All the fun of the fair: Must-see St. Dominic’s fair kicks off in Gdańsk next week
Anybody visiting Gdańsk between July 28 and August 19 will have the chance to sample the delights of St. Dominic’s Fair.
The largest open-air trade and cultural event in Poland, and one of the largest in Europe, the summer fair is also one of oldest with a history going back to 1260 when Pope Alexander IV first got the ball rolling.
So being large means that about 1,000 traders, performers and collectors will be setting up shop at one time or another over the festival in one of the several city-centre streets that serve as fair’s venue.
Music lovers will be able to feast on a series of concerts featuring a wide range of music from folk, to classical and to jazz, while those wanting to part with their money by indulging in some shopping will be given numerous opportunities to do so.
Antiques, art, regional products will all be sale along with handmade toys and items made from leather, amber, silver and glass.
Items made of amber are one of the highlights of the St. Dominic’s Fair.
(Dominik Kulaszewicz/PAP)
The fair also markets itself as place where children can also have fun, and so it hosts a series of daily events aimed at families including plays and a day of “Games Unplugged” when families can wrestle with traditional board games.
Children might also enjoy a huge double-decker carousel, especially made for the fair. Featuring horses, chariots and a lion the carousel is based on a traditional Venetian design but has also been adapted to take people with disabilities.
