Every July, fans of folk culture from all over the world flock to tiny (about 30 inhabitants) Gorajec in eastern Roztocze.
At night they sing and dance around lit fires. To the rhythm of folk tunes, the women’s flowery scarves and dresses wave. Then they rise at the crack of dawn to try their hand at traditional carpentry, the kind without nails or modern tools. They also learn to play the hurdy-gurdy, and in their spare time they venture into the woods, seduced by the scent of Gorajec herbs…
Folkowisko-Festival
Folkowisko includes debates, film screenings, concerts, field rallies, folk skills workshops, theatrical performances, a village game and storytellers’ evenings. The festival combines traditions with modernity, gives folk culture a new form, and at the same time shows the Polish countryside as it is today.
The organizers are not afraid of difficult topics. They always try to combine fun with discussion on current social issues.
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The festival’s multilingual crowd includes Spanish, Italians, but also Mexicans, Japanese and Canadians. Volunteers involved in the festival come from all over the country, leaving jobs at banks and corporations and sacrificing their vacations.
Kids also have their own happy zone at Folkowisko. Especially for the little ones, a friendly place known as “Childhood” has been created. Volunteers, animators who organize workshops for the youngest, tell stories, make wooden toys with children, for example, weave garlands, organize various games and activities, are active at the site. Every year one of star attractions is … a big battle with water-filled balloons.
In 2018, Folkowisko was awarded the EFFE label – Remarkable Arts Festival European Quality Mark as one of only several events in Poland.
Home to the Folkowisko is the Chutor Gorajec farm run by the Piotrowski family and their many friends.
See the story of Maciek and Marina
Facebook profile of the Festival
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