While traditional aspects of the Midsummer (Wianki) festival remain respected, the event has become an excuse for a giant party, with live music, open-air markets and firework displays taking place around Wawel Castle. July sees the annual jazz festival (www.cracjazz.com), an event which draws 20,000 music buffs to stages across the city. Come the year’s end, the town’s main market square is transformed into a sprawling Christmas market; one speciality is szopki, intricate constructions of Nativity scenes made from papier mâché and foil.

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