KrakowInformer.com

New Year in Krakow

December in Krakow? An excellent idea. You catch Santa twice (on Mikolajki and Christmas Eve) then hear the Christmas carols and buy some weird and beautiful handicraft products on the annual market. And if you wait long enough, you'll see perhaps the biggest New Year's party in Europe.

But first, a few facts: New Year's Eve isn't a public holiday in Poland, so there's enough time to stock up for the big party (although you won't be the only one to do the last-minute New Year's shopping). On the New Year's Day, on the other hand, feel free to stay in as long as you like, as so will everybody else.

Now for the fun part: with over 100 thousand (as state the Krakow authorities) or at least more than a half of that (as claim the authorities of other Polish cities) participants every year, Krakow hosts one of (or the) biggest New Year's party in Europe, bigger than Paris, Rome or Berlin.

All this of course is possible thanks to Krakow having its immense Rynek. The biggest medieval square in Europe can easily fit 100 thousand people, and the line-up of stars Krakow invited each year is bound to attract crowds.

The musicians performing on the Krakow New Year's Party are usually a cross-section of the Polish stars, both the all-time and the one-season ones, with an occasional international star. In 2007, Krakow New Year's guests included Boney M, Shakin' Stevens and Lou Bega, accompanied by Polish vocalists Edyta Gorniak, Urszula and Justyna Steczkowska and bands like Budka Suflera, Bajm and Czerwone Gitary as well as some others.

This year's New Year's Eve on the Rynek in Krakow will be marked by singing ladies, with Leona Lewis and Kate Ryan as the international stars and Kasia Kowalska, Tatiana Okupnik and Natalia Kukulska as their Polish counterparts.

The 2008 New Year's Eve in Krakow will take place on the Eastern side of the Rynek (the one with the St. Mary's and St. Adelbert's churches), with a big screen on theTown Hall Tower for those on the West side of the Sukiennice.

As usual, at 12 o'clock, the New Year will be greeted by a spectacular show of fireworks.