January

Annual New Year's Day concert at the Słowacki Theater - www.dkpodgorze.krakow.pl

February

International Sea Shanties Festival takes places each year at the end of February. Venues: Rotunda Cultural Centre, and the Stary Port pub located just outside of the Planty Park. www.shanties.pl

March

OFAFA National Animated Film Festival - First begun in 1993, this is the only film festival in Poland dedicated solely to Polish animation. Screenings are held in a little known cinema called "Wrzos" in the Podgorze neighborhood. www.ofafa.pl

Anniversary of the Krakow Ghetto Liquidation March of Remembrance - The march starts at Plac Bohaterów Getta in Krakow's Podgórze to commemorate the Jews murdered in Krakow during WWII. From there, the march goes to the former Płaszów concentration camp.

Bach Days music festival - Organized by the Academy of Music in Kraków. www.amuz.krakow.pl

Audio Art Festival - Audio Art is an integration of sound and visual art. Presentation of Audio Art appears in form of concerts, performances, and installations. www.audio.art.pl

Easter Fair - Organized by the Kraków Merchant Congregation on the Main Market Sq. A chance to pick up some traditional Easter crafts. www.kongregacja-kupiecka.com.pl

Misteria Paschalia Festival - Takes place at the end of March and early April depending on when Easter is each year. Outstanding festival of Baroque music featuring world renowned performers from the early music scene. www.misteriapaschalia.pl

April

Traditional Rękawka Festivities - A yearly event held at the pagan Krakus burial mound on the first Tuesday after Easter Sunday. in the Podgórze neighborhood. Organized by the Podgórze Cultural Centre. www.dkpodgorze.krakow.pl

PAKA National Cabaret Review - Held each year at the Rotunda Cultural Center. Organized by the Stowarzyszenie Promocji Sztuki Kabaretowej PAKA. www.paka.pl

OFF PLUS CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema - Organized by The Society for Independent and Other Arts OFF CAMERA and Krakow Festival Office since 2008. OFF PLUS CAMERA is a major event devoted to Polish and international independent cinema. www.offpluscamera.com

Krakow Theatrical Reminiscences - This theater festival started in 1975. In 2003, the festival’s formula was altered, making it one of the most valued theatre festivals both in Poland and abroad. Performances take place at the Rotunda Cultural Center. www.krt-festival.pl

Masters and Youngsters International Jazz Festival - A jazz festival that features concerts where young, up and coming musicians play along side established artists. www.jazz.krakow.pl

May

Photomonth - Photomonth in Krakow is one of the leading European photography festivals and one of the largest ongoing cultural events in Poland. In May 2010 the 8th edition will take place. The program includes over 30 individual and collective exhibitions presented in some of the best galleries, museums, cafes and post-industrial spaces all around Krakow. www.photomonth.com

Felix Mendelssohn’s Music Days - Organized by the Judaica Foundation – Center for Jewish Culture in Kazimierz. A series of concerts dedicated to the Jewish composer Felix Mendelssohn. www.judaica.pl

Procession of St Stanislaus to the Church “On the Rock” - A yearly procession that takes place on the first Sunday after the saint's feast day (May 8th) from the Wawel cathedral through the streets to the church known as "Skałka" (the rock) where tradition says the saint was martyred in 1079. Organized by the Archdiocese of Krakow. www.diecezja.pl

AfryKamera African Film Festival - Screenings take place at the Pod Baranami cinema on the Main Market sq. www.afrykamera.pl

Kraków Museum Night - Organized by the local municipal government, this yearly event is very popular with local residents. Museums offer free admission and host special events, many of them in the evening and at night when these institutions are normally closed. www.krakowskienoce.pl

International Soup Festival - This popular festival is held in Kazimierz on Plac Nowy. Various restaurants provide free soup and battle for the title of the best soup of the year.

Małopolska Days of Cultural Heritage - Organized by the Małopolska Institute of Culture, this event allows visitors to admire many unknown or normally inaccessible historic monuments in Krakow and the Małopolska region. www.dnidziedzictwa.pl

Film Music Festival - A fairly new festival dedicated to film music. Film screenings with live orchestral accompaniment take place on the Kraków Błonia Park and the Kraków Philharmonic Hall. www.fmf.fm

Encounters with Orthodox Church Music - A festival featuring outstanding choirs from Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and other eastern European countries. Concerts take place in various historic churches in the Old Town and Kazimierz. www.dkpodgorze.krakow.pl

Krakow Film Festival - One of the oldest film festivals dedicated to documentaries, animated films, and short films. Besides more than 250 film screenings, there are exhibits, concerts, lectures, and much more. Most screenings take place at Pod Baranami and Kijow cinemas. www.kff.com.pl

June

Selector Festival - Contemporary electronic music and multimedia festival that takes place on the Krakow Błonia Park, just a 15 minute walk from the Old Town. This festival debuted in 2009 and is one of the few music festivals organized for a mass audience in Krakow. www.selectorfestival.pl

City Anniversary Celebration - Organized by the municipal government in Krakow to honor the anniversary of Krakow receiving its city charter back in the 13th century. www.krakow.pl

Dragon Parade - One of the symbols of the city of Krakow is the legendary Dragon "Smok". So each summer there's a Dragon parade held on the Main Squire down to the Vistula River. Especially enjoyable for children and the young at heart.

Lajkonik Festivities - Traditional parade in the streets of Krakow to commemorate the defeat of Tartar invaders in the 13th century. A man dressed in a traditional costume "rides" on a hobby horse through the streets of Krakow, starting from the Norbertine Sisters' convent in the Salwator neighborhood to the Main Square. www.mhk.pl

Krakow Theater Night - Live theatrical performances in the streets, squares, and courtyards of Krakow, as well as some late night performances in local theatrical venues.

