Port Coquitlam’s Polish Festival

The BC Polish Festival is an annual one-day event in Port Coquitlam that celebrates Polish culture. The event is free to attend and features live entertainment, an outdoor dance party, Polish cuisine and more.

Each year the festival is organized by the Polonez Tri-City Polish Association which has been around since 1989. The association is made up of volunteers that strive to continue Polish traditions and share the wonderful culture with local communities in the province.

Last year organizers anticipated large crowds at the festival, especially since the event couldn’t take place over the previous couple of years due to COVID-19. A lot of people did indeed attend! The 2023 festival is happening at a larger location to accommodate even more people.

Where and When

In 2023 the 16th annual BC Polish Festival takes place on Sunday, May 28th. The festival begins at 1:00 in the afternoon and runs until late at night. The same as last year, there is an outdoor dance party starting at 7:30 pm.

All festivities last year were held at 2253 Leigh Square in Port Coquitlam. However, the 2023 BC Polish Festival takes place at a new location. This year’s festivities are held at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre, located at 2150 Wilson Avenue, in downtown Port Coquitlam.

Leigh Square Festival Crowd — Leigh Square During the BC Polish Festival

What to Expect at the BC Polish Festival

The festival features several traditional dance and musical performances. You can expect to see energetic entertainment and lots of beautiful costumes. The 2023 entertainment lineup includes the Polonez Folk Dance Ensemble, the White Eagle Band and more.

Although live entertainment happens throughout most of the event, the free outdoor dance party runs from 7:30 to 9:00 pm in 2023. This is when everyone is encouraged to get up and move to live music. Hey Ziuta and Slovak Sound are performing in 2023.

The BC Polish Festival also has lots of food and beverages available for purchase. Items on offer are traditional dishes and drinks from Poland, so the festival is a great opportunity to get a taste of what typical cuisine is like in the country. You can expect to see perogies, sausages, ham hocks, desserts, Polish beer and more! Another big component of the 2023 festival is the marketplace. There are all sorts of vendors selling beautiful forms of art, crafts, and other products.

Click British Columbia Polish Festival for the event’s official website.

Polish Festival Market Stalls — Market Area at BC Polish Festival

2023 Event Schedule

The schedule and entertainment lineup for the 2023 BC Polish Festival is listed below. Exact details are subject to change.

1:00 pm – Opening Ceremony
1:30 pm – Polonez Folk Dance Group (Adults)
1:40 pm – Alicja Moniatowicz
1:55 pm – Oskar Mąka
2:05 pm – White Eagle Band
3:00 pm – Raffle Draw #1
3:20 pm – Grażyna Kapuścińska
3:30 pm – Polonez Folk Dance Group (Children)
3:35 pm – Polonez Folk Dance Group (Adults)
3:50 pm – Krystyna Krystecka
4:00 pm – Contests
4:20 pm – Polonez Folk Dance Group (Children)
4:25 pm – Maja
4:30 pm – Lila Urbaniak
4:40 pm – Polonez Folk Dance Group (Adults)
4:50 pm – Krystyna Krystecka
5:00 pm – Raffle Draw #2
5:25 pm – Hey Ziuta
6:00 pm – Ania Krajewski
6:15 pm – Krystyna Krystecka
6:30 pm – Alicja Moniatowicz
6:45 pm – Raffle Draw #3
7:00 pm – Outdoor Dance Party
7:15 pm – Slovak Sound
8:15 pm – Hey Ziuta

BC Polish Festival Video

The following video shows scenes of the festival from 2022 (when it took place at Leigh Square).

Other Information

For more information about the festival and the organizers behind the event, visit the Polonez Tri-City website.

To learn about another similar event, see our article about the Vancouver Polish Festival which takes place in North Vancouver on the Labour Day Long Weekend.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: