Image © Cody York
Whether you call it Dyngus Day, Wet Monday or Smigus Dyngus, Cleveland is celebrating outdoors in Gordon Square, at the Gordon Green Event Center and bars throughout The Land on Monday, April 10 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Join indoors and out for the party and all the polka, paczki and piwo you love!
Dyngus Day will be filled with Polish dancing, vendors and delicious polish food for a day of traditions and celebration! For those who can’t attend the in-person events, festivities will be
live-streamed on Facebook.
What Is Dyngus Day?
If some guy wearing a fake beard and spinning polka records — all while playing the accordion — tells you to celebrate a Polish holiday called Dyngus Day, we recommend you heed his advice. After all, that guy is the hilarious DJ Kishka and he's talking about one of Cleveland's quirkiest holidays.
Dyngus Day, a Polish tradition, occurs every year on Easter Monday throughout several neighborhoods on Cleveland's west side. How do we celebrate? With tons of Polish food, polka music and beer, of course. On top of that, you'll be privy to an evening parade consisting of a ridiculous pierogi float, a large swath of marching accordionists and the kind of eccentric camaraderie one can only find in Cleveland.
What To Do There:
- If you've never learned the polka, now's your big chance. The music schedule includes a full day packed with accordionists and polka bands — at both indoor and outdoor stages — that draw thousands of fans ranging from Polish grannies to mustachioed hipsters.
- Nom some serious pierogi or a savory Polish sausage sandwich. For dessert, don't miss the ultra-Polish tradition of paczki, which is a lot like a donut, but way way better.
- This is Cleveland. So, naturally, beer is a critical part of the festivities. For a legit Polish experience, tip back a few Tyskie beers straight from the motherland. Na zdrowie!