Empowering conversations with Natalia de Barbaro, an extraordinary musical project bringing together Maria Peszek and Bartek Wąsik with a Renaissance poet… This year, the Witches section reaches far beyond the framework of traditional workshops. We invite you to celebrate womanhood across many dimensions of experience – on Midsummer Night and beyond.

The culmination of the programme will take place during the night of 23–24 June. On the banks of the Warta River, from dusk until dawn, we will gather to celebrate Midsummer Night – the traditional Slavic festival of fire, water, and love. The festivities will begin with Song of a Summer Night: Peszek and Wąsik Perform Kochanowski – a unique concert by Maria Peszek and Bartek Wąsik, presenting contemporary interpretations of Jan Kochanowski’s Pieśń świętojańska o Sobótce (A Midsummer Night Song of Sobótka).

In Malta’s programme, we are interested in the Witch not as a fairytale figure, but as the one who knows – a symbol of intuition, independence, courage, and a profound connection to nature and community says Dominika Kulczyk, patron of Malta Festival and initiator of the programme. We want to create a space for conversations about contemporary female spirituality – without simplifications, stereotypes, or exoticisation. A spirituality which, once given a voice, can empower us in many areas of our lives, adds the curator of the Witches section. 

The Festival Club will become a hub for discussions on the power of intuition. On 23 June, Agnieszka Szydłowska will join Natalia de Barbaro, Dominika Kulczyk, and Maria Peszek for a conversation about the role of spirituality in everyday life, intuition as a potential superpower, and why so many women today are returning to spiritual practices in search of a deeper connection with themselves. The following day will feature the interactive gathering Spiritual Health & Safety, during which Natalia de Barbaro and Agnieszka Szydłowska – together with you, the audience – will reflect on how to approach spirituality consciously and assertively without losing oneself in the world of popular self-development. 

Midsummer Night will also be illuminated by the concert Song of a Summer Night: Peszek and Wąsik Perform Kochanowski – the remarkable collaborative project of Maria Peszek and Bartek Wąsik. The artistic duo has created twelve original contemporary compositions while preserving Jan Kochanowski’s text in its entirety. Despite the 440 years that will have passed since the work’s first publication by 2026, the poet’s words still resonate with striking immediacy.

This unique event will take place on the stage of KontenerART, from where we will move to the riverside meadow in the Old Warta Riverbed. A traditional bonfire will be lit, flower wreaths will drift along the water, and at sunrise we will gather for a morning session of Slavic gymnastics.

The Witches Tent on the Warta meadow will become a space for discovering ancient traditions and contemporary women’s practices. The programme includes intuitive Slavic gymnastics, the art of tantra, flower and herbal wreath-making, and sessions devoted to the ancient tradition of storytelling. Visitors will also be able to sample original herbal infusions and explore the historical roots of fortune-telling practices that continue to echo through popular culture.

Meanwhile, the Festival Club will host workshops inspired by the ancient archetype of the goddess Hecate, intuitive dance sessions incorporating elements of ballroom and voguing, natural voice workshops, as well as a relaxing gong concert combined with workshops focused on the holistic awakening of inner strength.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Admission to all events is free. No advance registration is required; however, due to limited capacity for workshops, arriving early is recommended.

Accessibility:

Visitors with disabilities may request support from an assistant or audio describer by contacting: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl

Locations:

Witches Tent – Warta Riverside Meadow (next to the Chwaliszewo water tram stop)

Festival Club – 44 Ratajczaka Street

The full programme of the Witches section can be found HERE.