What Happens in Kraków on the Eve of All Saints' Day
By late afternoon on 31 October, the pavements around the Old Town fill with families carrying chrysanthemums wrapped in paper, and the flower stalls that appear along the streets near the markets begin selling candles in glass holders by the box. As dusk falls, the cemeteries become the centre of the city's life: thousands of grave candles burn in rows across the lawns and paths, and the glow is visible from the gates. This is the Polish celebration of Wszystkich Świętych — All Saints' Day on 1 November — preceded by the evening that Poles call the eve of All Saints' Day, when the living visit the graves of the dead.
Join the Candle-Lighting at Kraków's Cemeteries
The main act of the holiday is simple and open to anyone: walk to a cemetery, buy candles and flowers at the stalls outside the gates, and place them on a grave. The city's largest and most atmospheric is the Rakowicki Cemetery, north-east of the Old Town, where the avenues between the tombs are lined with lit candles through the evening and the following day. Expect crowds, slow-moving processions of families, and a quiet that settles over the whole site despite the numbers.
- Rakowicki Cemetery — the principal cemetery, with the greatest concentration of candles and visitors.
- New Jewish Cemetery on Miodowa Street — a separate and moving commemoration in the Kazimierz district, where candles are also placed on graves.
- Parish and district cemeteries across Podgórze and the outer neighbourhoods — smaller, local, and less crowded than Rakowicki.
Flowers, Candles and the All Saints' Markets
For days before 1 November, temporary stalls and market stands spring up around the city selling chrysanthemums, wreaths, and the distinctive grave candles — tall glass cylinders filled with coloured wax that burn for hours. The area around the main cemeteries is where the trade concentrates: near Rakowicki's gates you will find the densest row of flower and candle sellers, and similar clusters appear at the entrances to the other cemeteries. The Old Town squares also host seasonal stalls in the days around the holiday. Buy your candles here before you enter the grounds; you will want several.
Concerts, Masses and the Sound of the City
All Saints' Day is a public holiday in Poland, and the churches of Kraków hold masses and requiem concerts through 1 and 2 November. The city's principal churches — including St. Mary's Basilica on the Main Market Square and the churches of the Old Town and Kazimierz — hold services for the dead, often with music. In the days around the holiday, concert halls and churches across the city programme requiem settings and choral works; check the listings of the Kraków Philharmonic and the city's churches for the year's schedule.
- St. Mary's Basilica, Main Market Square — masses and music through the holiday period.
- Kraków Philharmonic — seasonal concerts around the turn of the month; confirm the programme closer to the date.
- Parish churches in Kazimierz and Podgórze — local masses and processions to the cemeteries.
What to Eat and Drink While You're Here
The holiday falls at the start of the cold season, and the food on offer matches it. Look for the autumn markets and stalls selling oscypek — the smoked sheep's cheese from the Tatra highlands, grilled and served with cranberry — along with bigos, pierogi, and hot barszcz. Around the Main Market Square and along the streets of the Old Town, cafés and restaurants serve warming seasonal dishes, and the market stalls do a brisk trade in hot drinks and roasted food. The Christmas market season has not yet begun, but the All Saints' flower and candle stalls, and the food stands that accompany them, give the city a comparable bustle.
Getting Around and Timing Your Visit
All Saints' Day, 1 November, is a public holiday, and many shops and businesses close; plan your meals and supplies accordingly. The evening of 31 October and the whole of 1 November are the peak times at the cemeteries, when the candles are lit and the crowds are greatest. Kraków's trams and buses run special services to the main cemeteries on these days, with extra routes and frequency — the city lays on additional transport to carry visitors to Rakowicki and the other burial grounds. Dress for cold, damp weather; the cemetery paths are unlit away from the candle glow, and the evenings are dark by late afternoon.
If you want to see Kraków at its most solemn and most communal, plan your trip around 1 November. Book your accommodation in the Old Town or Kazimierz well ahead, pack warm layers, and set aside the evening of 31 October to walk to Rakowicki with the rest of the city — buy your candles at the gates, find a quiet row, and watch the lights take over as the sky darkens.