Sea Festival 2021

This year the City of Gdynia is celebrating the “Sea Festival” with great gusto. The events and festivities will run for over a week and they begin today. The programme includes a sailing parade, planetarium shows, a family game and concerts. The events will be accompanied by a Maritime Fair and Sailing Championships and many other attractions. So let us celebrate together.

The Sea Festival traditionally begins with the commemoration of the seamen whohave departed to the eternal watch. Bouquets of flowers will be released from the deck of the „Controller-20” into the waters of the bay to commemorate the fallen. The history of the Sea Festival dates back to 1932, when it was celebrated for the first time. It was attended by the President of the Republic of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki. The pre-war tradition of celebrating Poland’s relationship with the sea, which was a key driver of the local economy years ago and was the main impetus for the city’s dynamic development, was revisited in 2013.

This year the celebrations begin on 18 June and end on 27 June. The Sea Festival cannot be held without sailing events. Sailing Yacht Race for the Polish Navy Cup, as well as the II World Polonia Sailing Championships. The St. John’s Day Sailing Parade is likely to attract many spectators. On 26 June, the official opening of the 2021 Pomeranian sailing season will be celebrated, combined with the unveiling of the commemorative plaques of Henryk Jaskuła and Andrzej Rościszewski. On Sunday, 27 June, a renewal of a boat christening ceremony will be held for the ORP „Błyskawica”, which will be attended by the daughters of Mrs Cecylia Raczyńska, the ship’s godmother.

Attractions for residents will start as early as Saturday, when the official launch of the Summer #inGdynia will take place. A Gdynia na fali [Gdynia on the wave] zone will be set up on the Seaside Boulevard. At 17:00, the Festival’s opening concert will begin at the Gdynia Concert Shell. The Gdynia Film Centre has also prepared many attractions for the fans of cinema. Jarmark Morski [Maritime Fair] will be held in Kościuszki Square. Craftsmen, handicraftsmen and artists will present handmade items for sale. There will also be an opportunity to sample regional and exotic baked goods and snacks. On 26 June there will be a vintage car parade organised by the Automobilklub Morski and an exhibition of vintage cars set up in front of the Naval Museum.
The Sea Festival will also feature restaurateurs from the Culinary Trail of the Gdynia City Centre, who have prepared a special Sea Festival menu with fish from the Baltic Sea.

A detailed schedule of the Sea Festival celebrations is available HERE.