Szymon Zmarlicki – Festival of Life
The Festival of Life in Kokotek combines faith and entertainment. As it turns out, there is no shortage of people willing to spend a whole week in tents to pray and have fun at the Catholic event. The event gathers almost one and a half thousand people from various parts of Poland and the world, with thousands more joining for individual events.
One of the main attractions of the festival is a spectacular obstacle course race, in which several hundred people competed on Thursday – including priests, nuns, and many young participants, some of whom dressed in funny costumes.
After starting straight into the water and swimming across the pond, the several-kilometer route led through the forest, sandy dunes, deep ditches full of thick mud, and additional artificial obstacles that participants had to overcome. On the final straight, a mountain of foam awaited the competitors, and at the finish line – a water party.
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“It was wonderful, we ran together, it was like a journey of life for us!” – shouted four Franciscan Sisters of Elizabeth, completely covered in mud, right after finishing the race. The sight of nuns in wet habits or priests’ Roman collars showing through a layer of dirt has been a true hallmark of the festival for several years.
“The route was very nice, it was tough, a lot of mud. The hardest part was running after getting out of the water when clothes were completely soaked. And the foam at the end was a mega attraction”, “The mud was nice, warm, very pleasant. My pace surprised me a bit, but my fitness is declining” – such spontaneous comments from participants after the race can be heard on the Festival of Life’s social media.
Unexpectedly, Pope Leo XIV sent a message to the festival participants. “This year you return to the Book of Genesis, contemplating the primordial history of salvation, the fullness of which was revealed to us in Jesus Christ, the new Adam. He invites every person to the fullness of life and gives the only true happiness,” reads the letter, which, along with papal greetings, festival-goers heard during Holy Mass after the race.
The final weekend is ahead of us. What else will be happening at the Festival of Life?
The final weekend of the Festival of Life and a true rollercoaster of emotions begins in Kokotek. Friday will conclude with a musical evening of adoration, which many participants consider the most anticipated moment of the entire week.
On Saturday morning, the well-known preacher and retreat master Fr. Adam Szustak will speak at a conference, and later the mood will be entirely festive. In the evening, Diiya will perform first, followed by stars from previous editions of the festival – Skytech and C-Bool.
The Festival of Life will conclude on Sunday, July 12, with a solemn Holy Mass presided over by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Katowice, Andrzej Przybylski.
You can still join the festival – weekend passes, one-day tickets, and entry tickets for evening events are available on the website www.festiwalzycia.pl. And current events at the Festival of Life can be followed on social media – on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
