Editor's Note: These are courtesy translations of local news provided by the U.S. Army Garrison Poland Public Affairs team for the benefit the military community stationed here. Views or opinions are not endorsed by USAG Poland or the U.S. Army.

Poznań Launches 2025 Cycling Capital of Poland Challenge

On June 1, for the fifth time, cyclists from Poznań will begin a month-long competition with participants from other cities. They will fight for the Cycling Capital of Poland Cup. Last year, cyclists cycled 417,835 kilometers for the capital of Wielkopolska, making it the second best among cities with more than 200,000 residents.

The campaign is intended to motivate healthy competition and joint fun promoting an active lifestyle. The rules are simple - cyclists download a free application, which registers routes and lengths of rides. The participant decides for which city they intend to collect kilometers.

The application works all over the world. It counts the kilometers traveled, based on which the winners of the competition will be selected. Regardless of where you are currently, you can collect valuable points for the selected city and team. Each participant can sign up for an existing group within their own city (e.g. institution, school or company) or propose creating their own. The application provides access to training history, information on calories burned and place in the individual ranking. It also has an English version and allows you to import cycling training from Garmin devices.

Last year's campaign saw the active participation of over 70,000 cyclists across Poland. During nearly 800,000 training sessions, they cycled a total of over 14 million kilometers. A total of 149 local governments took part: 53 cities and 96 communes. Cyclists cycling kilometers for the capital of Wielkopolska covered 417,835 kilometers - 5,000 more than in the previous edition. The leader among men cycled 3,964 km, and the leader woman - 2,575 km.

This year's competition has already attracted 55 cities and 144 municipalities.

In Poznań with colleagues from behind the desk and from class

Last year's novelty in the campaign in the capital of Wielkopolska was a competition between companies. For companies, this is an ideal opportunity to encourage employees to ride two wheels - kilometers covered in this way additionally support Poznań. It is also education for an environmentally friendly means of transport in the city. In 2024, Żabka Polska became the most cycling company. In addition to last year's winner, the following companies have already signed up for training and then competing for the cup and title: Grupa MTP, Ikea Poznań, Bridgestone, Unilever, Aquanet, Inea, Duda - Cars, Voyager, Job Impulse, Franklin Templeton.

The school that collects the most kilometers for Poznań will win. The school can be supported not only by students and teachers, but also by parents and friends. The winners of the first five places will receive gift cards to be used to buy sports equipment worth PLN 2,000 each.

A special group has been created on Facebook, where you can find the most important information about the competition in Poznań. There will also be announcements about "flying bonuses", i.e. spontaneous meetings in various places in the city. Those who do not have access to this social media can sign up in a special form to receive the newsletter.

You spin - you win

Prizes in the national competition are provided for the best cities and the most active cyclists.

The Cycling Capital of Poland also has a local dimension. The 25 most active female and male participants will receive prizes in the form of gift cards worth over PLN 10,000 in total. Additionally, the first 100 women and 100 men will also receive a specially designed T-shirt and cycling accessories.

In June, there will be flying bonuses at different locations and times of day. Participants who arrive at the designated location will receive bicycle accessories. A game is also planned - you will have to collect all the elements of the password and appear at the finish line. The date and place of the game will be given well in advance.

Cycling ABC

The organizers have prepared the most important information in a special guide .

The application can be downloaded for Android from the Google Play Store , and for iOS from the Apple Store .

You can read more about the Cycling Capital of Poland on the Active Cities website .

Whole Poznań Ukulele Festival Brings Global Artists and Free Concerts

Concerts, workshops, singing and playing together at Europe's largest free festival dedicated to the most joyful of instruments - Whole Poznań Ukulele is starting.

The ukulele is a small instrument associated with Hawaii, the sun, the ocean and freedom, bringing a smile to the face of everyone who reaches for it or hears it. From June 5 to 8, the next, ninth edition of the largest European event will take place, during which you will be able to learn more about it, and, that is, the Whole Poznań Ukulele. The festival town will once again be built on Wolności Square.

