Since 1978 the Museum of Folk Culture in Węgorzewo has run the International Folklore Fair – the most important event in the town's calendar and one of the oldest celebrations of traditional culture in Masuria. 2026 brings the 49th edition, on Saturday and Sunday, 1–2 August, in the Ethnographic Park on the Węgorapa. Entry is free. It is 7 km from Poza Zgiełkiem.
The programme: crafts, bands and workshops
The fair spreads over two days and across the whole open-air museum. The handicraft and folk art market runs from 10:00 to 20:00, demonstrations of traditional crafts from 10:00 to 18:00, and workshops for children and adults from 11:00 to 18:00. The official opening of the 49th edition is set for Saturday at 11:00. From 11:30 to 20:00 there is a review of folk ensembles, bands and soloists from the Warmian-Masurian region, alongside consultations for participants led by ethnomusicologists. Groups from abroad take part too – hence the "international" in the name.
The Ethnographic Park on the Węgorapa
The fair takes place at the Museum of Folk Culture on ul. Portowa in Węgorzewo – an open-air museum spread along the Węgorapa river. It is the same site that hosts the Masurian Eel Festival in June. Day to day the museum collects vernacular buildings, craft workshops and farm equipment from old Masuria; during the fair that setting comes alive, with craftspeople working in the original interiors and bands playing between the cottages. The ground is grass and partly uneven – a pushchair will manage, but closed shoes are more comfortable.
Note for 1 August – two events on one day
The first day of the fair coincides with the Polish Cabaret Night in Mrągowo, which starts the same evening at 19:00. Both are doable: the fair in Węgorzewo in the morning and afternoon, then 75 km to Mrągowo for the evening. Bear in mind, though, that accommodation around Mrągowo is sold out that day and the roads to the amphitheatre are jammed after dark. With us, 7 km from the fair, you come back to a quiet house regardless of the traffic at Lake Czos. The Masurian August calendar is dense – we have gathered it in August 2026 in Masuria.
Practicalities: getting there, parking, confirming the date
The museum is at ul. Portowa 1 in Węgorzewo, close to the harbour and the centre – 7 km from Poza Zgiełkiem, about ten minutes by car, or half an hour by bicycle on the road through the fields. On fair days the museum car park fills quickly, but there is always something within a few hundred metres. Entry to the fair is free; you pay on the spot for handicraft and food. The museum publishes the detailed programme of the 49th edition on muzeum-wegorzewo.pl, usually in June – worth checking before you come, as the timings of individual items can shift slightly. Dates are as of July 2026.
A tip
Come on Saturday morning – the official opening is at 11:00, and the craft demonstrations are best seen before the crowds build. Bring cash: some of the makers do not take cards.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Lesnydzban / CC BY-SA 4.0
