With just under four weeks to go until the opening night, the Polish Jazz Festival is preparing to bring more than two weeks of Polish music and culture to London, with a programme spanning jazz, folk, classical, and experimental music.
Taking place across Cadogan Hall, Union Chapel and Kings Place, the second edition of the festival brings together some of the leading figures in Polish jazz alongside a new generation of artists helping to shape the country’s contemporary music scene.
From legendary vocalist Urszula Dudziak and acclaimed pianist Leszek Możdżer to contemporary innovators EABS, Wojtek Mazolewski, Marcin Masecki and Kosmonauci, the festival offers a snapshot of the breadth and vitality of Polish jazz today, while also looking beyond jazz to explore the wider Polish musical and cultural landscape.
One of the festival’s major highlights will come on the opening night at Cadogan Hall on September 11th, when EABS will perform Wstęp Wzbroniony, the landmark collaboration between Tomasz Stańko and Andrzej Trzaskowski, in what will be the first-ever live performance of the work. They will be joined by the Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet, who will premiere new material alongside special guests.
The following evening, September 12th, brings two very different generations of Polish music to Cadogan Hall. One of Poland’s most celebrated artists, Kayah, will present Jazzayah, a new project reimagining her repertoire through jazz, while legendary vocalist Urszula Dudziak makes a rare London appearance, drawing on a career spanning more than six decades and collaborations with artists including Krzysztof Komeda, Herbie Hancock, Bobby McFerrin and Sting.
One of the clearest examples of the festival’s breadth comes on September 13th at Union Chapel, where Warsaw Jazz Takeover brings together three very different perspectives on Poland’s capital. Emerging trio HVMBLE represent a new generation of musicians working across jazz, improvisation and experimental music; acclaimed pianist and composer Marcin Masecki occupies the space between jazz, classical and contemporary experimental music; while internationally celebrated Warsaw Village Band draw on Polish folk traditions and combine them with improvisation and contemporary influences.
Later in the festival, Cadogan Hall hosts the UK premiere of Chopin Residue, an ambitious multidisciplinary project reimagining Chopin through experimental electronics, improvisation and contemporary composition, followed by Leszek Możdżer: An Evening with Komeda, a tribute to the legendary composer and pianist Krzysztof Komeda.
The festival concludes at Kings Place on September 27th with Kosmonauci, one of the most exciting young groups to emerge from Poland’s new jazz generation, combining jazz with hip-hop, drum & bass and improvisation.
The Polish Jazz Festival was established to showcase the depth and continuing evolution of a musical tradition that has played a significant role in shaping European jazz since the 1950s. From Komeda, Tomasz Stańko and Michał Urbaniak to today’s emerging artists, Polish jazz has developed a distinctive identity while continually absorbing influences from across contemporary music.
Following a sold-out and critically acclaimed inaugural edition, the festival returns in 2026 as both a celebration of this heritage and a window onto the contemporary Polish scene.
The Polish Jazz Festival 2026 takes place across London from September 11th – 27th. Presented in partnership with the Polish Tourism Organisation and Warsaw Tourism Organisation, and co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.