WARSAWESOME:

WEEKEND IN WARSAW

DECEMBER 17 – 19

 

We need a sound rationale to venture out into these smog and weather conditions. Therefore, we have a list of the most interesting Christmas markets, if you are still procrastinating buying gifts. If that is off your to-do list already, we have selected the best food festivals (where, for example, you can enjoy canna-delicacies) and concerts – with Vitalic playing in Praga Centrum taking the first place. All that plus winter classics – ice rinks, Sauna Wisła, and light shows. Enjoy your weekly dose of #Warsawesome!

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1) Christmas markets

The last weekend before Christmas is teeming with fairs, markets, and other events zeroing in on gift-making. At all the events listed below, you will find clothes, accessories, jewelry, natural cosmetics, home decorations, candles, fragrances, ceramics, Christmas decorations, and posters. Naturally, Polish handicraftsmen dominate on the sellers’ lists. If you care about a specific brand, it is worth checking the list of exhibitors before leaving your home and making sure that your favorites will be there. In our opinion, it is smartest to go as close to home as possible, so as not to waste time on commuting or energy on carrying the load, and at the same time support local initiatives.

  • Elektrownia Powiśle (ul. Dobra 42) with Świąteczny Market (FB event) and Vintage Xmas Shopping Days (FB event) on Saturday, December 18, from 10:00 to 21:00 and Sunday, December 19, from 10:00 until 20:00;
  • Browary Warszawskie (ul. Haberbuscha i Schielego 2 and 6) and the Christmas Market open until December 23; Saturday and Sunday, from 13:00 to 21:00, Tuesday to Friday from 17:00 to 21:00, FB event;
  • Fort 8 (Fort Służew 1b), and the Christmas Market on Saturday and Sunday, December 18 and 19, from 10:00 to 17:00, FB event;
  • Park Bródnowski and SIEMIASZ – Slavic Xmas open until Sunday, December 19; Saturday and Sunday from 11:11 to 21:21, from Monday to Friday from 15:15 to 21:21, FB event;
  • Hala Gwardii (Plac Żelaznej Bramy 1) with the Christmas Market open until Thursday, December 23, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 to 20:00, Sunday to Thursday from 10:00 to 19:00, FB event;
  • Nowy Świat Muzyki (ul. Nowy Świat 63) and the Japanese Christmas Market on Saturday, December 18, from 10:00 to 20:00, FB event;
  • Centrum Praskie Koneser (Plac Konesera), with the Christmas Gifts Fair open until December 23, from 11:00 to 19:00, FB event; 
  • Dom Towarowy Bracia Jabłkowscy (ul. Bracka 25), and the Wzory na Święta fair on Saturday, December 18, from 11:00 to 20:00 and Sunday, December 19, from 11:00 to 18:00, FB event;
  • Barbican, where every day from 11:00 to 20:00 you can shop at stands prepared as part of the Christmas Market, FB event.

 

2) Food

Food, especially festive Christmasy dishes, deserves a separate position on our list. There is a lot to choose from.

  • Let’s start with a winter season debutante. Food trucks with their classic delicacies and special Christmas Eve products will arrive in Bemowo to remind us how much we love to eat outdoors.

When: Friday, December 17, 15:00 to 20:00, Saturday and Sunday, December 18 and 19, 12:00 to 20:00

Where: Górczewska Park

FB event

  • A real deluge of culinary festivals will fill the walls of the Palace of Culture. The names say it all: Wege Festiwal (FB), Christmas Festival of Beer, Wine, and Cider (FB), and Christmas Market (FB). Indeed, we were once slightly disappointed with the organization of the Vege Festival, but we are willing to give it a second chance, especially given the presence of kraft ciders on the premises.

