764. The St. Dominic's Fair goes down in history. The 23-day Festival of Wonders brought many unforgettable moments, purchases of fair trinkets, meetings with interesting people, and encounters with culture. The return of one of the largest open-air events in Europe is planned for 26 July – 17 August 2025.
For three summer weeks, Gdańsk was alive with a grand Festival of Wonders, into which the St. Dominic's Fair transformed. Visitors from all over the world came to this unique place, and satisfied exhibitors are already booking their spots for the next edition. However, the St. Dominic's Fair is not just about trade – it's a space where diverse social ideas meet, a place for intergenerational integration, which, like Gdańsk, reflects the spirit of freedom. During the festival of emotions, we learned, relaxed, and discovered. Everyone found something for themselves: seniors relaxed in the Green Lounge, young people engaged in the Equality Festival, and children experienced unforgettable adventures at the Adventure Stop with AmberSky. It is precisely this diversity that makes the St. Dominic's Fair a unique event, where tradition meets modernity, creating a one-of-a-kind Festival of Wonders that will remain in the participants' memories for a long time.
The fair says goodnight
Although the Opening Ceremony, partnered by Energa from the Orlen Group, was still vivid, joyful, surprising in memory, combining history with a modern message, Sunday already brought the time for the Closing Ceremony, which crowned the 764th St. Dominic's Fair. The keys to Gdańsk were handed over by the merchants to the authorities. The exhibitors will register for them again on the last Saturday of July 2025. The fair „said” goodnight, as cushions were thrown towards the audience at the end of the ceremony.
Thank you to the residents of Gdańsk, as well as visitors, vendors, and especially our closest neighbours to the event, for creating a wonderful atmosphere during the 23 days of the 764th St. Dominic's Fair. One of the best open-air events in Europe once again throbbed with life, trade, good food, but above all, it was a place where we could meet, talk about many important matters, or simply have a good time. We are already looking forward to the next edition of the St. Dominic's Fair next year – she said. Izabela Kuś, Treasurer of the City of Gdańsk.
Before the official closing ceremony of the St. Dominic's Fair, institutions competing for the Dominik Kultury award were honoured. This is a special distinction for those who, with passion and commitment, shared their artistic and creative talents with Fair visitors. This year, the event was supported by: Muzeum Gdańska, Miejski Teatr Miniatura, Capella Gedanensis, Wojewódzka i Miejska Biblioteka Publiczna, Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury, and Gdański Archipelag Kultury, Fundacja Nowa Strefa Kultury, Fundacja Nowe Idzie od Morza, and Akademia Zabawy i Edukacji Wykrzyknik.
The Dominik Kultury competition awards were given by the judging panel: the first prize went to Teatr Miniatura – a voucher worth PLN 7,000, the second prize was awarded to the Provincial and Municipal Public Library in Gdańsk – a voucher worth PLN 3,000, and a special mention went to Cappella Gedanensis.
The winners of the St. Dominic's Fair Grand Prix were also announced, which for the first time was decided in three categories. The Grand Prix Good Idea was awarded to Dariusz Ogłaza – ZESTRUGANE.pl for wooden excellence – cutting and serving boards. Two commendations were also awarded to: Art – AZ for the world of textiles and In the Whirl of Collage – Łukasz Kuleta for artistic collages.
Grand Prix Good Treat The product won Mr. Trójniak by Meadway for regional mead with the addition of pepper and elderflower. However, the commendation went to Ottoman Temptations for traditional Turkish sweets according to the original recipe.
This year's new feature was the refresh of the Good Taste category. Six market traders competed in a live cooking competition, and they were judged by: Andrzej Polan i Sebastian Cichy, which means authorities in the world of gastronomy and also Councillor of the City of Gdańsk Peter Wild Boar and Vice-President of the Gdańsk International Fair Paweł Orłowski.
The accolades in this category went to: Azimy – for pilaf and Council Cellars – for fried herring. The Grand Prix was awarded to Cuban chef RC Reinaldo. – for ropa vieja, which is shredded beef with yellow rice.
