Launching in March 2025 and running through November, the UK/Poland Season 2025, initiated by the British Council, features over 100 events across dozens of cities in both countries, celebrating a milestone year in the cultural relationship between Poland and the UK. It opens a new chapter of collaboration, revitalising cultural dialogue and strengthening ties.

For those both in Poland and the UK, the Season offers a unique opportunity to discover the work of the most exciting talent across both nations’ artistic scenes, from film, theatre, and visual arts to design and music.

Events in Poland are organised and funded by the British Council, while in the UK they are led by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, and the British Council. The organisation of the Season in the UK would not be possible without the support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Poland.

UK/Poland Season 2025: Dialogue, Diversity, Diaspora, Digital

Despite three quarters of a million Poles currently living in the UK and Polish being the second most spoken language there, studies show that cultural exchange between Poland and the UK has weakened significantly following Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

It has been 15 years since the first-ever Polish Season in the United Kingdom. Much has changed since then. Both countries have faced new challenges stemming from a dynamically evolving international landscape. The cultural sphere also looks different today, with new institutions, artistic phenomena, and a new generation of creators. The UK/Poland Season 2025 is an opportunity to reinvigorate this exchange. Its primary aim is to strengthen cooperation between the two countries and build new relationships among partner institutions, artists, and audiences. While these goals are closely aligned with those from 15 years ago, they will be pursued in an entirely different reality. We want the creative potential of young artists to be even more visible – said Marta Cienkowska, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, during the press conference announcing the Season.

The Season aims not only to promote culture but also to create a platform for dialogue and collaboration among artists, institutions, and communities. By strengthening connections, challenging national stereotypes, and fostering enduring relationships, the programme embodies values such as tolerance, openness, diversity, and dialogue. Migration is a key theme, reflecting the long-established Polish community in the UK and Poland’s recent role as a haven for people from Ukraine and Belarus. Artists from these countries living and working in Poland form a vital part of its cultural landscape, and their presence is an important aspect of the Season’s programme.

UK/Poland Season 2025 Programme Launch

The Season officially begins in March. In Poland, it will be launched on 5 March with the exhibition St Ives and Elsewhere at the Museum of Art in Łódź, presenting works from the British Council Collection, the Tate collection, and works from Polish museums. The following day, on 6 March, the UK programme begins with the opening of the KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival at the British Film Institute’s flagship cinema BFI Southbank.

Prior to the official launch, two preview events will be held in January in the UK. From 16-19 January, the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall hosts The Employees, a performance by acclaimed Polish director Łukasz Twarkowski, based on Olga Ravn’s dystopian sci-fi epic. On 17 January, London's Barbican will present a specially-curated evening in collaboration with Unsound Festival where Sinfonietta Cracovia will perform a selection of pieces by composer Mica Levi for large-scale string ensemble, alongside appearances by Mabe Fratti and Raphael Rogiński.

Press conference announcing UK/Poland Season 2025, fot. Kuba Celej/IAM

UK/Poland Season 2025 - cultural events in the United Kingdom

From March to November, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute in London and the British Council will present an ambitious UK programme, showcasing more than 27 projects across a range of art forms, including classical music, jazz, experimental music, visual arts, photography, theatre, and film. Events will be in a number of UK cities, including: Edinburgh, Huddersfield, Glasgow, London, Belfast, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Oxford.

Although the full programme will be announced in March, a preview of highlights is provided below:

• The Season opens with the KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival in London, followed by KINOTEKA on Tour Festival, bringing iconic Polish films and new premieres to independent cinemas across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• Acclaimed musicians will take part in a Focus on Poland at the Edinburgh International Festival, one of the world's most prestigious festivals of music, theatre, dance and opera.
• Visual arts programming offers an opportunity to discover both masters of Polish painting and the most exciting names on the contemporary Polish art scene. From March, the National Portrait Gallery will feature works by Stanisław Wyspiański in a new display, while Belfast’s Golden Thread Gallery will host Radical Hope, an exhibition showcasing works by contemporary Polish artists from the Arsenal Gallery in Białystok.
• The Photographers’ Gallery in London will present the work of Zofia Rydet, one of Poland’s most renowned photographers, known for her monumental documentary project Sociological Record.
• In June, the Polish Cultural Institute in London will collaborate with Fleet Street Quarter BID on Designing Tomorrow: Polish Sustainable Design & Business for a Better Future, highlighting the best contemporary Polish design.
• Polish design will also take be in the spotlight in April at the London Design Biennale.

