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New Year's Eve in Zakopane 2026: The Concert, Sleigh Rides and Getting Back
The Zakopane New Year programme gives you a free concert on Górna Równia Krupowa on 31 December, sleigh parties that run from 20:30 to 01:00 and a year-round fireworks ban. This guide compares the ways to spend the night, the rules and how to get back.
Quick answer Concert, sleigh party and fireworks rule
On 31 December the town runs a free concert on Górna Równia Krupowa with Dawid Kwiatkowski, InoRos and Caribe Soul Band, and fireworks are banned in public spaces all year. Book a sleigh party or a hotel package early, because lodging is sold in multi-night packages.
Key takeaways
- The concert is free, so the paid choice is a sleigh party. For a regular evening ride, see the Chochołowska Valley sleigh ride at $90.
- For a warm-up day, the snowmobile ride with bonfire at $22 takes 3-4 hours with hotel pickup.
- Fireworks and firecrackers are banned in public spaces, so plan the midnight around a concert, a party or a toast.
- Compare every trip you can book around the holiday at zakopane tours.
What happens on new year's Eve in Zakopane?
A free town concert on Górna Równia Krupowa runs from 31 December into 1 January, while sleigh parties, hotel balls and baths run their own programmes.
The Zakopane New Year programme has one big public event and several paid ones. Most visitors pick one and build the day around it.
The public event
The city's concert, Sylwester w Zakopanem ESKA Music Tour, takes place on 31 December and 1 January on Górna Równia Krupowa. It is open and free for all participants. TVP's televised show, Sylwester z Dwójką, is announced for Katowice, not Zakopane.
The City of Zakopane, the Zakopane Cultural Centre and Radio ESKA organise it.
The paid alternatives
A sleigh party in the Chochołowska Valley, a hotel ball and a restaurant dinner fill the same night. A calmer midnight is possible on Gubałówka, in a hotel or on a sleigh ride instead of the busiest stretch of the promenade.
Source: Town of Zakopane.
The Wielka Krokiew ski jump in Zakopane at night. Photo: Radek Kucharski, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Which way of spending New Year's Eve in Zakopane suits you?
Pick the concert if you want it free and loud, the sleigh party if you want a bonfire, the hotel ball if you want it quiet and warm.
Five ways to spend the night, side by side. Prices come from the sources named under the table.
Compare the five options
The sleigh party and hotel packages are the ones to book now.
| Way | Hours | Price band | Book now? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free town concert | Last edition: gates about 18:00, concert 19:00, end about 01:30 | Free | Nothing to book |
| Sleigh party with bonfire | Departs Zakopane 20:30, back at 01:00 | Ask the operator | Yes, sleighs are 4-person |
| Hotel ball package | Multi-night, arrivals often 27 or 29 December | Ask the operator | Yes, packages are on sale |
| Quiet midnight on Gubałówka | Funicular ride takes about 3 minutes | Return 37 PLN online in the low season | Check the last ride first |
| Thermal baths promotion | 5 hours, 31 December to 1 January | 59 PLN per person at Terma Bania | Check the baths' site |
The bath option
Terma Bania in Białka Tatrzańska sells its New Year's Eve promotion at 59 PLN per person for 5 hours, from 31 December to 1 January. It has 15 pool basins and 2,400 m2 of water surface, and its listed hours are 9:00 to 22:00, so confirm what the promotion covers. A Szos-Mig minibus runs from the Zakopane bus station to Białka Tatrzańska Szkoła, the stop for the baths.
Sources: Town of Zakopane, Terma Bania.
When is the free New Year's Eve concert and who plays?
The concert runs from 31 December into 1 January on Górna Równia Krupowa, with Dawid Kwiatkowski, InoRos and Caribe Soul Band announced.
The town has announced the line-up and the venue, and it publishes the running order closer to the night.
Line-up and timings
The announced line-up is Dawid Kwiatkowski, InoRos, Caribe Soul Band and Zakopane regional ensembles, hosted with Radio ESKA. This year's timings are not published yet, so check the town's announcement closer to the date.
Getting to the site
Arrive on foot. On 31 December expect road closures in the centre, including parts of Kosciuszki Street, and parking fills up quickly. Do not bring alcohol or pyrotechnics onto the mass-event site.
Source: Town of Zakopane.
What does a New Year's Eve sleigh party in Zakopane include?
A sleigh ride, a highlander feast and a midnight welcome, running 21:00 to 01:00 with departure from Zakopane at 20:30.
One operator publishes its whole programme, which shows how a typical sleigh party is paced.
The programme hour by hour
The event lasts from 21:00 to 01:00.