The Grand Prix winners received statuettes, vouchers worth PLN 5,000 for purchasing a stall at the St. Dominic's Fair 2025, and commemorative diplomas. Meanwhile, the honourable mentions were awarded vouchers from Polferries – for a cruise to Sweden – and commemorative diplomas. In the Good Taste category, the honourable mentions and winners also received gifts from Lubiana Tableware Factory.
St. Dominic's Fair is not just about awards, haggling, or fun, but also a place for social action, for offering help, and for creating community and good practices. The main sponsor of the event – the AmberSky Observation Wheel, and the organisers – Międzynarodowe Targi Gdańskie, once again got involved in the 'Wheel of Dreams' initiative. During the Fair, at the AmberSky Adventure Stop, there was a place where people could leave their dreams written on a piece of paper. Over 3,000 of them found their way into the special boxes!
The transfer of 36 drawn dreams took place on Sunday, at the AmberSky Adventure Stop. Meanwhile, during the Closing Ceremony of the Fair on the Courtyard of Artus Court, a dream was realised: the transfer of food for four-legged friends from the Promyk shelter. The shelter's representative received a voucher worth 10,000 PLN from Ms. Oliwia, who put the dream into the Dream Wheel, and from the dream's patron – the AmberSky Ferris Wheel and the International Gdańsk Fair – the Vice-President of MTG, Paweł Orłowski. The small and big dreams of the Fair participants were made possible thanks to the cooperation with the AmberSky Ferris Wheel, Gdańsk Tourist Organisation, Gdańsk Shipping Company, Lechia Gdańsk, and the Wykrzyknik Academy of Play and Education.
FESTIVAL HITS
613 exhibitors across 760 stands encouraged visitors to buy, bargain, or seek inspiration from their creations – including those of a gastronomic nature. Spanning over 60,000 sq m2 Visitors found wonders such as pierogi-shaped accessories sold by an exhibitor from the United States. Ceramics from Uzbekistan and a perfume manufacturer attracted significant interest. In the food stalls, extremely popular were: pasta with parmesan or Cuban cuisine – the Grand Prix winner in the Good Taste category.
Inspirations also came from special market streets, where one could make unique purchases in the form of modern posters, paintings, jewellery, or original clothing.
– It is very difficult to hand over the keys to the city, as we hear from many sides that it was a successful time. We will try to make next year's St. Dominic's Fair just as rich in positive emotions, although it will certainly be difficult to match this year's event. We had wonderful moments, such as the engagement during the Opening Ceremony. There were, of course, many more emotions – thanks to both the cultural and commercial parts of the Fair. See you at St. Dominic's Fair in 2025. We will do everything in our power to make it even more memorable – he said Paweł Orłowski, Vice-President of the Gdańsk International Fair.
CULTURAL EMOTIONS, OR MARKET STOPS
For the first time in the history of the St. Dominic's Fair, it consisted of five thematic stops. To the well-known from previous years: Adventure Stop with AmberSky (here, for the first time in the Fair's history, the stop's title partner also appeared), Taste Stop, Equality Stop, Gdańsk Port Under Sails Stop (the second in history with a title partner), the Retro Stop was added next to the collectors' zone.
Adventure Stop with AmberSky The youngest participants of the St. Dominic's Fair took over. Here, over 600 children „issued” their Traveller's Passports, and almost 900 children took part in special workshops. The aforementioned Wheel of Dreams was also located here. At the Adventure with AmberSky Stop, the main sponsor of the event invited guests to the Zone of Permanent Attractions: a riddle maze, a sensory cube, a relaxation zone, string art creation, the Treasure Hunter – a rapid river raft ride – a house with a VR simulator, and the Gdańsk Carousel. Permanent attractions also included the AmberSky Ferris Wheel and the Spinning Barrels spinning coaster located on Ołowianka. The Fairytale Corner, supported by Helios Cinema, also took place at the Adventure with AmberSky Stop.
Taste Stop – as the only one without a stage for the daily programme, but with a beautiful relaxation zone located at Skwer Świętopełka – it attracted not only culinary fans, but also those who wanted to relax between shopping. It was here that the charity event "Silent Meadow of Flavours" took place, during which over £4,300 was raised for the Hospice Foundation. We also hosted the Cities and Regions Zone and the Radio Zet studio at Skwer Świętopełka.