An event for everyone

The Whole Poznań Ukulele Festival is an event open to everyone - regardless of age. The organizers invite children, youth, seniors and entire families. Three days of great fun await participants, and this year's program is a combination of various elements - artistic, performative and educational. As every year, there will be free workshops, where participants will be able to play the ukulele on their own.

- For those interested, we have several dozen instruments that we will lend out free of charge - emphasizes Piotr Kończal, the festival organizer.

Festival schedule

The festival will start on Thursday, June 5, in one of the oldest music clubs in Poznań - Muchos at ul. Nowowiejskiego 13/15. Participants will have the opportunity to listen to live artists such as Marek Gordziej, Ronji Maltzahn from Germany and The Secrets from Great Britain.

On Friday, June 6, at 5:00 PM, the attractions on the main stage and the festival town on Wolności Square will start. Among others, the Poznań artist Ranko Ukulele and the 30-person Irish band Dublin Ukulele Collective will perform. Participants will also be able to dance to Polynesian rhythms with Avei Varu and Hinatea.

Traditionally, on Saturday, June 7, at 12:00, musicians from the First Poznań Non-Symphonic Ukulele Orchestra will enter the tower of the Poznań City Hall and play the bugle call. From 1:00 p.m., a festival town will be operating on Wolności Square throughout Saturday and Sunday, and the main stage (and smaller ones) will resound until the evening.

On Sunday, June 8, before 7:00 p.m., just before the finale of the event, musicians from the First Poznań Non-Symphonic Ukulele Orchestra will perform a project combining classical music with the Hawaiian instrument. This time, they invited an outstanding vocalist known from the project "Tre Voci'" - Mikołaj Adamczak, who will be accompanied by, among others, the band Sopranissimo.

As always, the entire event and the activities taking place within it (concerts, workshops) are completely free for everyone.

Lots of attractions

On the Poznań music scene, you will also be able to hear many other performers of all ages. The stage will be filled by several dozen young artists from the Ukulelowe Łejery project, the well-known Ukupolalele with guests will appear, which grows and develops together with the festival, as well as a band of Poznań seniors - SeniorUki, which wins the hearts of the audience during many events in Poznań, and which does not intend to stop. Additionally, the organizers have invited artists from Hawaii, Portugal, Germany, Spain, England, Ireland, Scotland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

In addition, the festival town at Wolności Square will once again feature the Uku-Bus, a special musical bus that is an open stage for amateur performers, as well as the Ukulele Clinic, a place where you can ask about anything related to this most joyful of instruments. This year, there will also be a new space, Hyde Park (Meinl Park), full of percussion instruments and ukuleles, where participants will be able to express themselves.

Malta Festival to Celebrate 35th Anniversary with Theater, Music and Film

Diverse, open, combining ideas, people and various forms of art - this is what the 35th anniversary edition of the Malta Festival will be like. One of the most important cultural events in Poland and this part of Europe will fill the urban space of Poznań with colors, sounds and joy from 20 to 28 June. During the nine festival days, you will be able to watch an international theatre repertoire, concerts by world stars, but also Polish stage premieres with names of the greatest format. A rich program of open-air and public events is being prepared.

- This is the 35th edition of the festival, which was initially intended to revitalize the modernized areas around Lake Malta, but instead Malta took over the entire Poznań and became one of its cultural symbols. Last year, the event was reborn thanks to Dominika Kulczyk in a beautiful new version - says Jacek Jaśkowiak, the mayor of Poznań. - The upcoming edition also promises to be very interesting due to the planned performances, but also the people who will come to Poznań. Malta has long gone beyond the framework of a strictly theatrical festival, attracting people from all over the world not only with great performances, but also with unique events taking place in the city space that engage the audience. This year's program is an absolute domination of women. As part of Malta, we will see Tilda Swinton and her performance "Embodying Pasolini" in our city, among others, which is performed only once a year. Roisin Murphy will also give a concert. Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga will undoubtedly provide a lot of emotions, as she will walk on a tightrope stretched over Wolności Square.

