The 2025 New Britain Dożynki Festival, the traditional Polish harvest festival, will be this Sunday, returning to New Britain’s vibrant Broad Street “Little Poland” neighborhood.
The 2025 Festival is to be on Sunday, September 7th, starting at at 11:30am.
“We will have 8 food vendors serving traditional Polish food such as kielbasa and pierogi, I am sure no one will leave the event hungry”, said Darek Barcikowski. Barcikowski is publisher of the local Polish newspaper, the White Eagle, who, together with another local Polish publication, the Polski Express, are co-organizing this year’s Festival.
Dożynki, organizers note,
is a traditional Polish Harvest Festival that takes place at the end of the harvest season, the history of which dates back centuries on the old continent. The tradition was brought over by Polish immigrants who settled in New Britain and have continued it locally since the early 1980s.
Organizers say that,
The main festival will take place at the Haller Post lot, corner of Grove and Broad Street, from 12:30 until 6 pm. It will be preceded by a special mass of Thanksgiving at the adjacent Sacred Heart Parish. The event’s grand finale, planned for 6 pm, will feature a concert by a nine-member reggae-pop band from Poland, which is performing in the United States for the very first time.
Organizers promise visitors, “non-stop entertainment,” with a program including, “folk dancers, a talent show, live music, and choir recitals,” adding that, “Polish food and beer will be available for purchase throughout the day.”
“Attendance,” event organizers point out, “is free of charge.”
New Britain is widely recognized as one of the key centers of Polish culture in the United States, and people travel from across Connecticut and the larger region to attend cultural events in New Britain and visit Little Poland on Broad Street.
Noting that Dożynki Festival in New Britain is only one of six such events in the state, Barcikowski added that, “The Polish community has such a tremendous heritage and footprint here in Connecticut, and that is what we will be celebrating here in New Britain on Sunday.”
