Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood turned into a sea of red, white, and pierogies on Sunday as thousands gathered for North America’s largest Polish festival — a lively annual tradition that brought music, food, and community spirit to the city’s west end.
The weekend celebration featured bustling streets lined with vendors serving up classics like kielbasa and sauerkraut, as well as creative pierogi fusions with pizza, jerk chicken, and curry. Festivalgoers proudly sported Robert Lewandowski jerseys — paying tribute to Poland’s beloved soccer legend — and even former Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki’s gear made an appearance.
But food wasn’t the only draw. The Global Pet Foods SuperDogs show was a major crowd-pleaser, with dogs leaping, backflipping, and balancing on basketballs to roaring applause. Kids enjoyed midway rides, while music stages echoed with traditional Polish tunes and modern acts.
Festival favourites Christian Patrick and Danica Salajko — better known as “King Kielbasa” and “The Sexy Pierogi” — once again posed for photos outside Bathing Belle Swimwear, delighting visitors with their quirky homemade costumes. This year, they introduced a new character, the “Pickle Pal,” adding more humour and charm to the event.
“The festival is about celebrating our culture, but also about having fun and making people laugh,” said Salajko. “We’ve become a bit of an attraction ourselves — people come just to take a photo with us.”
Between the pierogies, the beer gardens, and the cultural showcases, this year’s festival once again cemented Roncesvalles as the heart of Toronto’s Polish community — and a must-visit September tradition for food lovers and families alike.