Malta Festival is inextricably linked to the capital of Wielkopolska, its space and the energy generated by its residents, and this year's program of outdoor events is exceptionally rich.

Sky shows over Freedom Square and the Old Market Square

On Friday, June 20, the audience will be treated to a unique event and a lot of excitement. The jubilee 35th edition of the Malta Festival will be inaugurated at 3:00 p.m. by the performance "Open Lines" by the French group Basinga. It will be a spectacular and exciting show, because it will take place almost entirely on a tightrope stretched over Wolności Square, on which the co-creator of the group - Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga-will Walk. This show of strength, acrobatics and courage will also draw attention to the universal need for balance and cooperation. The audience gathered in the center of Poznań will be invited to actively participate in the performance by holding the rope, and also to reflect on the nature of the almost superhuman feats of the tightrope walker, which they will witness.

On Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21, the theme of a sky-high spectacle, this time full of harmonious contemplation and peace, will continue with the show "RoZéO" by the ensemble Cie Gratte Ciel (fr. "skyscrapers"), founded in Arles, France. Actors and actresses will float above the Old Market Square, swaying in the wind and vibrating to the rhythm of the music. This living installation not only defies the laws of physics, but also reminds us of the constant, complicated relationship between man and nature.

Music and theatre in the streets

The contemplative spectacles will be complemented by energetic fun provided by brass bands moving around the city. The city orchestras, beloved by the Poznań audience, will once again invite you to dance. The lively Bandakadabra was a real sensation at last year's edition of the Malta Festival. The Italians, who redefine the rhythms characteristic of techno with the use of live instruments, will return to Poznań for a triumphant encore. The Spanish group La Dinamo, moving on bicycles and machines of their own design, will shift into a higher gear. The frantic pace is also characteristic of the work of the 15-person French ensemble La Confizerie, which will take the audience into a whirlwind of fiery disco.
This year, too, there could be no shortage of theatre on the streets and squares. This year's program will be full of free performances set in the urban space. Directed by Ewa Kaczmarek and Daniel Stachuła, "Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf" will look back and draw on the history of Poznań folk theatre and grassroots social activities, to ultimately talk about the needs of the present. The performance not only talks about ideals, but also puts them into practice, integrating various creative environments in Poznań. We will travel to Główna by "cucumber" - the number of places is limited. Free tickets will be available for collection at the Festival Centre the day before and on the day of the event.
The beloved Teatr Biuro Podróży, operating for decades, returns to Malta after a year to premiere its interpretation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in Stara Rzeźnia. A completely unique experience will be "Hit Out" by the Italian collective Parini Secondo, in which performers using skipping ropes create a symphony of percussion sounds from the very act of jumping. The group will also present the open-air performance "Speed", which has already brought them recognition in Europe. This colorful and dynamic tribute to Tokyo's Para Para dance and Eurobeat music is a condensed and contagious dose of joy. Admission to these outdoor performances will be free.

In the open air and at the Festival Club

The events at the Festival Club on Ratajczaka Street will also be open and free of charge. During a series of meetings prepared by the Kulczyk Foundation, the topics of archetypes of femininity, female and male energy, and menopausal transformation will be discussed. Dominika Kulczyk, under whose patronage the Malta Festival places women at the center of its considerations and looks at them from different perspectives, will take part in the first two discussion panels. Poznań organizations have been invited to cooperate Julia Woykowska Foundation, Local Girls Movement, and Chór Pogłosy. Together with them, the Kulczyk Foundation has prepared a program of workshops, debates, and initiatives strengthening women in the spheres of consciousness, body, and existence. The club will also host genealogical workshops, during which it will be possible to identify one's ancestors, and improv workshops on women's roles.

In the same location, "Women's Voices" will resound again during meetings with authors who actively comment on contemporary reality in their prose. Radio journalist and literature expert Michał Nogaś will talk to Nike laureate Joanna Bator, Gwendoline Riley, who is considered one of the best English writers, ambassador of Italian literature Claudia Durastanti, and Eliza Clark, who is gaining recognition and popularity at a dizzying pace. Free admission to the meetings.