UK/Poland Season 2025 - cultural events in Poland

Initiated by the British Council, the UK/Poland Season 2025 has been in preparation since 2021. Events in Poland will include film, theatre, visual arts, music, literature, and design. Concerts, exhibitions, author meetings, workshops, and other events will be held in numerous Polish cities, including: Gdańsk, Sopot, Bydgoszcz, Poznań, Bolesławiec, Wrocław, Katowice, Łódź, Lublin, Kraków and Warsaw. A preview of highlights from the Polish programme includes:  

• Changes – a collaboration between Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art in Gdańsk and The Box in Plymouth, which will showcase works from the British Council Collection. It draws on the contexts of Poland and the UK, exploring instability as something that unites both countries in the way they face new political environments, climate change, migration, conflict, and issues of freedom and independence.
• Tu i Tam (Here and There) – an exhibition focused on diasporic stories and the history of the Polish diaspora in the UK since 1939, presented by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture in collaboration with Fotofestiwal in Łódź.
• What Is It Like?  – a presentation of bioart, video and audio works, artificial intelligence, virtual worlds and game art, exploring diverse perspectives on the concept of humanity by British and Polish artists at the WRO Art Center in cooperation with Arebyte.
• Togetherness – an opera created in cooperation with artists with disabilities who talk about issues that are important to them (the challenges they face, anger, sadness, exclusion). Their performance is filmed, and the final performance will be projected on the city walls. Presented by Dumbworld and PSONI (Polish Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities).
• Different Sounds – Different Sounds Festival 2025 partners with Cryptic Glasgow to premiere an outdoor sound installation, indoor sound & light sculptures, and live AV performances.

Partners' statements

Olga Brzezińska, Deputy Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, says:

The rich programme in the largest British cities over six months offers only a glimpse of what can be discovered on the Polish cultural scene. Today, Poland is open to diversity, serving as a safe space for creators fleeing war and persecution, and drawing artists from around the world. The UK/Poland Season 2025 is not just an opportunity to learn the about the artists shaping Poland’s current cultural landscape.  We hope this programme will serve as a catalyst for new partnerships, the beginning of inspiring projects, and an invitation for everyone to explore even more.

Rachel Launay, British Council Director in Poland, says:

The UK/Poland Season 2025 programme responds to a strong demand to inject new dynamism into the Polish-British relationship. Our research with cultural institutions across Poland in 2021 revealed a genuine enthusiasm for collaborating with partners from the UK. We firmly believe that art and culture represent powerful tools for strengthening ties between our countries and fostering the emergence of new creative and prosperous collaborations. The aim of the programme is to create fruitful, mutually beneficial connections, foster moments of rich collaboration as well as celebrate the diversity of our two countries. The forty or so activities in Poland the Season comprises focus on promoting cultural and educational exchanges and aiding the emergence of new innovative projects; missions that are at the heart of our work at British Council.

Magdalena Grabianowska, Deputy Director of the Polish Cultural Institute in London, adds:

Poland is a vibrant and dynamic force in the European cultural landscape, with a cutting-edge and progressive sector leading the way. From innovative contemporary art and design to experimental music, theatre, film and culinary scenes, the UK/Poland Season 2025 offers an unparalleled opportunity to show audiences in the UK exactly what makes contemporary Poland stand out as such an impressive and unique cultural destination - proud of its rich cultural heritage, while also forging a vibrant and pioneering new path and open to new connections and collaborations. From March- November 2025 some of Poland’s most exciting creatives will be coming to the UK in 2025 to showcase their work and build new connections. The season is therefore both a platform for inspiration, connection and ongoing collaboration – reigniting strong international relations between the UK and Poland as well as an invitation to come and see and experience the thriving cultural scene that Poland has to offer.

Together, the UK/Poland Season 2025 will celebrate the cultural richness of both nations, fostering enduring connections and encouraging future creative endeavours for years to come.