The 2023 Seattle Polish Festival was a great success, with thousands visitors gathering at Seattle Center to experience and share in the joy of Polish culture. This festival marked the 11th annual celebration of Polish culture and traditions in Seattle, with live performances from many talented musicians, vocalists, and dance ensembles from across North America. The success of this festival was made possible through the collaboration of Polish organizations, volunteers, committee leaders, vendors, and sponsors that helped with its production.
The main festival hall saw live dance performances by the Polonez Dance Group and the Polonia Polish Folk & Dance Ensemble of Chicago, taking the stage in colorful traditional attire. Beloved Polish songs and music were performed by groups and solo artists including Zabavva, Seattle’s Vivaat Musica, Dr. Laure Struber, Olivia Glod, and Parno Drom.
The festival celebrated a mix of Polish history and contemporary culture with featured poster artwork from the University of Silesia in Katowice spanning generations, history exhibits on World War II and the Solidarność movement, a documentary on the Malopolska region of Southern Poland, and films featuring Poland’s video game magazines and The Witcher game. Partnering with the Indie Games Poland Foundation, the festival also featured 18 different video games for visitors to share in a contemporary aspect of Polish culture.
The marketplace section of the festival sold renowned Polish pottery, cookbooks, crystal, amber, artwork, and hand-crafted flower head wreaths. The food booth and beer garden also offered a wide variety of flavorful food and beverages, where visitors could try Polish sausage, pierogies (dumplings), sauerkraut, Bigos stew, and sweet naleśniki crepes to name a few. In addition to naleśniki, there was an extensive selection of Polish desserts provided by the Polish Home, including tasty pączki donuts and a variety of cakes blending in staple Polish flavors such as poppyseed and plum. The festival also hosted a Polish vodka tasting area where visitors, of drinking age, could sample various Polish vodka and a station where visitors could learn how to make pierogi.
The annual Seattle Polish Festival continues to provide a space where Polish culture and traditions are shared with the larger Seattle community, helping to foster multi-cultural bonds and understanding. Thank you, dziękuję, to all of those who helped make this festival a success, for those who attended, and for those who are interested to continue to learn more about Polish culture! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, volunteer, or vendor at next year’s festival, you can learn more here: https://polishfestivalseattle.org/get-involved/. In the meantime, you can continue to celebrate Polish food and culture at the Polish Home Association – check out the calendar of events here: https://www.polishhome.org/calendar/.
