Kraków Hosts Its Biggest Gremi Borsch Fest Yet
On 5 July 2026, Kraków became the stage for one of the largest Ukrainian cultural festivals in Poland. The Gremi Borsch Fest drew thousands of visitors for a full day of live music, traditional food, children's activities, a craft fair, and direct charitable giving. By the end of the day, guests had donated 187,800 zlotys, equivalent to over 2.2 million hryvnias, with every złoty directed to support Ukraine's armed forces.
The 2026 edition carried added institutional weight: it was held under the patronage of the Consulate General of Ukraine in Kraków, which presented a certificate of appreciation to Galina Kirichenko, founder of the Gremi Foundation, recognising her work building the Ukrainian community in Poland and sustaining support for Ukraine through years of full-scale war.
A Festival Programme That Mixed Culture with Purpose
The event's food court offered both Ukrainian and Polish dishes side by side, a deliberate gesture of shared hospitality. Interactive zones for children and adults ran throughout the day alongside contests and charitable stalls.
The concert programme featured five acts, all with ties to Ukraine or the Ukrainian diaspora in Poland. MANTU, the solo project of Anton Kistrin, frontman of the band Кімната Гретхен, opened proceedings. Warsaw-based pop-rock group IZZI and Wrocław rock band MARI band followed. Hip-hop group BOTASHE from Lviv brought a different energy before Mad Heads closed the evening as headliners.
According to Kirichenko, as first reported by Visit Ukraine, the festival has grown well beyond a cultural showcase. She described it as a space where Ukrainians and Poles unite around a shared commitment to supporting Ukraine's defenders.
Five Years of Gremi Borsch Fest: The Numbers
The Kraków edition marks the fifth year of the initiative. The cumulative scale is significant. From 2022 through 2025, the Gremi Foundation organised 31 festivals across 14 Polish cities. In 2025 alone, events took place in 10 cities. More than 2,600 Ukrainian and Polish volunteers contributed to the organisation. Total funds raised across all editions exceeded 4.6 million zlotys, supporting over 14,000 Ukrainian servicemembers.
The next major event is already confirmed: a Gremi Borsch Fest in Warsaw, scheduled for autumn 2026.
Why It Matters for Hosts
For independent accommodation operators and venue owners in Kraków and other Polish cities hosting large Ukrainian diaspora communities, events like Gremi Borsch Fest signal sustained, organised demand. Thousands of attendees travel specifically for these festivals, many from other Polish cities or from Ukraine itself. Operators who understand the event calendar, communicate clearly in Ukrainian, and offer flexible short-stay options around festival dates are well positioned to serve this audience. The Warsaw edition in autumn 2026 represents a concrete, near-term opportunity for hosts in that city to prepare. Tracking the Gremi Foundation's schedule across its network of Polish cities gives independent operators a practical planning tool for the year ahead.
Details of the Gremi Borsch Fest 2026 were first reported by Visit Ukraine.
First reported by Krakow Travel.