Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP) Grand Finale 2027

The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity — Wielka Orkiestra Swiatecznej Pomocy, universally known as WOSP — holds its annual Grand Finale each January, and the 2027 edition will be the 33rd time Poles across the country have come together for what has become one of Europe’s most remarkable civic fundraising events. Founded in 1993 by musician and activist Jerzy Owsiak, WOSP started as a one-day collection to buy medical equipment for children’s cardiac wards. It has since raised over 2 billion zloty in total and equipped hospitals across Poland with thousands of pieces of specialist equipment.

What Happens on the Day

The Grand Finale takes place simultaneously across hundreds of Polish cities and towns, as well as Polish communities abroad. Tens of thousands of volunteers — many of them teenagers and young adults — take to the streets wearing red WOSP lanyards and carrying collection tins and jars. You will see them at tram stops, markets, shopping centres, and outside churches. Anyone can drop coins or notes into a collector’s tin, and the tradition is to receive a small red heart sticker in return.

Throughout the day, WOSP stages open-air concerts and entertainment in city centres. Warsaw’s stage is typically at one of the larger squares or arenas; Krakow, Gdansk, Wroclaw, and Poznan all run their own local concerts in parallel. The music runs from midday through the evening and covers pop, rock, and folk acts.

The day ends with the famous “light a heart” ceremony: at a set time in the evening, Owsiak raises a giant illuminated heart on stage in Warsaw, and crowds across Poland light torches, phone screens, or sparklers in response. It is genuinely moving to watch, even if you understand only a little of the Polish commentary.

Practical Information

Entry to all outdoor WOSP events and concerts is free. If you want to contribute to the fundraiser, drop any amount into a collector’s tin — there is no minimum. Some collectors also auction donated items or experiences during the day; these can be followed on the WOSP website.

The exact venue for the main Warsaw stage is announced a few weeks before the event. Check wosp.org.pl for confirmed locations in the cities you are visiting. Public transport runs as normal on this Sunday.

January in Poland is cold — expect temperatures between -5°C and 3°C — so dress accordingly. The outdoor concerts are well worth attending despite the cold; most stage areas have food and warm drink vendors nearby.

If you are in Poland on the Grand Finale Sunday, we recommend spending at least an hour among the collectors and the crowds. It gives a genuine window into Polish civic life that most visitors never see. For more on visiting Poland in January, see our January travel guide.