Presenting the programme of the St John’s Fair 2019

10 June 2019

Annual gatherings at the foot of Wawel Hill at the St. John’s Fair, with the participation of drummers, musicians and reconstruction groups, have by now become a tradition in Krakow. This year, this unique event takes on a special dimension, because between 14 and 16 June, the tenth anniversary edition will on Czerwieński Boulevard. We know the full programme of the event!

The proven formula of the Fair remains the same: traditionally, with the help of history re-enactment groups, we will try to recreate the atmosphere of bygone times and show the audience the cultural heritage of their ancestors. This year, however, we are leaving royal processions and court etiquette behind. Instead, we will focus on the city itself and its inhabitants.

The main objective of the 10th St John’s Fair is to familiarise the audience with the everyday life of 16th-century Cracovians and to educate the children in this area. And since the best (as we know) way to pass on knowledge is through play and practice, throughout the fair invited teams and brotherhoods will conduct workshops, games for the audience and shows. We want our guests to relax, integrate and spend their time in an interesting way – with their whole families – and at the same time examine their history and identity.

The protagonists of this year’s edition of the event will be the students of various schools of the epoch, with guests of the fair taking on their roles! On 14 June at 6.30 p.m., the first initiation of the young students and the oath-swearing ceremony of the podhutmani city officials will take place. Apart from them, you will also be able to meet burgher-citizens, visitors, as well as city guards, for whom keeping the students in check and keeping order in the city used to be a real challenge. Demonstrations of their combat readiness will be shown on 16 June at 12.40 p.m. and 4.10 p.m.

During the three days of the fair, students who will be able to improve their skills and apply for admission to the Krakow Academy. In order to do this, they will have to obtain various patents, thanks to which they will gain extensive knowledge about life in 16th-century Krakow. This is how we plan to accomplish the main mission of the 10th edition of the St John’s Fair – education. This year we have prepared patents for a fair participant, a fair visitor, a scholar and a podhutmani city official. Tutnar and his assistants will oversee their acquisition. Future scholars will be educated by excellent lecturers at several colleges and lecture halls. The young apprentices will participate in workshops with a candle maker, a printer, a potter, an armourer, a merchant and a Renaissance cook. All those hungry for knowledge are welcome to visit the Fair between 11 a.m.  and 6.30 p.m.

Guests tired from the workshops and lectures will be able to relax and regain their strength by taking advantage of the rich entertainment offer. On 15 June at 4.30 p.m. we invite you to a show of Hungarian bannermen, then at 5.20 p.m., the band Perfugium will take us into the world of Renaissance music with their concert, and immediately afterwards the Fair will be taken over by Robert Puławski’s group with a show of horse falconry. At the end of the day, we’ll be swept away by the Frivolous Tales dance spectacle and the Renaissance Juvenalia fire theatre spectacle. For theatre lovers we have prepared a commedia dell’arte show performed by an excellent Krakow troupe, which will present one complete performance to the audience every evening at 7.30 p.m. There will also be food stands where you can taste traditional Renaissance dishes, as well as relax and gain energy for the next fair challenges. 

During the St John’s Fair there will certainly be no shortage of attractions, and returning to the 16th-century Krakow will allow our guests to break away from the busy everyday life for a while – and spend a relaxing weekend among family and friends. See you there!

Zamknij We use cookies to facilitate the use of our services. If you do not want cookies to be saved on your hard drive, change the settings of your browser.