Łódź welcomed thousands of visitors who celebrated the city’s 600 years of history. Manufaktura, Piotrkowska Street, and other attractions and unique venues in Łódź were bustling with life during the birthday weekend, and the organisers said the number of visitors and event participants exceeded their expectations.
During the 600th anniversary celebrations, Łódź became a place of unusual tourist activity. The city’s jubilee attracted so many guests that the city was almost fully booked, with some venues reaching their capacity a month before the event and remaining visitors immediately booking any rooms that became vacant. Considering the number of all-year-round beds, including those prepared especially for this event, it can be assumed that around 20,000 person-nights were provided in accommodation facilities during the birthday weekend alone. Most guests decided to stay overnight on Friday and Saturday.
Most hotels in the city had 100 per cent occupancy, regardless of market segment. “As hoteliers, we would dream that the celebration of the 600th anniversary of Łódź would last every weekend until the end of the year and even longer,” says Dominik Chrapek, general manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Łódź.
The main attraction during the birthday weekend was Łódź Summer Festival, spread over five stages located all over the city centre. The main stage concerts were bursting at the seams. During the day, crowds flocked to the main tourist attractions: Manufaktura or Piotrkowska Street.
“The birthday weekend was not only an opportunity to listen to concerts from your favourite stars but also to get to know Łódź. We recorded highly increased traffic in Manufaktura on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Vibrant with life and good energy, Manufaktura was a popular tourist attraction last weekend. The attendance on those days exceeded our expectations. For example, the Factory Museum recorded over 200 per cent of visitors. How was the turnout over the weekend? These are increases from 50 per cent to over 150 per cent during those days,” says Monika Długosz-Łempicka, marketing director of Manufaktura in Łódź.
600 years of Łódź all year round
The celebration of the 600th anniversary of the City of Łódź was a great success, attracting a record number of guests. But the city has more offer. Before the end of the summer, the following flagship events will also take place in celebration of Łódź’s birthday:
Freedom Paradewith 17 music platforms, August 26People in Tunemusic festival, September 2–34 KulturSeptember 8–17Light.Move.FestivalSeptember 19–October 1
Łodź as an emerging MICE destination
The city boasts its convention bureau, established in 2017, a specialised division under the Łódź Tourist Organization committed to assisting event planners and organisers. It has previously lent its support and collaborated with event coordinators for notable occasions like Routes Europe 2023, 35th AESOP Congress 2023, CEDE Łódź: Central European Dental Exhibition 2023, EUSA Games Łódź 2022, FIFA World Cup U-20 Poland 2019 and many more
The Łódź Convention Bureau is an ICCA member and stands as one of the seven Polish convention bureaux recommended by the Poland Convention Bureau.
Łódź is a postindustrial city which nowadays bets on modern services, science, and the creative sector. For over ten years now, the city has been experiencing rapid development. New hotels are being opened, entire blocks of the historical centre are being revitalised, and in the 100-hectare heart of the city the New Center of Łódź is growing. A wide selection of high-class conference facilities, including special, historical, and postindustrial buildings, combined with its central location, makes Łódź a convenient place to organise national and international events.
Where is Łódź located in Poland?
Łódź (pronounced “woodge”) is located in central Poland. It is one of the largest cities in the country and serves as the capital of Łódź Voivodeship. The city is situated approximately in the middle of Poland, about 120 kilometres southwest of the capital city, Warsaw.
