Easter in Poland 2027 (Wielkanoc): Dates, Traditions & Where to Go

Easter (Wielkanoc) 2027 falls on Sunday, 28 March, with Easter Monday (Śmigus-Dyngus) on 29 March - both are national public holidays in Poland. Palm Sunday opens Holy Week on 21 March. This is the most important religious festival in the Polish calendar, and it is also one of the most visually distinctive: the streets fill with decorated palms, outdoor markets, and - on Easter Monday - with people dousing each other in water.

Key dates for Easter 2027

Date	Observance
Sunday 21 March	Palm Sunday (Niedziela Palmowa)
Thursday 25 March	Holy Thursday
Friday 26 March	Good Friday
Saturday 27 March	Holy Saturday / Święconka
Sunday 28 March	Easter Sunday
Monday 29 March	Easter Monday / Śmigus-Dyngus

Palm Sunday in Łódź and Lipnica Murowana

Poland’s Palm Sunday is famous for the elaborate decorated palms - known as palmy wielkanocne - carried in procession to churches to be blessed. The most spectacular palms come from Lipnica Murowana in the Małopolska region, where an annual competition draws palms several metres tall, decorated with dried flowers, ribbons, and woven grasses. The village hosts this competition on Palm Sunday and it draws visitors from across Poland.

In Warsaw and Kraków, processions wind through the Old Towns, and street stalls sell traditional palms outside churches throughout Holy Week.

Święconka: Easter basket blessing

On Holy Saturday, families across Poland bring baskets of food to church to be blessed by the priest - a ritual called Święconka. The basket typically contains bread (symbolising prosperity), eggs, ham or sausage, horseradish, salt, and a small lamb-shaped cake made from butter or cake mixture. This is one of the oldest surviving Polish folk traditions, documented continuously for centuries.

In Kraków, the blessing takes place at churches throughout the city from early Saturday morning. The Franciscan Church on Plac Wszystkich Świętych is among the most atmospheric.

Śmigus-Dyngus: Easter Monday water fights

Easter Monday is Śmigus-Dyngus (also called Lany Poniedziałek - Wet Monday). Poles - particularly in cities with large student populations - drench each other with water. The tradition originates in folk beliefs about spring and fertility; today it is an excuse for elaborate ambushes involving buckets, water pistols, and occasionally fire hoses. Kraków, Poznań, and Warsaw see the most intense activity. Expect to get wet if you are out on the streets.

In some rural parts of the Łowicz region and Kurpie, Śmigus-Dyngus retains a more traditional form, with young men making the rounds of the village to sprinkle girls with water (originally with a twig dipped in water, now usually a bucket).

Easter markets

Kraków and Warsaw both hold outdoor Easter markets in the lead-up to the holiday. The Kraków Easter Market takes place on the Rynek Główny from mid-March to Easter Sunday, with stalls selling decorated eggs (pisanki), wooden crafts, honey, sausages, and spring flowers. Warsaw’s Old Town market runs a similar programme.

Pisanki - intricately decorated Easter eggs, often created with wax-resist dyeing techniques - are among the most distinctive Polish folk art objects and make memorable souvenirs. The patterns and methods vary by region; those from Łowicz use bold geometric folk motifs while those from the Kurpie region use cut-paper designs.

Where to spend Easter in Poland

Kraków is the most atmospheric choice: the Old Town, Wawel Cathedral, and the Kazimierz district all host Holy Week events, and the city’s architecture gives processions and markets their most striking backdrop. Easter Monday in the Rynek is particularly memorable.

Warsaw offers a more urban Easter experience, with Old Town markets and services at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist. The city’s parks - Łazienki, Saxon Garden - are at their best in late March if the weather holds.

For rural folk traditions, the Łowicz region near Warsaw is notable for the elaborate folk costumes worn in Corpus Christi processions (though Easter itself is quieter there), and the village churches of Małopolska hold some of the most traditional Holy Week services.

Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays; most shops, museums, and restaurants close or operate with reduced hours. Plan ahead for accommodation, as Easter is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year in Poland.

For a full picture of visiting Poland in March, see our March travel guide. If you are visiting in April, see our April guide. To book Easter weekend tours in Kraków, our Kraków activities page covers the best options.