Hundreds of people from the North Shore and further afield are expected to descend on the plaza at Lynn Valley Village next weekend to watch folk dancers, listen to live music and chow down on perogies.
The annual Polish Festival returns for its fourth instalment on Sunday, Sept. 4 from 2 to 7:30 p.m. This year, the event is as much a celebration of folk tradition as it is contemporary culture. To offer visitors a glimpse of modern-day life in Poland, there will be an exhibit entitled Polska.Architecture, a photography-based showcase of design-forward buildings in the central European country.
Urszula Sulinska, president of the North Shore Polish Association Belweder, which organizes the festival, says the association decided to include the exhibit with the hope it might change the oft-held perception that Poland is the same place it was during its many years under communist control.
“We are trying to show people that Poland is a very modern country now and that we build a lot of modern architecture,” Sulinska says.
Poland has attracted much international attention this year: the city of Wroclaw was designated a 2016 European Capital of Culture and, earlier this summer, Krakow hosted World Youth Day, a gathering of hundreds of thousands of young people organized by the Catholic church that was attended by Pope Francis.
“A lot of things are happening there and we just want people to know about it because here, unfortunately, we’re far away, so we don’t see too much in the press,” Sulinska says.
Curated by Ewa Porebska, Polska.Architecture has already toured a number of countries. In her written introduction to the show, Porebska explains that, in recent years, many significant public buildings have been created in Poland, from museums and concert halls, to sports facilities and educational buildings. “They are becoming symbols of contemporary life not only on a local or national scale, but also on the international stage,” she writes.
The exhibit focuses on 20 newly constructed or revitalized objects. In addition to public buildings, there are also offices, residential construction and public spaces featured. Highlights include the Philharmonic Hall in Szczecin, which won the 2015 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, and the Arena Gdansk, a soccer stadium designed to resemble a gigantic piece of amber from the Baltic Sea.
Next Sunday’s Polish Festival kicks off with an opening ceremony at 2 p.m. The day’s musical lineup features the Autumn Leaves string quartet, the Acord vocal group, and more. Meanwhile, there will also be performances by the Polonez Polish-Canadian Dance Society and the Roma Gry gypsy performance troupe. Special guest band Groove ‘n Tonic will take the stage from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Families with children are invited to start the day early. A special program for kids begins at 1 p.m. with a presentation of Every Dragon Knows the Story, a popular Polish children’s play by Isabela Degorska.
Throughout the day, vendors will be selling Polish T-shirts and accessories, jewelry, arts and crafts, as well as traditional Polish food such as sausages, perogies and pastries.
“We try to show the best of our culture,” Sulinska says.
The volunteer-run North Shore Polish Association Belweder was founded almost 15 years ago and works to promote Polish culture and heritage and represent the local Polish community. Last year, Sulinska won a District of West Vancouver Community Award in the Arts and Culture category for her efforts with the non-profit group.
Aside from the annual Polish Festival, the association also hosts concerts, social gatherings and participates in community events like the Dundarave Festival of Lights.
Next up, they will be giving a presentation about Polish cinema and its famous directors as part of North Shore Culture Days, which is slated to run Sept. 30-Oct. 1.
