poznań, the spotlight first falls on Charles Richard-Hamelin, one of the most dazzling pianists who stole hearts during the event's 17th edition ten years ago.

With autumn around the corner, it is time for the opening of new seasons in cultural institutions. Music lovers are poring over programme announcements arriving from all directions, searching for hits and undiscovered treasures that best suit their tastes. So, what does the Poznań Philharmonic have in store?

Get ready for what hands down is one of Poland's most eletrifying celebrations of new experimental and electronic music, and one of just a select few held in Poznań. CK Zamek (The Zamek (Castle) Cultural Centre) presents the OPERA 2025 festival. Modest in scale, yet a heavyweight in its genre.

Although the artist's concert was originally planned for November 2024 and then February 2025, it had to be cancelled on medical advice. However, good things come to those who wait, and this long-awaited musical celebration is finally set to take place. Mulatu Astatke, the trailblazer of ethio jazz, an iconic figure in world music, and a passionate advocate for African music, is coming to Poznań.

Take a remarkable journey through time to Paris at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, a vibrant city of breathtaking scale, its grandeur endlessly inspiring artists, thinkers, and dreamers from across the world. This exhibition will take you straight onto the streets of the French capital, revealing the city not only in all of its splendour, but also at pivotal and challenging moments in its history.

The Greater Poland Traditional Jazz Association "Dixie Club" and Estrada Poznańska are bringing back the Poznań Old Jazz Festival for its 17th edition, set to take place on the final Saturday of August. Expect a nostalgic train ride, a jazz parade through the Old Market Square, film screenings, family-friendly attractions - and, naturally, some cracking live music.

All too long has the capital of Greater Poland been waiting for a proper, world-class music festival. Finally though, there is a glimmer of hope with an event that might just bring the city back into the spotlight and flip the script entirely. Poznań's ready to step up and join the ranks of Poland's go-to festival destinations, pulling in top stars and earning its spot not only nationally, but also across Europe. Come 14 August, BitterSweet Festival is set to launch, bringing an all-out nostalgia overload with it.

Fortunately, at least once a year comes the glorious reminder about a unique treasure of Poznań: a Ladegast organ housed in the Parish (Fara) church. The summertime Old Town Organ Concert series organised by the Society of the Friends of the Poznań Fara, is a truly special event.

Anna Maria Jopek (showcasing her latest project), the Elipsis trio, EABS alongside Brian Jackson, Mica Millar, the hip jazz trio Jazzbois, and the Blue Jazz Orchestra are all stars in this July's soul-jazz festival slated to take place in the centre of Poznań. The Blue Summer Jazz Festival will be held on 26-27 July.

The 18^th edition of Poland's largest animated film festival, MFFA Animator, is set to kick off on Saturday, 5 July, scheduled to run even longer than in previous years, until the following Sunday. Screenings will take place at the Muza Cinema and other familiar venues across city centre. Ready for nine straight days of animation? Coming right up!

As every year, the Poznań Academy of Music will open its doors for its "Summer Stage" concerts.

Diverse, open, connecting ideas, people, and various art forms - this will be the 35th jubilee edition of Malta Festival. One of the most important festivals in Poland and this part of Europe, it will fill the urban space of Poznań with colour, sound, and joy from June 20 to 28. For nine days, alongside an international theatre repertoire, concerts by Polish and global stars, and Polish stage premieres featuring the biggest names, audiences will enjoy a vibrant programme of open-air and free public events.

Summer in Poznań? Same as ever - bursting with music! And not just any old tunes - we're talking about every genre there is. Coming up: this year's edition of the #NaFalach free concert series, shows at Scena nad Rusałką (The Rusałka Lake Stage), and another round of the Poznań Rock Festival.

Once a year, the whole fantastical universe ever invented converges at Pyrkon. For the past 25 years, this Poznań-based festival has been a celebration of all things fantasy, bringing together an incredible variety of worlds and characters. This special anniversary edition takes place from 13-15 June, as usual on the grounds of Poznań International Fair.

A promise of a laid-back celebration, with a joyful dive into original sounds from across the globe, and a heartfelt tribute to fading traditions and forgotten ethnic minorities. Get ready for Ethno Port Poznań 2025!

Sidewalks covered with earthworms after the rain, flip phones, sending messages from internet cafés, the PWN Universal Encyclopaedia as the 90s equivalent of ChatGPT, checking the TV schedule on teletext, a display case full of crystal trinkets - sound familiar? Some of these memories are crystal clear, while others have been brought back to me by the Instagram profile @polish_nostalgia, which I stumbled upon while looking for articles on the nostalgic "90s. It's these wild, colourful, plastic years that are the focus of the latest exhibition at the Zamek (Castle) Cultural Centre, curated by Tomasz Żaglewski.

This year's Museum Night offers access to over seventy different venues. On Saturday 17 May, starting at 2pm and running late into the night, visitors will have a chance to explore both permanent and temporary collections, take part in a variety of special events, and even set foot in places that are normally off-limits, such as the Regional Police Headquarters and the Jesuit Monastery!

The 22nd Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival will be making its sixth appearance in Poznań. This year's theme is "World Between Us". From 9 to 18 May, some of the finest documentary films covering topics like politics, culture, sport, and more will be showed at Kino Muza, with online access screenings available from 20 May to 2 June.

The choice to develop Poznań on the right bank of the Warta marked a radical shift in urban planning as the city had previously mainly grown westward, with the river acting as a natural barrier to eastward development. In the aftermath of the war, a lack of available land and an acute housing crisis pushed urban planners to focus on the former suburban villages of Rataje, Chartowo, and Żegrze on the Warta's right bank.

A museum dedicated to the Polish People's Republic has opened in a historic townhouse near Poznań's Old Market Square, taking visitors on a journey 70 years back in time.

A true master of his craft, Chełmoński shaped the course of Polish art with his timeless masterpieces. Adapted in mainstream films and TV shows and reimagined across different cultural mediums, they remain continue to inspire successive generations of artists. The exhibition "Józef Chełmoński 1849-1914" on view at the National Museum of Poznań makes his artistic brilliance more tangible than ever.