Montreal's Parc Jeanne-Mance will host a Polish festival with pierogies, beer and donuts

Parc Jeanne-Mance is adding red and white to its usual green this summer, hosting a day-long Polish picnic complete with the best of Poland’s bites and brews.

Polski Piknik will bring together performers, music and food vendors for a one-day celebration of the local Polish community and culture. Organizers promise BBQ sausages, pierogi, ribs and cabbage, schnitzel sandwiches, pączki (donuts), and drinks, including "Poland's most popular beer and an award-winning Polish vodka."

For the first time, an indoor component on Friday will see a selection of musical performances at the Ukrainian National Federation Hall. You can catch the album debut of Slavic dub-punk group Dumai Dunai along with other artists like Dusty Brass, Sumak Brass Band and DJ Risa starting at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event start at $24.89.

The following day in the park will be full of free activities, with a continued musical lineup that represents Eastern European traditions and sounds with Serbian and Macedonian wedding tunes, traditional Slavic folk songs, a live accordian player, and even a klezmer band.

This will be the fifth edition of the picnic and its third year in Parc Jeanne-Mance.

A quintet performs as audience members look on at a previous edition of Polski Piknik at Au Pied du Courant.Courtesy of Polski Piknik

“We’re so happy to once again host Polski Piknik and showcase the rich variety of Polish culture and the incredible artists we have in our community," festival director Martyna Turczynowicz stated in a press release.

"We’re honoured to contribute to the rich mosaic of Montreal’s diverse communities, a really special part of the city’s dynamic, and to come together to celebrate culture."

Polski Piknik is one of several food festivals returning to the city this year. Japanese food and cultural event YATAI MTL (June 13 to 16), Vietnamese night market Chợ Đêm (July 18 to 21), and Korean street food fest POCHA MTL (August 8 to 11) are all set to take to the Peel Basin in Griffintown this spring and summer.

Further east, the Montreal Old Port will host the Fiesta Latina edition of Premiers Vendredis food truck festival (August 2 to 4) and the annual Taco Fest.

So, keep napkins handy and your appetite open — Montreal's global kitchen is just getting started for the season.