The "Women's Cinema" series is a new chapter in the history of the festival, to which the organizers will invite to the Quatro passage in the Old Market Square. Although excellent films are at the forefront, what will give the whole thing a unique character will be in-depth night-time conversations with excellent creators of Polish cinematography and experts from SWPS University. This is a unique opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with directors Kinga Dębska, Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, as well as actresses Maria Dębska, Dorota Kolak and Marta Ojrzyńska. Free film and discussion evenings will take place from 20 to 28 June in the Old Market Square in Poznań, in a cozy festival space, which will be taken care of by the series partner, the interior design company VOX. The meetings will be led by journalist and publicist Anna Serdiukow.

Performances from Poland and around the world

Malta is also an annual opportunity to present the best Poznań performances to the festival audience. At the Polish Theatre in Poznań, you will be able to admire "Pygmalion" directed by Mikita Iłynczyk. It will look at social tensions and explore possible, potential scenarios for the coming decades. In the same place, "Querelle" by Piotr Pacześniak will also be performed, a story flirting with the convention of a crime story about people tormented by guilt looking for love. In addition, during the festival, there will be performances by the Polish Theatre in Poznań: "Śmierć Chopina", "Wiera Gran" and "Nowy Pan Tadeusz, tylko że rapowy".

The compositional clasp of the jubilee 35th edition of the Malta Festival is formed by two weekends, the stars of which will be extraordinary women with a significant influence on contemporary culture. On the opening weekend, we will see the Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton on stage. Together with the curator and fashion historian Olivier Salliard, she will refer to the rich filmography of one of the greatest scandalists and most interesting creators in the history of cinematography, Pier Paolo Pasolini. The performance "Embodying Pasolini", which is the result of this cooperation, will be shown in 2025 only in one place in the world - in Poland, in Poznań, as part of the Malta Festival.
The heroine of the closing weekend will be Agnieszka Holland. In the Artis Auditorium we will see and hear "Głos Potwora" - an opera inspired by the film "Europa Europa" and the true fate of Samuel Perel - the result of cooperation between outstanding creators from the world of film, theatre and music: Robert Bolesto, Agnieszka Smoczyńska and Alek Nowak. In this original adaptation, they transport the audience to a mythological space - to the world of Medusas, Erinyes and Hades, building an allegory of the contemporary experience of exclusion, life in hiding and the will to survive at all costs. The performance, whose world premiere will take place on 27 and 28 June in Poznań, is a co-production of the Malta Festival, the National Centre for Culture and the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk. It will crown not only the festival itself, but also the celebrations of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council.

The second premiere will be "Kobieta Samotna" directed by Anna Smolar, who will transfer the character of Irena from the film of the same title to contemporary realities to compare whether anything has changed in the surrounding world. The co-production with the Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw will be shown on June 28, and the program accompanying the Poznań premiere will be prepared by Local Girls Movement.
As every year, Malta also features renowned performances from around the world: the first Polish screening of "Rite of Spring" by the Italian group Dewey Dell, which will also present the hypnotizing stage ritual "I'll Do, I'll Do, I'll Do" at the festival. A major sensation will be "Ultraficción No. 1 / Fragments of Time" - a fascinating formal experiment set in the open air by the Spanish collective El Conde de Torrefiel. This is a performance woven from words and sounds, without a traditionally understood stage. Instead, there is a clearing above Malta, which we will reach at sunset by the Maltanka.

The music scene invites you

This year's eclectic musical program includes former Moloko vocalist and ambitious pop icon Róisín Murphy, progressive disco representatives L'Impératrice, beloved in Europe, indie-folk bard Fink, presenting an extraordinary depth of feeling, Badbadnotgood, expanding the sonic spectrum of contemporary jazz, and - performing for the first time in Poland - charismatic representatives of deep soul from Australia, The Teskey Brothers.

Their concerts will be preceded by performances by the duo Roya, a new sensation of Scandinavian pop; the triumphant return of Tomasz Makowiecki with the album "Bailando"; hoshii led by Kuba Więcek; the versatile DJ and producer Poté and Robert Cichy, inspired by American folk.

