This year’s 53rd International Festival of Highland Folklore will take place in Zakopane from 19-26 August. The organisers of the event include: The Mayor of Zakopane and the Zakopane Cultural Centre; their partner is the National Institute for Culture and Rural Heritage. Each year the festival is financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage within the framework of the ‘Folk and Traditional Culture’ programme.

The International Festival of Highland Folklore is one of the most prestigious folklore events in Poland. Over the past 50 years, it has been attended by nearly 600 foreign ensembles from dozens of countries and more than 200 Polish bands. The contest’s form is based on competition in three equal categories: authentic, artistically elaborated and stylised music. It has stood the test of time and still attracts ensembles from different countries and continents, who compete for the most important trophy, the “Golden Ciupaga”.

The event’s activities focus on the protection, support and popularisation of intangible cultural heritage and the presentation of living phenomena of traditional folk culture occurring in Podhale and other highland regions in Poland, Europe as well as worldwide.

The programme of this year’s Festival will be packed with performances by regional ensembles, but also with many accompanying events and attractions performed by bands from India, Mexico, Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Macedonia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Greece, the Czech Republic and Poland.

An element of the Festival is the Władysław Trebunia Tutka International Competition of Folk Bands, Singers and Instrumentalists, in which since 2011 a special prize called “Sabałowe gęśle” has been awarded to the best instrumentalist for fidelity to tradition in terms of playing style, instrumentation and presented repertoire.

Adrian Andrzejewski