FestivALT 2026

events Programme

To mark its tenth anniversary, FestivALT organised a jubilee programme under the theme HOIZ (Yiddish for home). The centrepiece of the celebrations was the opening of the organisation's new permanent home in Kraków—a space dedicated to year-round artistic, educational, and community activities. The programme explored the idea of home as a place of encounter, creativity, memory, and everyday life.

The anniversary celebrations began in March with a gathering of Jewish artists from across Poland. FestivALT brought together artists, educators, cultural practitioners, and activists to discuss future collaborations and the role of HOIZ as a space for artistic practice, dialogue, and civic engagement. The meeting also provided an opportunity to build new professional relationships and develop ideas for future artistic initiatives.

The main programme took place between 26 and 30 June 2026 during the official opening of HOIZ. FestivALT returned to the apartment where the organisation had been founded ten years earlier, transforming it into a permanent venue for art, conversation, and community activities. Rather than presenting Jewish culture as an object of memory, the programme approached it as a living part of contemporary social life and as a starting point for discussions about history, memory, identity, and the present.

Over five days, FestivALT organised concerts, performances, guided walks, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions, and heritage-focused events. The programme explored themes of memory, multilingualism, belonging, difficult heritage, and contemporary Jewish identity. Most activities were deliberately intimate in scale, encouraging active participation and direct conversations between audiences, artists, and invited guests.

An integral part of the programme was a series of shared Shabbat dinners held at HOIZ. Combining hospitality, shared ritual, and moderated discussion, these gatherings demonstrated how cultural programming can foster meaningful relationships not only through artistic events but also through the simple experience of spending time together.

Through its anniversary programme, FestivALT created opportunities for artists, local residents, and audiences to meet and engage with one another, demonstrating how artistic, educational, and community-based initiatives can support contemporary Jewish life, strengthen dialogue, and encourage reflection on memory, democracy, and diversity.

📸Vira Kosina-Polańska