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 20:30 | Departure from Zakopane |
| 22:00 | 1-hour sleigh ride |
| 23:00 | Highlander feast with attractions |
| 00:00 | Welcome to the New Year |
| 01:00 | Departure back to Zakopane |
Seats and clothing
Sleighs are 4-person. If you want a sleigh for 3 people, buy the full number of seats. Even a one-year-old child can ride on a parent's lap.
Winter evenings in the Tatras are very cold, so bring hats and gloves. For a regular evening ride, Zakopane: Chochołowska Valley Sleigh Ride with Bonfire costs $90 per person and lasts 3 hours, with pickup in Zakopane and free cancellation 24h ahead. Check availability for 31 December, since this listing is not the New Year's Eve party.
Tours That Fit
Two bonfire trips that work around the holiday, one in the valley and one on snowmobiles.
from $90
Most reviewed
Zakopane: Chochołowska Valley Sleigh Ride with Bonfire
A 1-hour sleigh ride plus a 1-hour bonfire with sausages and tea, with carriages instead if snow is short.
Check Availability
from $22
From Zakopane
Zakopane: Extreme Snowmobile Ride with Bonfire and Transfers
The lowest-priced snowmobile outing here, but the optional ride costs 400 PLN per vehicle in cash and the bonfire is mornings only.
Check AvailabilityAre fireworks allowed in Zakopane on New Year's Eve?
No, Zakopane has a year-round ban on fireworks, firecrackers and pyrotechnics in public spaces.
The ban has been in force since a 2019 city resolution, so a midnight display is not part of the town's programme.
What replaces them
Expect the midnight to come from the concert stage, a toast by the bonfires or a hotel ball. Górska Osada describes the high point of its night as a midnight toast under the stars by glowing bonfires. Pyrotechnics are also banned from the concert site, so leave them at the hotel.
Where should you stay in Zakopane for New Year, and when to book?
Book now, because lodging for the holiday is on sale and often sold only as a multi-night package.
Hotels sell New Year as a block, so a single night is hard to find.
What the packages look like
Lodging is commonly sold from 27 or 29 December to 2 or 3 January. Multi-night hotel packages include half board and a ball. Górska Osada, 9 km from the heart of Zakopane, offers a package of 4 to 7 nights with arrivals from 27 December, with a midnight toast by bonfires as the high point.
Check the chalet's page for current rates.
Day trip or overnight
A day trip does not fit the night. Stay in town, or take the nightly IC Podhalanin train from the 2026/2027 timetable and check its departure time.
Sources: Szwagropol, PKP Intercity.
What can you do in Zakopane in the daytime on 31 December?
Ride the Gubałówka funicular, soak in a thermal bath or take a bonfire trip, and keep holiday hours as a check-first item.
Pick two things for the day and leave the evening for the night.
Daytime options
Holiday opening hours for 31 December and 1 January are not published, so confirm each venue.
| Activity | Details | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Gubałówka funicular | About 3 minutes, every 15 minutes, 1,123 m summit | 37 PLN return online, low-season list to 18 December |
| Gubałówka Land of Light | Almost 2,000,000 LED lights, daily from 16:00 | Included with a cable car day |
| Chochołowskie Termy | Pools 9:00 to 22:00 Sunday to Thursday, 9:00 to 23:00 Friday and Saturday | Check the price list |
| Snowmobile with bonfire | 3-4 hours, hotel pickup | $22, plus 400 PLN per two-person vehicle in cash |
Dress for the cold
January in Zakopane averages a high of -0.2°C (32°F) and a low of -6.6°C (20°F). December averages a high of 0.9°C (34°F) and a low of -5.1°C (23°F). Bring winter boots with grip, a hat and gloves.
Sources: PKL Gubałówka, Chochołowskie Termy, Copernicus Climate Data Store.
The Jaszczurówka chapel in Zakopane at night under snow. Photo: Jakub T. Jankiewicz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
New Year in Zakopane FAQ
What is the best place in Poland to celebrate new year's Eve?
It depends on the night you want. Zakopane offers a free mountain concert, sleigh parties and hotel balls, while TVP's Sylwester z Dwójką for 2026/27 is announced for Katowice. See bookable options at zakopane tours.
Can you see Santa in Zakopane?
Nothing in the New Year programme features Santa. The nearest event is Zakopiańskie Mikołajki on 6 December, which starts at 12:30 on Plac Niepodległości. Winter evening trips like the sleigh ride with bonfire run later.
What do Polish people do on new year's Eve?
In Zakopane the options are the town concert, a hotel ball, a restaurant dinner or a sleigh party with a bonfire. Compare trips at zakopane tours.
Is the New Year's Eve concert in Zakopane free?
Yes, the event is open and free for all participants. The paid extras are the sleigh party and hotel packages, such as this snowmobile and bonfire trip.
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