St. John's Eve Fair - This festival has its roots in old folk and pagan traditions connected with the summer solstice, but these days the festival is more about an outdoor pop music concert held along the Vistula River and a late night fireworks display over the Vistula River.

Jewish Cultural Festival - One of the most popular and successful events in Krakow. The neighborhood of Kazimierz comes to life with live music in the streets and clubs, accompanied by numerous lectures, exhibits, film screenings and more. Features many international Jewish artists from Israel, USA, etc.

ArtBoom Visual Arts Festival - This is the largest festival in Krakow presenting contemporary Polish and international art. One thing that makes this event special is that some of the works of art displayed enter the collections of the National Museum in Krakow, while others remain in the locations where they were installed in public places in Krakow. www.artboomfestival.pl

Kraków Opera Summer Festival - Organized by the Kraków Opera who have a new opera house 10 minutes from the Old Town. www.opera.krakow.pl

Małopolski Air Show - Organized by the Polish Aviation Museum located between the Old Town and Nowa Huta. www.pikniklotniczy.krakow.pl

Bread Festival–Regional Products Festival - Organized by the Małopolska Chamber of Regional, Traditional and Ecological Products. Takes place on Wolnica Square in Kazimierz. www.produktyregionalne.edu.pl

July

Benedictine Monastery Music Festival - Organized by the Benedictine Institute of Culture at the Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec. www.benedyktyni.eu

Summer Jazz Festival at Piwnica Pod Baranami at the famous club and cabaret venue located in a Medieval cellar underneath a palace on Krakow's market square. www.cracjazz.com

International Street Theatre Festival - For 4 days the streets and squares in Krakow are filled with actors, mimes, jugglers, acrobats, and a host of performance artists. www.teatrkto.pl

“Rozstaje” Festival of Traditional Music - www.rozstaje.pl

Summer Cinema on the Stage by the Pump - Organized by the Słowacki Theatre, silent films with live musical accompaniment are shown in a small square next to the theater. www.slowacki.krakow.pl

Summer Organ Concerts International Festival - Organ concerts held is some of Kraków’s historic churches. www.dworek.krakow.pl

August

Organ Recitals in Tyniec - Organ concerts held on Saturdays and Sundays at the beautiful Tyniec Benedictine abbey 10km west of Krakow along the Vistula River. www.benedyktyni.eu

Pierogi Festival - A great opportunity to taste a variety of Polish pierogi dumplings. Held on the small market square, just behind St. Mary's church.

“Cepelia” Folk Art Fair and of Slovak Culture - Concerts, folk dances, and a folk art and craft market on the main square of Krakow. www.cepelia.krakow.pl

“Music in Old Cracow” - A series of early music and classical music concerts held in various historic churches in Krakow. www.cappellacracoviensis.pl

Coke Live Music Festival - Large pop music festival held at the Polish Aviation Museum park. www.livefestival.pl

Małopolska Festival of Flavors - Traditional local products and food at Plac Wolnica in Kazimierz. www.malopolska.pl

Cracovia Sacra Night - Organized by the municipal government of Kraków, this unique event allows visitors to explore church cloisters, libraries, treasuries, gardens, and other areas usually only accessible to the clergy. www.krakowskienoce.pl

September

Kraków Jazz Fall - Jazz concerts organized by the Alchemia Club in Kazimierz. www.alchemia.com.pl

Sacrum Profanum Festival - An interesting music festival featuring a diverse collection of contemporary musicians with concerts sometimes held in surprising places, such as the Nowa Huta steel works. www.sacrumprofanum.com

Dachshund Parade - A must for dog lovers. The parade is to honor the favorite breed of dog of the Polish 16th century king, Zygmunt the Old.

International Festival of Choirs and Orchestras - www.mrf-musicfestivals.com

October

Student Song Festival - A student music festival that has a long tradition in Krakow, with some concerts on the main square. www.instytutsztuki.pl

Unsound Festival - A new kind of electronic music festival, that in addition to concerts, features panel discussions, workshops, screenings, and exhibitions. www.unsound.pl

“Genius Loci” Theatre Festival - Organized by the Łaźnia Nowa Theatre in Nowa Huta. www.laznianowa.pl

Kraków “Zaduszki”Jazz Festival takes place at the end of October and the beginning of November when all of Poland prepares for All Saints' Day. www.krakowskiezaduszkijazzowe.xt.pl

Festival of Gospel Music - www.7xgospel.com.pl

November

International Joseph Conrad Literature Festival - www.conradfestival.pl

Book Fair in Kraków - www.targi.krakow.pl

Festival of Polish Music - www.fmp.org.pl

Independence Day - Polish Independence Day is November 11th, which commemorates the end of WWI when Poland was reborn after the defeat of the Prussians and Austrians.

Etiuda&Anima International Film Festival - A popular film festival dedicated to student short films and animated films. www.etiudaandanima.com

December

Kraków Nativity Scene Competition - Since 1937, local artisans have competed for the honor of the most beautiful nativity scene at the Adam Mickiewicz Monument on the Main Square. The tradition of creating these colorful nativity scenes inspired by Krakow's architecture goes back a few centuries and some of the best examples from the past are displayed at the historical museum on the main square. www.mhk.pl

Silent Film Festival - Classic and obscure silent films with live musical accompaniment at the Pod Baranami Cinema on the main square of Krakow. www.kinopodbaranami.pl

“Divine Comedy” International Theatre Festival - www.boskakomedia.pl

New Year’s Eve on the Main Square - A huge party and concert held on the largest Medieval town square in Europe. www.sylwester.krakow.pl