Best of Summer in Warsaw 2023: Live Music

Whether it’s a spot of live jazz or extravagant burlesque, Warsaw’s growing appetite for live entertainment has harvested a growing collection of must-visit venues. For a night with a difference, consider these essential…

Młodsza Siostra

Dobra 14/16

Smuggled inside a scruffy courtyard fringed by lock-up garages, this alt. space has shades of Berlin and Budapest with its underlying feeling of artsy cool. Within, it’s a creaky spot filled with wobbly furnishing and maverick sounds. At times claustrophobic, the dimensions lend themselves well to intimate gigs that see everything from improvised instrumentals to concerts from the likes of the Death Addict Society.

Chmury / Hydrozagadka

11 Listopada 22 

Set in a fleapit courtyard covered in wall art – itself an alternative summertime attraction – it’s hard to tell where Chmury ends and Hydrozagdka begins. Seemingly both spiritually cojoined, much of that connection has been forged through their devotion to eclectic live music. Tight and crowded, it’s a place where audience and band become one, feeding off each other to generate an electrifying atmosphere.

Pardon To Tu

Al. Armii Ludowej 14

Around five years have passed since Pardon settled into their new (and substantially more salubrious) surroundings and the place is at last starting to really feel like home. The air of unforced cool is unmatched in Warsaw and largely credited to a musical menu committed to obscure ethnic and jazzy sounds. The terrace, strung with overhead bulbs, has been expanded out to cater for the increasing numbers of punters. 

Piano Bar

Żelazna 51/53 (Norblin Factory) 

Crowned with a show-stealing 12-foot chandelier that dangles from the ceiling of this dual-level structure, Piano Bar’s character oozes a sense of confident prosperity. It’s a must all year around, but it’s even better in summer when smooth, jazzy performances take place outside. Drifting around Norblin’s passageway, the sounds add extra sparkle to the crackling atmosphere.