Free bilingual festival at the Focolare Centre on Saturday 14 November, 10.30am to 7pm: nearly 40 writers and artists, a children's panel and live music.
A new British-Polish arts festival opens at the Focolare Centre for Unity on Parkway, Welwyn Garden City, on Saturday 14 November, running from 10.30am to 7pm. Entry is free. Polish Artists Showcase brings nearly 40 writers and artists to one room for a day of poetry readings, author interviews, book stalls and an exhibition, followed by two hours of live music in the evening.
It is the first time the festival has been held. Its motto is “Two Languages, One Culture”, and the point, the organisers say, is that you do not need to speak Polish to enjoy it: many of the authors write in English or have translated their books, and the two discussion panels are in English.
Who is behind it
The festival was founded and is run by Renata Kolas, an author from Hemel Hempstead. According to the festival’s spokesperson, Kamil Kolas, it began as talk of a book fair in Hatfield, and she widened it into a festival of literature, painting, photography, poetry and music.
He says Welwyn Garden City was chosen because she wanted the event to have strong ties to the local Hertfordshire community, and that the Focolare Centre, “with its emphasis on dialogue and bringing people together, provides a particularly fitting setting.”
In her own words:
“I wanted to create an event where British audiences could discover the work of Polish artists who live and create here in the United Kingdom. Many of our authors write in English or publish English translations of their books. I believe that language differences should never prevent people from enjoying art and literature. That is exactly why our festival motto is ‘Two Languages, One Culture’.”
The Mayor of Welwyn Hatfield, Councillor Michał Siewniak, will attend. The guest of honour is Simon Ellinas, a British cartoonist, caricaturist and illustrator whose work, the organisers say, has appeared in British and international publications. He will be interviewed on stage about his career, from an early fascination with drawing and portraiture to working as a cartoonist and illustrator.
The programme
The day runs in two parts.
10.30am to 4.30pm: literature, visual arts and meet the artists
- 10.30am to 11am, children’s panel (Polish and English). The festival opens with the roles reversed: instead of an adult interviewing an author, children put their own questions to children’s writers, in either language, about books, favourite characters and what being an author is like. Renata Kolas chose the format, the organisers say, in the hope that talking directly to writers in an informal setting will get children reading more.
- 11am to 11.15am, poetry reading: Halina Ledzianowska, a Polish poet and author, in Polish.
After that, with no times yet given for each slot, the programme lists:
- an interview with Róża Wigeland, a writer and visual artist;
- a poetry reading by Artur Wielgus, who also writes songs and plays music;
- an interview with Beata Anyaele about photography and visual expression;
- a second reading by Halina Ledzianowska;
- an interview and poetry reading with Anna Maria Mickiewicz, a poet, writer and publisher associated with Literary Waves Publishing;
- the interview with guest of honour Simon Ellinas;
- a second reading by Artur Wielgus;
- a closing interview with Łukasz Pietraszkiewicz, a Polish author and co-organiser of the Polish Authors’ Book Fair in London. The organisers say he reached the final of the 2015 UK Top Model competition, winning the Charity Public Vote Award in the men’s category. His novel Świat się pomylił (The World Got It Wrong) is being prepared in English, and may launch at the festival if the edition is ready in time.
Two discussions in English sit alongside the readings. Words Without Borders: Storytelling, Identity and Translation looks at how literature moves between languages and finds new readers. Two Languages, One Cultural Space asks how artistic traditions have shaped each other, and whether art can keep its national roots while belonging to a wider international tradition.
All day, authors will be at stalls selling their own books, across children’s books, poetry, contemporary fiction, crime and psychological thrillers, and a separate area will show paintings, illustration and photography, with the artists on hand to talk about their work.
5pm to 7pm: live music
The evening is a songwriters’ session of original music, with performances by Natalia “Naśka” Kukowska, Rafał Wykręt, Dolores Buba and Artur Wielgus.
Everyone taking part
The organisers sent this list of the 37 writers and artists taking part: Anna Bengueddah, Dolores Buba, Tomasz Buraczek, Kasia Domagała, Monika Dybowska, Wiesław Fałkowski, Wojciech Filaber, Piotr Gabryelski, Anna Grzybowska-Kłosińska, Raphael Horn, Lena Jones, Renata Kamińska, R. B. Kolas, Marta Kołodziejska, Natalia “Naśka” Kukowska, Halina Ledzianowska, Andrzej Lisak, Dariusz Łyczak, Anna Maria Mickiewicz, M. L. Arden, Małgorzata Mrozińska, Ola Mucha, Marzena Niewiadomska, Katarzyna Nosal, Anna Partyka-Judge, Łukasz Pietraszkiewicz, Izabela Redesiuk, Alex Sławiński, Iza Smolarek, B. M. W. Sobol, Gregory Spis, Anna Uliwiak-Zaporowska, Artur Wielgus, Róża Wigeland, Agnieszka Willcox, Rafał Wykręt and Regina Wasiak-Taylor.
Two literary organisations are also taking part: Literary Waves Publishing and the Association of Polish Writers Abroad (Związek Pisarzy Polskich na Obczyźnie).
What it means for you
- When: Saturday 14 November 2026, 10.30am to 7pm. Doors open at 10.30am.
- Where: Focolare Centre for Unity, 69 Parkway, Welwyn Garden City AL8 6JG. The festival posters say parking is free.
- Cost: free, with no booking mentioned. You can stay all day or drop in for a single reading, panel or the evening music.
- Who it is for: the organisers say it is not only for Polish speakers but for families, readers and anyone curious about new writers and artists from Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead and across Hertfordshire.
- Children: come for 10.30am if they want to question the authors; they can ask in English or Polish.
For more on the festival, the organisers can be reached at kamilkolas.pas@outlook.com. For more going on locally, see things to do in Welwyn Garden City and, if you are driving into the town centre the same day, parking in Welwyn Garden City.
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