Once the grain is in, Polish villages hold dożynki, a harvest festival that combines thanksgiving, a church service, and a full day of music, food, and folk pageantry. On 28 September 2025 the biggest of them all came back to where it started: the small resort village of Spała, in central Poland.
A tradition almost a century old
Spała and the harvest festival go back nearly a hundred years. It began in 1927, when President Ignacy Mościcki took the event under his patronage and made it a national occasion. The last prewar edition was held here in September 1938. A year later Germany invaded Poland.
President Aleksander Kwaśniewski revived the tradition in 2000, and every head of state who followed kept it going: Lech Kaczyński, Bronisław Komorowski, and Andrzej Duda, who hosted it here for five seasons between 2015 and 2019. The pandemic broke the run in 2020. Now, reorganised as a government event, Spała has it back.
How the day unfolded
Proceedings opened at eleven with Mass in the Church of Our Lady, Queen of the Polish Crown. A parade of wieńce followed, winding through the middle of the village. These are the harvest wreaths that each community weaves from its own grain, and they are the centrepiece of any Polish dożynki.
Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski framed the occasion at the official ceremony: "The harvest festival is a tribute to those who feed us and who guarantee our country's food security." The whole day ran on that sentiment, a thank-you to Poland's farmers.
What was on
The stalls
Nearly 90 exhibitors turned out, a cross-section of Poland's regions. You could taste regional specialities and watch craftspeople at work. The date fell on World Apple Day too, which showed in a generous spread from the country's orchards.
On stage
Folk ensembles held the main stage through the afternoon, with traditional music and dance from around the country. The evening went to the bands Poparzeni Kawą Trzy and Boys, who played to every generation on the field.
For the children
A dedicated play-and-activities area kept the youngest visitors busy, so whole families could take part rather than watch from the edges.
Why it matters
The festival in Spała celebrates more than the crop. It marks the place of farming in the country's food supply, and it draws people from every corner of Poland to share traditions that link generations and regions. Hosts Anna Jaszczołt and Szymon Kluka carried the day, balancing the official moments against a lively run of Polish heritage.
What next?
Whether the national harvest festival settles in Spała for good is still open. But the village clearly suits it, and for everyone who came, the food and the spectacle were reason enough to make the trip.
Event details
📅 Date: 28 September 2025 📍 Location: Spała, central Poland 🕐 Hours: 11:00 – 21:00 🎫 Admission: Free 🎯 Organiser: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
The day at a glance
- 11:00 — Mass at the Church of Our Lady, Queen of the Polish Crown
- 12:00 — Harvest wreath parade
- 13:00 — Official ceremony with government representatives
- 14:00–20:00 — Folk ensembles on the main stage
- Evening — Concerts by Poparzeni Kawą Trzy and Boys
- All day — 90 exhibitors, food court, children's activities
Main photo: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development / source: gov.pl