Polish Arts Festival is back this September, offering a range of cultural events for all ages. The 15th edition of PAF will take place from the 14th to the 18th of September across various locations in Limerick presenting an ambitious and artistically diverse programme, which includes concerts, exhibitions, film screenings and a bespoke PAF Kids Day - so there is something for everyone! The majority of events will be presented in both English and Polish allowing for a shared cultural experience to thrive. At the official opening you can hear Emma Langford performing some her new pieces of music.

This year PAF is delighted to welcome major contemporary Polish folk stars - the Warsaw Village Band, who use traditional techniques of playing and singing in inventive performances, creating a surprisingly avant-garde and modern sound. The band's instrumentation includes traditional instruments - violins, cymbals, barabans - sounding exceptionally modern and the musicians are not afraid to combine them with, for example, DJs and electronica. Warsaw Village Band will play in Belltable on Thursday Sept 15th, tickets can be booked here: https://bit.ly/3MPrbJc - this one is not to be missed so book your tickets early! The band runs Master Classes on Friday 11am – 1pm in The Irish World Academy.

The festival will also present two superb award-winning Polish movies, ‘Songs about Love’ and 'Kill It and Leave this Town’ (with Eng subs) both films having their Irish premiere during PAF in Limerick.

PAF Kids Day will take place on Saturday 17th September and it will include circus workshops with Simon Thompson, art workshops with Aga Szot, a screening of a gorgeous family film by Jan Jakub Kolski “ The Republic of Children’ (with Eng subs) ) and a story trail adventure across the Limerick streets and landmarks. A premiere of an exciting cross-cultural PAF Stories Project will also take place during PAF Kids Day – follow us on social media!

PAF visual arts programme is no less ambitious and includes a solo show by Kildare-based Polish artist Olga Anacka in the Hunt Museum and a presentation of a new VR project ‘Kosmogonik’ by Pawel Szarzynski (based on S. Lem’s short story “Uranium Ears’) , in the Limerick City Gallery of Art.

On Culture Night make sure you pop into The Hunt Museum for “Elemental Tales”, a show that combines Slavic folk tales with Irish Fairy stories, bringing the characters to life through dance, storytelling, music and mask. Watch out for the Banniks in the city, as they have already been seen in various locations.

Announcing the programme, the festival’s Co-Artistic Director & CEO Justyna Cwojdzińska comments, “We are confident that this year’s festival will be a powerful celebration of Polish arts & culture, and Polish - Irish community and friendship, and that it will demonstrate our commitment to diversity, cross-cultural dialogue and collaborative, inclusive arts practices”.

There is a lot more in this year’s programme so make sure you visit PAF Festival website for a detailed programme, listings and booking info. And don’t forget to call in for some chats and laughs at the PAF Festival hub in The Record Room of The Commercial where we will be presenting some of the programme.

Polish Arts Festival takes place on September 14-18 in Limerick.

Full programme available at https://polishartsfestival.ie/

Book your tickets now via Belltable page: https://limetreetheatre.ie/events/#filter=

The Polish Arts Festival is funded by Limerick City and County Council, the Arts Council, Creative Ireland, The Polish Embassy in Ireland, HOMS Assist and supported by the Lime Tree Theatre, the Hunt Museum and LCGA.

Partnering venues: Lime Tree Theatre/Belltable, The Hunt Museum, LCGA, Record Room at the Commercial (Festival Hub).