During this year’s Carnaval Sztukmistrzów (July 23–26, Lublin), the world’s largest urban highline festival returns to Lublin. The Urban Highline Festival will take place in 2026 for the eighteenth time, once again bringing together the world’s best slackline and highline athletes from around the globe.
About
Over the years, Lublin has been visited by participants from 56 countries and 6 continents – from the USA, Argentina, and Australia to Taiwan and Morocco. More than 60% of attendees are international guests, for whom the Urban Highline Festival is often their first contact with Poland and Europe. The festival also becomes an opportunity for them to discover the Lublin region, to which they often return after the event.
The Urban Highline Festival is not only about lines stretched above the streets of the Old Town. It also includes workshops, meetings, and exploring the city from a perspective that is inaccessible in everyday life. Every year, hundreds of thousands of photos, videos, and posts are created, organically promoting Lublin around the world – the UHF community is its greatest strength.
All highline installations are built by a professional rigging and climbing team, which has long been the festival’s hallmark and a guarantee of safety.
Participant registration
Registration for the Urban Highline Festival 2026 opens on June 1 on the website www.urbanhighline.pl.
All highline shows and performances during the Urban Highline Festival are open and accessible to all tourists and residents of Lublin. This is a unique opportunity to watch artists from around the world balancing high above the streets of the Old Town – with no tickets, no barriers, right in the heart of the city.
What’s new in 2026: Urban Airline Cup – the world’s first open trickline competition over a net
This year’s edition will feature a unique event: the Urban Airline Cup – the world’s first open trickline competition over a special safety net. This groundbreaking format allows athletes to perform their most spectacular tricks without the risk of falling onto a hard surface. Top trickliners have already confirmed their participation, promising a show at the highest international level.
Highline film screening – the competition is ongoing
During the festival, there will also be a screening of films submitted to the UHF Official Film Selection competition. Submissions are still open, but we already know that the selection process will be exceptionally difficult – the productions showcase both sporting achievements and personal stories of people involved in highlining. Details regarding film submissions can be found on the website fundacjafirmament.grwebsite.eu.
May 30 maja – a festival prelude: Speedline Highline in Lublin
Before the festival officially begins, Speedline Highline, competitions will take place in Lublin on May 30. The event is organized by the Fundacja Firmament in cooperation with the Workshops of Culture in Lublin. The lines will be stretched between the town hall and the Krakowska Gate.
Spectacular timed highline crossings are ideal for audiences and the media. The event is designed to set the atmosphere of the Urban Highline Festival even before the main part of the festival begins.
After the official part of the May 30 competition, the highliners invite everyone to a meeting at 7:00 PM at the Workshops of Culture pdedicated to the achievements of Polish slackliners in recent years. The highlight of the meeting will be a film about the first highline crossing in Poland on a line suspended between flying balloons.
About Carnaval Sztukmistrzów
Carnaval Sztukmistrzów is the largest festival in Poland showcasing contemporary circus arts. The event has for years attracted crowds of residents and tourists to the city. They are drawn not only by world-class circus performances, but also by the magical atmosphere of the festival. The program includes clowning, acrobatics, juggling, and illusion shows presented as engaging circus performances, as well as attractions for children and concerts. It is the most performatively diverse festival in the country.
In addition, the Carnival is accompanied by the Urban Highline Festival – the oldest and largest highline festival in the world held in an urban space. Most of the festival program is free of charge and takes place in streets, squares, and public spaces. Some events are ticketed and can be seen in theatres and performance halls.
We already know the first guests of this year’s festival. As part of the ticketed performances, we will see:
Sébastien Wojdan | „Blanc”
In this solo performance, the artist exposes himself to the audience and confronts his own fears, such as hypochondria and the constant fear of death. It also explores anxieties about unfulfilled potential, lack of love, rejection, abandonment, being ridiculous, and dying alone. Before each performance, the artist runs 10 kilometers through the city. Only then does he step into the centre of a white space surrounded by high walls.
Julian Vogel | „Ceramic Circus”
In his solo performance, the Swiss artist crosses the boundaries between contemporary circus, visual art, and performance. The tension builds with the rhythm of a snare drum, drawing the audience into a world of constant anticipation of what will happen next. But “Ceramic Circus” is above all a play of contrasts: noise and silence, chaos and order, lightness and danger. Individual actions form a hypnotic sequence of images in which precision meets risk, and control meets unpredictability.
This year’s edition will also feature spectacular outdoor performances taking place at Plac Litewski, Plac po Farze, and the green areas of the Perła Brewery. One of them will be an open performance by the La Bande à Tyrex collective. The French company presents a format rarely seen even at the largest European festivals. They stand out, among other things, by not using pre-recorded music during their shows, instead creating their own live soundtrack for their performances.
While some artists balance on handlebars and perform complex acrobatic tricks, others play trombone, bass guitar, or percussion instruments.
Tickets available: Stage24.pl. More programme highlights coming soon.
Details
Carnaval Sztukmistrzów
July 23–26 2026
Lublin
Admission free, selected events are ticketed
More information about the festival can be found on the website carnavallublin.eu