By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Mar 16, 2021 at 1:06 PM

Normal is coming – but for Polish Fest, that won't be until next year as the Polish Heritage Alliance today announced that it canceled its annual celebration for 2021 and will instead come back in 2022.

The three-day festival – the country's largest dedicated to Polish culture – was originally planned for June 11-13 at the Summerfest grounds. 

“After much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to not hold Polish Fest June 11-13. Planning was on track for this year; however, at present, COVID-19 is currently a part of everyone’s lives, we believe the best decision is to not hold Polish Fest this year so early in the summer to allow for more vaccinations to the broader community," said Steve Chybowski, President of the Polish Heritage Alliance, in a statement. "Our Festival Committee and our Board of Directors reviewed many options. We believe this is the best decision for our attendees, volunteers, entertainers and vendors – our entire extended 'Polish Fest Community.'" 

Polish Fest is far from the only summer festival avoiding any ongoing COVID concerns and choosing to return next year rather than in the midst of vaccinations and remaining precautions. PrideFest, German Fest and Festa Italiana all already announced that they canceled their 2021 festivals, with plans to return next year instead. Other shifts this uncertain summer season include Summerfest moving its three-weekend 2021 edition from June into September

Those who planned to attend either Polish Fest this summer or last summer are encouraged to hold onto their tickets, as all admission for the canceled 2020 and 2021 versions will be honored next year.

For more information, visit Polish Fest's website – and stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for more summer festival updates. 

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.