Folk Art Fair in Żywiec during the Beskidy Week of Culture

The Beskidy Highlanders' Week of Culture (Tydzień Kultury Beskidzkiej, TKB) is Poland's largest folklore festival: it was first held in Wisła in 1964, and today, at the end of July and the start of August, concerts, parades, exhibitions and fairs take place at the same time in several towns of the Silesian and Żywiec Beskids. Żywiec joined the festival in 1975 and every year hosts the Polish Highlanders' Folklore Festival, plus the International Folklore Meetings every second year. The main event for anyone interested in crafts is the Folk Art Fair (Targi Sztuki Ludowej) on the town's market square, where makers come from various mountain regions of Poland.

The fair is organised by the Regional Culture Centre in Bielsko-Biała, the Żywiec Town Culture Centre and the Beskid branch of the Folk Artists' Association. In 2026, during the 63rd festival, the square became a craft street from 25 July to 2 August: every day from 10:00 there were stands of woodcarvers, embroiderers, lacemakers and folk-toy makers, while bands from Poland and abroad played on the stage on the square.

Why go

• Buy real folk art straight from the maker — wooden carvings of saints and birds, embroidery, Koniaków lace (koronka koniakowska), tissue-paper decorations, clay and wooden toys.
• Workshops. In 2026 the fair held daily classes: embroidery, Koniaków lace, tissue-paper decorations, woodcarving and folk-toy making. The first and last days were run by the town culture centre, the middle days by the regional centre from Bielsko-Biała.
• Watch and listen. Craft demonstrations, talks with the makers, band concerts on the square every day at 11:00, a parade of festival groups along Kościuszki Street to the square, and open-air dancing in the evening.
• Tour the festival's other fairs. On the same days there is an art and handicraft fair in Wisła, a handicraft and regional products fair on St James's Square in Szczyrk, and in Istebna the "Szikowne Gorolski Rynce" event shows crafts and sells makers' work.

What to taste and buy

The best finds are things you won't see in ordinary souvenir shops: carved figures and "Frasobliwy" (sorrowful) Christs, lace doilies from Koniaków, embroidered highlander scarves and shirts, Christmas decorations, wicker and straw work. Some stands also sell regional treats — honey, cheese, baked goods. Prices are set by the makers themselves; bring cash.

Practical information

When: every year during the Beskidy Week of Culture, late July to early August (2026: 25 July – 2 August, from 10:00). Where: the market square (Rynek) in central Żywiec, by the town hall and the old bell tower. Entry is free, as are all TKB concerts in Żywiec. Żywiec is easy to reach by train or bus from Bielsko-Biała and Katowice; the walk from the railway station to the square takes about 15 minutes. The organiser in Żywiec is the Town Culture Centre (al. Wolności 4, +48 33 475 11 60, [email protected]). It is a family event with many activities for children. Dates and programme are published every year on the festival's official website.

Nearby

• Żywiec castles and park — a few hundred metres from the square.
• Pinta brewery in Wieprz near Żywiec.
• Lake Żywiec.
• In Wisła, during the same festival, an art, craft and handiwork fair runs on Hoff Square.

At a glance

• Address: Rynek, 34-300 Żywiec
• Opening hours: Every year in late July – early August; 2026 — 25 July – 2 August, daily from 10:00. As of October 2026.
• Season: Once a year, 9 days in late July – early August.
• Prices: Free entry.
• Phone: +48 33 475 11 60

Official website: tkb.art.pl

Photos: Lesnydzban, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.