St. Dominic’s Fair

The tradition of St. Dominic’s Fair reaches back to the 13th century. On the last Saturday in July, Gdansk would attract a host of German, French, English and even Spanish and Portuguese merchants. 400 ships with French and Spanish wine, silk, preserves, Portuguese spices, tin and cloth would call at the port. Circus performers, acrobats, jugglers and troupes of actors would arrive from far and near. Today the fair continues to attract tourists and residents, combining the trade fair with a rich agenda of cultural and sports events. The events calendar encompasses a wide range of festivities, concerts and contests on the scale of such European events as Oktoberfest in Munich and Weihnachtsmarkt in Hamburg.