Celebrate Polish Culture at Polish Festival Seattle 7/8/2023
Festival Showcases Dance, Music, Art, Food and Beverage Saturday, July 8 at Seattle Center
SEATTLE – Seattle Center Festál continues with Polish Festival Seattle on Saturday, July 8 from 12 to 7 p.m. with a day full of programming in the Armory Food & Event Hall and the Mural Amphitheatre. Free and open to the public, Polish Festival Seattle is a joyful celebration of Polish culture, traditions, and modern achievements with a focus on the past and present.
The festival will offer fun for all ages, with dance performances by the Polonez Dance Group and The Polonia Polish Folk Song & Dance Ensemble. Music from Zabavva, Vivat Musical Choir, Laure Struber-Mosnier playing the music of Chopin, as well as performances by Olivia Glod and Parno Drom. With kids’ crafts, winaki (head wreath) making, and exhibits, there is something for everyone.
Alisa Lidzbarski Lahti, who has led the festival for the last nine years, stated that she stays involved with the festival “because I love to share my heritage with others and celebrate with the community. I’m energized by the people who are involved year after year and make the festival come to life!”
The festival is also excited to welcome the Indie Games Poland Foundation which will be hosting a gaming area where everyone can try out family-friendly Polish video games! The festival will feature 18 video games. Plus, there will even be a Timberman video game tournament to participate in.
“Our One Seattle vision aims to bring people together from across various communities to celebrate and uplift our diversity,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “Seattle’s Polish community is a vital part of our city, and Polish Festival Seattle is a great opportunity to honor their unique cultural heritage and traditions through delicious food, arts, and music.”
All-day events include a beer garden and vodka tasting, vendor marketplace with Polish arts and crafts, Polish food, and desserts. The Witcher series and a video game documentary, THANK YOU FOR PLAYING: Iconic Video Game Magazines will also play in the Armory Loft.
“Seattle Polish Festival has a rich history at Seattle Center, producing quality festivals year after year,” said Seattle Center Director Marshall Foster. “We welcome visitors to come down and spend the day enjoying the Polish traditions and culture.”
Polish Festival Seattle is produced by the Seattle Polish Foundation in partnership with Seattle Center, and with the support of the Polish Home Association. About 15,000 Poles live in the Seattle area and more than 125,000 residents of Washington state claim Polish ancestry.
About Polish Festival Seattle and Seattle Polish Foundation
Polish Festival Seattle (PFS) is produced by Seattle Polish Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization with support from Polish Home Association and Polish American community. Established in 2000, Seattle Polish Foundation is the main Polish-American charity in Seattle and Washington State. About 5,000 to 10,000 people attend Polish Festival Seattle, organized by more than 200 volunteers. Information on the festival is available at polishfestivalseattle.org and www.seattlecenter.com, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Seattle Center Festál cultivates a deeper understanding of the cultures and ethnic diversity that contribute to the rich vibrancy of the Pacific Northwest. This unique series links together 24 free festivals presented on weekends from January to November, each with its own cultural focus, identity, and range of engaging activities. Seattle Center Festál is Where the World Gathers to celebrate the people, the places, the stories, and the traditions of the city’s communities. Seattle Center Festál is produced in partnership with 24 different community groups and supported by City of Seattle, Seattle Center Foundation, 4Culture, and KUOW. Festál is also part of the ArtsFund Cultural Partners Network.
About Seattle Center
Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts, and family gathering place in the core of our city and region. Seattle Center’s 74-acre campus, centered around the International Fountain, is part of the Uptown Arts & Cultural District and home to Climate Pledge Arena; more than 30 cultural, educational, sports, and entertainment organizations; and a broad range of public and community programs. In everything it does, Seattle Center’s mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments which delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities.
In 2023 Seattle Center is expanding its role to provide maintenance and public safety services for Seattle’s new Waterfront Park, a series of new public spaces on Seattle’s downtown waterfront between Pioneer Square and the Seattle Aquarium. Seattle Center will support managing these new waterfront public spaces in partnership with the non-profit Friends of Waterfront Seattle, which offers the community a range of recreational and cultural programming.
Thanks to the support of Official Seattle Center Partners – Alaska Airlines, The Climate Pledge, Coors Light, Pepsi, Premera Blue Cross, Symetra, T-Mobile, and WaFd Bank – Seattle Center is the #1 arts and entertainment destination in the Pacific Northwest with 12 million annual visitors, generating $1.864 billion in business activity and more than $631 million in labor income annually. www.seattlecenter.com
