Gdansk Neighbourhood Days

Gdańsk Neighbours' Days were a celebration of residents, their neighbourhoods, housing communities and backyards. Every year in late spring, for several weeks, they offered Gdansk residents support in organising neighbourly meetings, festivals or picnics. They were an excuse to get to know one's neighbours: the joint organisation of even the simplest event or meeting provided an opportunity to build bonds and integrate, and provided an impulse for the implementation of further initiatives connected with the immediate neighbourhood. The Gdańsk Neighbours' Days project was implemented by IKM until 2022.

History of Gdańsk Neighbourhood Days

Under the umbrella of the Gdansk Neighbours' Days, events were held to show that with the simple gesture of inviting neighbours to a meeting or a shared meal, new friendships can be made and local bonds strengthened. By organising time together in your backyard, you can get to know and like each other better - regardless of age or background.

The idea of Neighbourhood Day was born in France in 1999. Members of the European Federation of Local Solidarity (EFLS) noticed that people were becoming increasingly distant from each other and that social bonds were loosening. A neighbourhood festival was intended to change this. The EFLS idea was a success - since 2004 the holiday has been celebrated throughout Europe and is spreading around the world year by year.

The idea of a neighbourhood festival came to Gdańsk in 2006. The first to organise a meeting with neighbours was Danuta Poczman with the Stara Oliwa Association. The Institute of Urban Culture has been responsible for the event since 2009. However, in fact, the organisers of the Gdańsk Neighbours' Days have always been the residents of Gdańsk - it is they who have prepared neighbourhood meetings in their neighbourhood. In doing so, they benefited from the support of the City Culture Institute: promotional materials, starter packs, guides.

Under the banner of the Gdansk Neighbours' Days, dozens to over 200 events for up to 25,000 people have taken place in Gdansk and the region every year.

Deadline

Gdańsk Neighbourhood Days were held every year in May/June. IKM was their organiser from 2009 to 2020.