On Tuesday, Malta Festival turns its focus to spirituality, community and the celebration of Midsummer Night. The day’s programme explores our relationship with nature, shared traditions, women’s spirituality and the ways people seek connection and a sense of belonging in the contemporary world.

From 9:00, the area by the Warta River will be home to the Witches’ Tent – a space for encounters, rest and discovering both ancient traditions and contemporary practices connected with women’s spirituality. Visitors will be able to sample Sara’s Herbal Infusions, created by herbalist and ethnobotanist Sara Grolewska-Szymczak, and take part in Slavic Gymnastics, a movement practice led by Rita Małgorzata Daniło-Gorlewicz. At 12:00, participants will gather once again by the river to weave traditional Midsummer wreaths, a symbol of nature, cyclicality and renewal.

One of the day’s key events will be How Does Spirituality Empower Us? at 16:00 in the Festival Club. Dominika Kulczyk, Natalia de Barbaro, Maria Peszek and Agnieszka Szydłowska will discuss the search for meaning, intuition, community and inner balance in a world increasingly shaped by uncertainty and overstimulation. The conversation will also revisit the figure of the Witch – not as a stereotype, but as a symbol of female strength, independence and agency.

Freedom Square remains one of the festival’s most important gathering places. It is home to a performative installation by Kulczyk Foundation built around the pulsating neon message “Every one of us goes through it. Naturally.” The installation invites visitors to stop for a moment and engage with experiences that are both deeply personal and widely shared. Combining visual impact with emotional resonance, it encourages reflection on women’s bodies, life transitions, and the importance of speaking openly about what is natural and universal. 

At 17:00 in Freedom Square, audiences will have their first chance to experience The Air Between Us, an outdoor aerial performance by New Zealand choreographer Chloe Loftus and Florent Devlesaver. Combining technical precision with emotional intimacy, the piece explores trust, partnership and interdependence, building a moving choreography around difference, support and human connection.

Half an hour later, at 17:30 in the Festival Club, readers and literature lovers are invited to join a Book Rave centred on Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Rather than a traditional literary event, the gathering offers a shared reading experience built around conversation, listening and collective reflection. The Book Rave will be led by Michał Nogaś and the book’s translator, Kaja Gucio.

Tuesday also marks the last opportunity to see several festival favourites. The final performance of Épiphytes by Cie des Chaussons Rouges will take place at 18:00 in Freedom Square, while Dolls House by Tadeusz Pyrczak can be seen for the last time at 19:00 at the Teatr Polski in Poznań. La Mort de la Mer by CocoRosie, one of the standout events of this year’s festival, will also have its final two performances in the Great Hall of CK Zamek at 14:00 and 19:00. 

Music takes centre stage in the evening. At 21:30, KontenerART will host a free public concert by Maria Peszek and Bartek Wąsik: Song of a Summer Night. Peszek and Wąsik Perform Kochanowski. A unique reinterpretation of Pieśń świętojańska o Sobótce (A Midsummer Night Song of Sobótka) by Jan Kochanowski. The Renaissance masterpiece is reimagined through contemporary musical language, becoming a meditation on nature, love, community and celebration.

And when the concert ends, the day will continue rather than conclude. At 22:30 by the Warta River, participants will gather for Midsummer Night on the Warta River – an overnight celebration inspired by ancient Slavic traditions. With bonfires, wreath-floating ceremonies and communal rituals lasting until sunrise, it will be an opportunity to experience one of the most magical moments of the festival.

For those who prefer a cinematic ending to the day, Women’s Cinema returns at 21:30 in the Stary Browar Park with a screening of My Wonderful Life by Łukasz Grzegorzek, starring Agata Buzek. Following the film, audiences will have the opportunity to meet the actress and producer Natalia Grzegorzek.

See you at Malta!

To Love!