OFF Piotrkowska Center, a vibrant cultural hub in the heart of Łódź, Poland, hosted a three-day festival of Irish culture to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Find out more here...
The festival, which ran from March 15-17, 2024 featured a variety of fascinating events and activities to promote Galway culture, including:
Exhibition: "This is Galway," a two-part exhibition showcasing Galway, Ireland, past and present. The first part of the exhibition featured photographs from The Lawrence Collection, courtesy of the National Library of Ireland, while the second part featured colorful photographs of contemporary Galway. This exhibition had been curated in partnership with Galway City Museum, an initiative of Galway City Council, and the National Museum of Ireland.
Pop-up shop: An Irish pop-up shop selling traditional Irish goods, including food, clothing, and souvenirs.
Visit from Jp McMahon: A renowned Irish chef and restaurateur, Jp McMahon gave a talk on his philosophy of food and his work with local farmers and suppliers. He also hosted a cooking demonstration.
Special menus: Participating restaurants and pubs offered special menus featuring Irish food and drink.
Ireland's-inspired collections: Local artist boutiques featured collections inspired by Ireland.
The St. Patrick's Day Festival was part of OFF Piotrkowska Center's ongoing commitment to promoting cultural exchange and understanding. The center, which was created by and is managed by Orange Property Professionals, has strong ties to Ireland. The company's Irish roots inspired the festival, which aimed to celebrate Irish culture, stimulate cultural exchange, and create Polish-Irish business bridges.
This festival also showed how much Łódź-born Iwona Alexandra Kwiek loves connecting her hometown with Galway. She's been bringing the two cities together and sharing culture for years, with deep connections to the Galway food and hospitality scene.
The St. Patrick's Day festival took place under the honorary patronage of Patrick Haughey, Ambassador of Ireland to Poland, and Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Łódź.
About OFF Piotrkowska Center
OFF Piotrkowska Center is a place in the very heart of Łódź, an example of excellent and well-thought-out revitalisation that breathed life into a former devastated factory, giving it new functions. Today you can find bustling gardens, great restaurants, fashionable bars, designer boutiques, artistic studios and even a theater here. Right next to it, there are comfortable offices equipped with modern and ecological solutions designed for businesses from the creative and new technology sectors.
Why Ireland in OFF?
Because Orange Property Professionals - the company that created and manages OFF Piotrkowska Center - has Irish roots and strong ties with Ireland. By using them, OPG wants not only to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, stimulate cultural exchange and recall what is common, but also to create Polish-Irish business bridges. In long-term relations with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Dublin and the Embassy of the Republic of Ireland in Warsaw, and during the annual presence at the Dublin Tech Summit, OPG representatives try to be ambassadors of Łódź as a city where it is worth investing, locating and developing businesses. They show their Irish partners what we saw in Łódź two decades ago - development potential, creativity, openness, excellent university facilities and qualified staff, as well as the unique, authentic atmosphere of the city.