When: Saturday, December 18, from 12:00 to 20:00; Sunday, December 19, from 10:00 to 18:00

Where: Pałac Kultury i Nauki – pl.Defilad 1; entrance to the observation deck

  • Centrum Praskie Koneser has prepared equally many gastro-attractions. The CannaChristmas Festival (FB) is going to be the most original one. We highly recommend looking for a recipe for a traditional Christmas hemp seed soup. You can also purchase all the classics: jellies, chocolates, flowers, oils, and cosmetics. Just a few steps away you will find yourself at the Christmas Vege Festival (FB). There you will buy, among others, vegan sausages, organic coffee, or kimchi. We are tempted by the vegan praline-making workshop. And this leads us to the Chocolate and Gifts Festival (FB), where among hundreds of chocolate bars, we will try to find collectible specimens of Zaini’s surprise eggs.

When: Saturday and Sunday, December 18 and 19, from 10:00 to 18:00

Where: Centrum Praskie Koneser

 

3) Electronic music

Little dance never killed nobody before Christmas Eve gluttony and it just might whip up your appetite for the New Year’s Eve party. Fortunately, it just so happens that this weekend we have two interesting electronic music events on the menu.

  • Vitalic Live will delight us with beats that make millions of fans worldwide dance. The last tickets for 99 PLN are left.

When: Saturday, December 18, from 22:00 to 6:00

Where: Praga Centrum – ul. Szwedzka 2/4

FB event

  • Techno Rave Party is a huge house party in a two-story mansion in Mokotów with Seb Skalski, a Polish house legend, behind the deck from midnight to 6 am. Tickets for 50 PLN.

When: Saturday, December 18, from 20:00

Where: ul. Ruczaj 117

FB event

 

4) Other concerts

Sometimes even the greatest enthusiasts yearn for slower beats, though. Then Jamaica JamSession seems to be the best alternative. It will go down in Opary Absurdu (ul. Ząbkowska 6) on Friday, December 17, from 21.30. Find out more at the FB event. 

If you are more into sung poetry, the gala concert of the 5th “Szlakiem Bardów” International Song Festival with a concert by the legendary Czerwony Tulipan will be an absolute hit. It is beginning on Saturday, December 18, at 17:00 at PROM Kultury (ul. Brukselska 23). Find out more at the FB event. 

Finally, for those looking for an intimate Christmas concert, we recommend the Sound’n’Grace performance at Okęcka Sala Widowiskowa (ul. 1 Sierpnia 36a) on Saturday, December 18, from 18:00. Find out more at the FB event. 

 

5) Relaxation

Winter weather can be tiresome, so you’d better relax your mind and body at the weekend. In our opinion, for this purpose, it is worth visiting:

  • Sauna Wisła with a view of the river and nature which will be available from 6:00 to 24:00. There is also a relaxation area that can be used before and after the sauna session. Fresh juices, kombucha, healthy snacks, and infrared beds that reduce muscle tension are true incentives.

Where: Port Czerniakowski 

FB page

  • Magical Botanical Garden of the University of Warsaw illuminated with the Lumagica show. Interestingly, the site will be opened in winter for the first time in its 200-year history. Three zones await – romantic, deep breath, and one for kids. If you love light shows like us, you definitely have to go there.

when: until February 27

where: The Botanical Garden of the University of Warsaw – Aleje Ujazdowskie 4

FB event

  •  The Invisible. Stories of Warsaw servants exhibition is the first one about the forgotten history of women and the role of domestic servants. The topic broke through to the public awareness with Joanna Kuciel-Frydryszak’s book “Służące do wszystkiego”. To put it bluntly, the pre-war system of work and dependence which in 1938 affected over half a million women can be compared to slavery. You have to see it so as not to let it happen again.

when: until March 20

where: Muzeum Warszawy – Rynek Starego Miasta 28

FB event

  • The vod.warszawa.pl platform which is a database of films, recordings of theater plays, and performances available for free. In the repertoire, you will find, among others “Piloci” musical from Teatr Roma, “Kapitan Żbik” from Teatr Syrena, or Chopin concerts from the Łazienki Park.

 

6) Ice rinks

The cold outside must be fought with internal fire. And what warms you up better than a classy date? A trip to the ice rink and crowned with a session with mulled wine or hot chocolate to keep warm. Just a simple recipe for a successful winter romance. The best places to spend your time like this are:

 

To find the best places for summer walks, bike trips, dates, etc. consult our list of the 35 AMAZING THINGS TO DO IN WARSAW IN 2021. 

 

 

 

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