Equality Stop It hosted many fair holidays, such as: Bread Festival, Volunteer Festival (a charity collection also took place here), Equality Festival, Social Economy Festival, or Pomeranian Craftsmanship Festival. It was a place for intergenerational meetings, discussions on important topics, concerts, artistic performances, and a good time. Thanks to the support of Gdańsk Water and Sewerage Infrastructure, the well-known and liked Concerts Under the Stars took place here. Part of the stop was the Green Lounge for Seniors, whose partner became Ikea. A special programme was implemented there from Monday to Friday. And all this in cooperation with, among others, the Youth City Council and the Gdańsk Senior Council. As many as 33 organisations participated in the activities in the Senior Zone, including 5 senior clubs: Tęcza, Wzgórze Radości, X Muza, Senioryci and Mróweczki. Meanwhile, as many as 23 kg of amber were poured into the nearby Amber Fisher and almost 1,100 fisherman certificates were issued. Partners of Przystanek Równość were: Live More.Pomerania and the City of Gdańsk.
Gdańsk Shipyard "Under Sails" stop At Ołowianka, there are mainly music cycles: Jazz on the Island or Summer Sounds. The open-air cinema was located here, and the Football Film Festival and the broadcast of the final Olympic Games match featuring the Polish volleyball team took place. This year, for the first time, the stop gained its title sponsor, which was Port Gdańsk. Thanks to its support, cultural activities were held at the stop.
All the stops mentioned above were connected to food and shopping areas.
Fifth Retro Stop it was a place to return to the 1970s and 80s – thanks, among other things, to a great fashion show or an exhibition of vintage Polish cars. The show hosted stars of the TV show Treasure Hunters, who spoke about their fascination with antiques or items with soul, and Arkadiusz Woźniak ran item auctions.
FESTIVAL ATMOSPHERE
This year's edition of the St. Dominic's Fair was characterised by a festival atmosphere. The daytime programme featured over 200 larger and smaller events. It began with a slightly refreshed Opening Ceremony, which included, among other things, a proposal on stilts by actors playing the roles of Fortune and Hermes.
The fair scenes hosted 63 musical events, one of which took place on a six-person bicycle. In addition, there were 21 theatre events and over 60 aimed at children. 54 workshops were held, and audiences watched 11 feature films on the cinema screen.
The attention of visitors was also captured by a flash mob performed by four jazz musicians, who, playing jazz in the market streets, promoted the November Inside Seaside festival taking place at AMBEREXPO.
FAIR POMERANIA
Promoting the region is also one of the main aims of the St. Dominic's Fair. In cooperation with the Pomeranian Voivodeship Marshal's Office, Pomeranian Street was created on Szeroka Street. This unique place tempted visitors with regional delicacies and natural products. It was possible to meet Pomeranian artisans there with their beautiful handicrafts. Stalls also offered products and services from entities that combine economics with social sensitivity.
– We are now inviting you to Uliczka Pomorska during the St. Dominic's Fair 2025. It is a great place promoting our region and showcasing its assets. We are delighted that we can encourage people to visit Pomerania in such an original way – says Adam Gawrylik, member of the Management Board of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
The Pomerania Development Agency, coordinator of the Live more. Pomerania campaign, was also present at the St. Dominic's Fair. This initiative aims to highlight the advantages of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in other regions and abroad by promoting its opportunities for work, study, and life. The project showcases the offerings of the Pomeranian labour market in key, developing sectors. It builds bridges between business and science, and works towards improving professional qualifications and creating dream development paths. Live more. Pomerania demonstrates broad career prospects intersecting with an exciting lifestyle. It's not just a labour market, it's a vibrant playground for innovation. Pomerania is a region that combines cutting-edge technology and start-up enthusiasm with a vibrant cultural heritage seasoned with sand, wind, and water.
EXPRESS DISASSEMBLY
Once again, at a record pace, the fair infrastructure will disappear from the streets of Gdańsk. Dismantling will begin on Monday, August 19th. On this day, the roundabout at Podwale Staromiejskie, near Podmłyńska and Pańska streets, will be reopened to drivers. On August 21st-22nd, cars will enter Rajska Street again. The final dismantling works will be completed on August 25th, and from August 26th, the summer traffic organisation will return.