An interdisciplinary and explosive show will be provided by one of the most popular participants of the iconic "RuPaul's Drag Race" - drag queen Alaska Thunderfuck.

More information about the program can be found on the Malta Festival website.

Bocelli, Podsiadło, The Cult Among Major Acts Performing in Poznań This Weekend

The first concert attractions are on Friday.

On June 6, the world-class star Andrea Bocelli will perform at Enea Stadion. Tickets are still available for this event - prices start at around PLN 400 per person and end at PLN 1,620 per person in the skybox lodge.

Also on Friday, the two-day ZORZA festival created by Dawid Podsiadło will begin. The event will take place on the former factory grounds on the northern side of Lake Malta. On stage, in addition to Podsiadło, Kaśka Sochacka, Artur Rojek, Kacperczyk and Kukon, Kortez, Sokół, Fisz Emade and Paulina Przybysz will appear. The artists are to present songs in new versions. On the second stage - electronic music - will appear Flirtini, 2012 FM, Brodka DJ SET, Agim & Deas Live, Catz 'n Dogz & Friends, ROSALIE.2K88, Bass Astral Remixed PL and IKARVS: Polish Euphoria 2000. And in this case, there are still tickets at a price of around PLN 270 per person.

Saturday will be the second day of the ZORZA festival, but also the Picnic at Fest at the Cytadela. Performances will include Sara James, Afromental, Margaret and the icon of Polish rock T-Love. In the case of the picnic, admission is free.

The last concert attraction right after the weekend - on Monday. The Cult will perform in the square under the Municipal Stadium. Tickets cost 265 PLN per person.

To ensure that event participants have the best possible opportunity to get to the event and then return home smoothly, the Public Transport Authority will strengthen public transport.

And so on Friday, tram lines no. 5, 6 and 8 will run every 10 minutes until 11 p.m., and lines 13 and 15 will run every 10 minutes until 9 p.m. Reinforcements will appear on lines 1, 6, 13 and 15. - Bus lines no. 145, 163, 191 and 193 will be serviced with more capacious rolling stock, night tram line no. 202 will operate from 11:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. every 10 minutes on a changed route: SOBIESKIEGO - Trasa PST - Fredry - Mielżyńskiego - Plac Wielkopolski - Wyszyńskiego - Rondo Śródka - Jan Pawła II - Trasa Kórnicka - GTR - UNII LUBELSKIEJ - ZTM reports. - Night tram line no. 203 will operate from 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 23:00-1:30 every 10 minutes on the route: MIŁOSTOW0 - Warszawska - Rondo Śródka - Jana Pawła II - Św. Rocha Bridge - Marcinkowskiego - Gwarna - Rondo Kaponiera - Roosevelta - Dworcowy Bridge - Królowej Jadwigi - Rondo Rataje - Rondo Śródka - Warszawska - MIŁOSTOWO.

On Saturday, in connection with the event at the Citadel, bus lines 160, 163, 174, 176 and 190 will be reinforced. In connection with the ZORZA event at Malta, tram lines no. 5, 6 and 8 will run from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. every 10 minutes, and night tram line no. 202 will run every 10 minutes from 11:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. along a changed route: SOBIESKIEGO - Trasa PST - Fredry - Mielżyńskiego - Plac Wielkopolski - Wyszyńskiego - Rondo Śródka - Jan Pawła II - Trasa Kórnicka - GTR - UNII LUBELSKIEJ. - Night tram line no. 203 - runs between 4:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. 23:00-1:30 every 10 minutes on the route: MIŁOSTOW0 - Warszawska - Rondo Śródka - Jana Pawła II - Św. Rocha Bridge - Marcinkowskiego - Gwarna - Rondo Kaponiera - Roosevelta - Dworcowy Bridge - Królowej Jadwigi - Rondo Rataje - Rondo Śródka - Warszawska - MIŁOSTOWO.

On Monday, additional services are planned on tram lines 1, 6, 13 and 15.