All Saints and All Souls Feast Days

No one celebrates the festivals of All Saints and All Souls with quite as much panache as the Poles. Solemn prayers for the deceased are accompanied by the lighting of thousands upon thousands of candles. Visit any cemetery at night during the early days of November and be startled by the sombre beauty of the spectacle.

when - 1st-2nd November 2006
where - All Catholic Cemetries
more info - click here

Juliette and the Licks in Concert

Keanu Reeves and Sean Macguire have taught us to be rightly suspicious of actors turned music stars; however cynics can be reassured that Juliette Lewis is a worthy exception to the rule. If you like raw angst-driven rock then Juliette and the Licks is November’s essential concert.

when - 4th November 2006
where - Palladium, ul. Zlota 7/9
more info - click here

2nd International Salsa Festival

Loosen those hips, grab a partner and prepare for the second installment of this fun and funky festival. Last year over 400 people took part in workshops led by some of salsa’s leading lights, and this year fifty more classes will be arranged with top tutors from all around the globe plus world famous salsa DJ Henry Knowles. Special gala parties are also thrown on! If you’re never danced salsa before then head to Salsa Libre (ul. Solec 38) in the week preceding the festival as they are offering free classes to beginners.

when - 10th-12th November 2006
where - SGGW Sports Centre, Ciszewskiego 10
more info - click here

Mozart Year 2006

Travel back in time to an age of elegant grandeur as the Warsaw Chamber Opera recreate Wolfgang’s genius in one of the city’s finest settings. Starts at 19:00. Call +48 (22) 8312240 for tickets.

when - 16th November 2006
where - Ballroom, Royal Castle, pl. Zamkowy 4
more info - click here

Photography exhibit “Time Frozen”

Opening 16 November at 15:00 at the Central Agricultural Library in Warsaw and running until 31 December 2006, the photography exhibit “Time Frozen” aims to clarify the most absurd myth to exist about Nowa Huta (the Soviet-planned utopian town and enormous steel mill turned grey reminder of communist times outside of Krakow): that it was founded on sandy, barren lands. The exhibit features photography from the former villages on which the Socialist city and steel mine were built. The authorities justified taking the lands by propagating the myth that the people who presently lived there were poor country people, living in peasant huts, which should be torn down to build new neighborhoods. Such was the propaganda of the Polish Peoples’ Republic, but thanks to the long-term indoctrination of society its echoes still reverberate today. Justice or compensation never reached those forced to move, even after the end of communism.

The collection of photography and documents illustrates the disconcerting losses of a generation, first tragically on the fronts of the First World War and the resulting destruction of houses in the area by enemy armies, then the German occupation and daily arrests, deportations, and executions. And finally, in the first years after the war, when ordinary people began to believe that a time of calm had finally arrived, a subsequent turmoil shook them from their homes, this time in the name of a Socialist experiment. The exhibit is a documentation of those times of change. It cannot be forgotten how many paid an extremely high price for such an trial, many having to start their lives completely from scratch, losing rich regional and familial traditions in the process. Before Nowa Huta was built, the area’s economy and culture was in full bloom, full of imaginative individuals. Perhaps thanks to this exhibit, they and their families might be redeemed, because after all, they were here first.

when - 16 November to 31 December 2006
where - ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 66
more info - click here

Interdisciplinary Festival “Ethnic Inspirations – United in Culture 2006”

From Tuesday, 21.11.2006 to Saturday, 25.11.2006 at the Dom Kultury Rakowiec, ul. Wislicka 8, the “Ethnic Inspirations – United in Culture 2006” Interdisciplinary Festival will take place, featuring the bands Dikanda, Lautari, Motion Trio, and Soomood. The festival is generally regarded as a festival of the broad genre known as “world music,” including promotion of the best folk music groups from Poland. The festival will encourage encounters between artists and spectators from different cultural, religious and national backgrounds fueled by musical performances and discussion. The festival will be inaugurated 21 November at 17:00 in the House of Culture “Rakowiec” with a discussion panel titled “Is the world interested in Polish ethnic culture?” The moderator of the panel discussion will be Maciej Szajkowski, a founder of and a musician from a group called The Folk Band from the Warsaw Village. The project author and coordinator is Grażyna Zaczek.

when - 21.11.2006 to 25.11.2006
where - ul. Wislicka 8
more info - click here

Warsaw Jewish Film Festival

The fourth edition of the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival is dedicated to the legendary Polish director Roman Polanski. There will be retrospective screenings of his works as well as the works of Jewish greats Amos Gitai and Charles Guggenheim. Of course there will also be plenty of new offerings on show, as well as awards given out for the following main categories - Best Fiction, Documentary Feature, Short Film and Short Documentary. This will definitely one of the highlights of November for culture cats.

when - 22nd-27th November 2006
where - Kinoteka, Palace of Science and Culture, pl. Defilad 1
more info - click here

4th Piano Festival

Four days of ivory-tinkling magic will include recitals of Brahms, Mozart, Beethoven and Poland’s very own Chopin. As well as proven piano masters, several young stars will be given the chance to shine as the festival organisers hope to promote the next generation of talent. Full programme available on the official website - click on more info.

when - 25th–29th November 2006
where - Philharmonic Hall, ul. Sienkiewicza 10 and other venues
more info - click here

MINILUKSY Exhibit

Opening 25 November at 17:00 and running until 22 December 2006, the exhibit “Miniluksy” will take place in the Interior Decoration Centre “Domoteka.” The exhibit includes a fair of artistic photography titled “Zone of Luks Pictures,” from the gallery Luksfera on ul. Ząbkowska 27/31. The photographs will be available to view and purchase from Wednesdays to Fridays from 14:00 to 19:00 and on the weekend from 11:00 to 17:00. More info on the Luksfera webside.

when - 25 November to 22 December 2006
where - ul. Malborska 41
more info - click here

Scianka Concert

One of Poland's leading indie rock bands, Scianka ("Wall"), will be playing at the cult venue Jadlodajnia Filozoficzna. Think the Polish version of Sonic Youth, but younger, sexier, and actually playing here. They will be supported by Poland’s leading Eurovision Song Contest entrants, Wyjebani W Dobrej Wierze (translation not appropriate), singing their songs about love and mothers. The band consists of Maciej Cieslak (the singer of Scianka), Malgorzata Halber (presenter for Viva TV) and Marcin Zaganski (the singer of the band Kombajn Do Zbierania Kur Po Wioskach, otherwise known as the other best indie rock band in Poland). They love you, so love them too. Tickets are 15 PLN.

when - 27 November 2006, 20:00
where - Jadlodajnia Filozoficzna, Ul. Dobra 33/35
more info - click here

I Love You Baby (Sweden)

Sweden’s brand of new wave electro punk is coming to Poland straight from Stockholm. Inspired by bands like Kraftwerk, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Stereolab and Le Tigre, I Love You Baby has been through several demos, several line-up changes, and even a marriage, and is now here to shake your feet and rock your body. Tickets are 8 PLN.

when - 30 November 2006, 20:30
where - Jadlodajnia Filozoficzna, Ul. Dobra 33/35
more info - click here