POLISH CULTURE FESTIVAL “POLISH FLOWERS”

On Saturday, September 26, the Polish Culture Festival “Polish Flowers” will take place in Vilnius. The festival is organised by the Association of Poles in Lithuania.

The first “Polish Flowers” festival took place in 1989, with Jan Gabriel Mincewicz, longtime chairman of the Association of Poles in Lithuania and head of the “Wileńszczyzna” ensemble, serving as the main organiser of this and subsequent festivals. After his death, the festivals unfortunately took place irregularly, with breaks in between, and the last one was held in Nemenčinė in 2023.

Organiser – Association of Poles in Lithuania

This year, the Association of Poles in Lithuania, together with numerous partners, has undertaken the task of organising the festival. For the first time, it will be held under the name Jan Gabriel Mincewicz Polish Culture Festival “Polish Flowers”.

This year, the largest celebration of Polish song and dance will take place in the capital, in the arena at the Three Crosses Hill in Kalnų Park. The festival will open at 14:30, preceded by a 13:15 Mass in Polish at Vilnius Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus, followed by a ceremonial procession of festival participants to Three Crosses Hill.

More Than 50 Polish Ensembles

More than 50 Polish ensembles will take part in this year’s Jan Gabriel Mincewicz Polish Culture Festival “Polish Flowers”: more than 20 from the Vilnius District Municipality, around a dozen each from the Šalčininkai District and the city of Vilnius, as well as Polish ensembles from the Trakai, Širvintos and Švenčionys districts.

The festival’s directors are Wioleta Leonowicz, chief choirmaster, and Bożena Daniele, chief choreographer.