06/03/2025
POLISH CANADIAN HERITAGE DAY IN ALBERTA 2025 – SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 11:00 am-6:30 pm, OPEN HOUSE at the POLISH CANADIAN CULTURAL CENTRE (3015 -15 Street NE)
Over 65,000 Calgarians (and 170,000 Albertans) of Polish heritage call Alberta home. In 2021, the Legislative Assembly of Alberta declared the second Sunday in June each year as Polish Canadian Heritage Day in Alberta to acknowledge “the impact and contributions that the Polish community has had on Alberta”.
The Calgary marking of this day begins with an annual Polish Flag raising ceremony held outdoors at the provincial government’s McDougall Centre (455 6th Street SW) on the morning of Sunday June 8 at 10:30 am.
To continue the celebrations, from 11:00 am to 6:30 pm, Calgary’s Polish Canadian community is organizing a full day Open House at the Polish Canadian Cultural Centre (the “Centre). All Calgarians are welcome as we present Calgary’s Polish Canadian community as an active, energetic, creative and thriving part of the city.
There will be too much happening to describe in detail, but a short summary of activities includes:
The Centre’s Main Hall (with the largest hardwood dance floor in Calgary) will be full of the fragrances of delicious Polish cuisine. We recommend that you not limit yourself to only smelling these Polish culinary delicacies but tasting them as well. The Main Hall will also host song and dance performances, highlighted by Calgary’s Polish folk-dance groups whose members range in age from 5 to 85. We will also have a Folk Fashion Show where our young people will show off some of the finest Polish folk costumes ever sewn. Events in the Main Hall end on a musical “rock blues” note with a performance by The Andrzej Ryszka Band, a big hit from last year’s event.
For one day, the Centre’s Varsovia Room will be converted into the “Fusion Gallery” with an exhibition titled Art Music Memory Wine presenting the diverse talents of some of Alberta’s finest artists and musicians. Be prepared for violin, piano, and song recitals as well as works encompassing such art forms as silkscreen, ceramic, crochet, embroidery, painting and photography (film, nature and night). Author Paul Wojdak will talk about memory and preserving Polish identity presenting “Escape from Siberia, Escape from Memory - An Odyssey Across Two Oceans & Nine Countries to Arrive Home”, a labour of emotional and intellectual love uncovering the 20th century story of his father’s life.
The Combatants’ Room, named in honour of our Polish Veterans, will host a series of exhibitions including “Polish Treasures in our Calgary Homes” showcasing a collection of fascinating objects originally from Poland that, like their owners, have now found a home in Calgary. We will also have a poster exhibit of “Memorable Polish Albertans”, a display of colourful Polish photo albums as well as what may be the largest map of Poland ever seen in Calgary.
Polish Canadian Heritage Day will be an immersion in Polish culture and an excellent way to learn about your Polish neighbours. If you have a family connection to Poland, it will be a way to learn more about your Polish roots.
Come celebrate Polish Canadian Heritage Day in Alberta with us. ZAPRASZAMY! (We invite you!) www.celebratingpoland.ca
Tony Muszynski, Chair of the Polish Canadian Heritage Day in Alberta 2025 organizing committee
On Saturday, June 08, 2024 we will hold a Polish Flag Raising Ceremony at 11:00 a.m. at the Government of Alberta’s McDougall Centre building at 455 6 St SW in Calgary.
