"Let's have fun together anyway!"

This is the motto of our preparations for this year's edition of the World Snow Day in Zakopane. In view of the epidemiological situation and the frequently modified rules, governing the organization of sports events and outdoor activities, we considered various options and prepared diverse alternatives for the celebration of this unique day.
Eventually, we did have fun together after all! Moreover, we enjoyed ourselves tremendously, and the positive emotions accompanied us throughout the day.
Sunday, 17 January 2021, welcomed us with the proper ambience for the World Snow Day. It was snowy, frosty, in short: winterly and fabulously.
Due to the current pandemic restrictions, banning any sporting events for children and youth, we moved many activities to the Internet.
We announced in advance two art contests:
1) "My Dream World Snow Day"
2) For a graphic design of a T-shirt, making reference to the 10th World Snow Day in Zakopane.
Now we know what the dream World Snow Day should look like according to children, and we will strive to meet children's ideas in the future. After all, there is never enough of enormous fun and a great atmosphere. As many as 113 works were submitted in the contest, and the jury granted three main prizes as well as 34 recognition awards which were presented during the event held at Górna Rówień Krupowa in Zakopane.
Whereas the graphic designs for the T-shirt may be sent over until 30 April 2021. We believe that the participants of the contest will surprise us in a positive way, as kids' imagination knows no limits. We cannot wait to see the results of their work! We intend to use the winning design in the next year's edition of the World Snow Day.
Due to the current ban on the organization of competitions and any sporting rivalry, as well as the ban on public gatherings, we have prepared a cross-country ski courses, two parallel obstacle courses (for skiers and other participants of activities) as well as a snow hill – perfect for toboggans and plastic disc sleds. According to the slogan HELP, the Regional Blood Donor Center in Zakopane set up a bloodmobile where every willing adult could share what is the most valuable - his or her blood.
In order not to accumulate too many children in one place, attractions were scattered across the entire area of Rówień Krupowa. Every child who completed the obstacle course received a commemorative medal and a gift.
The interest in the celebration of this unique day by far surpassed our expectations. Each of us, but above all the children, are fed up with social isolation, online learning and being closed in the four walls of their apartments. Therefore, lots of families during their Sunday stroll headed to Górna Rówień Krupowa, where children eagerly enjoyed playing in the outdoors, gave vent to their joy resulting from activities in the snow and meetings with their peers. Winning a commemorative medal provoked a lot of positive emotions. The participants of the previous World Snow Day felt a slight insufficiency – they had been hoping for a rivalry in a variety of sports competitions, which we have got them accustomed to during all these years together. At the same time, however, they were very pleased that we were able to meet and have fun together despite the pandemics.
We were also very active online during this year's festival. Together with our partners, who have been co-creating the World Snow Day with us from the very beginning, namely: The Tatra Mountains National Park, District Police Headquarters in Zakopane, the Polish Cableway Company, the local kindergartens and primary schools, we prepared among others:
- a special Online Sports and Environmental Quiz,
- a competition for the World Snow Day participants in Zakopane, who could win vouchers for the funicular ride to Gubałówka in return for posting a photo with a brief description of their experiences from the World Snow Day on FB PKL,
- we sang a song specifically composed for that day,
- we made videos of activities in the snow, about snow and safety on a ski slope,
- we posted memories from all the previous years,
- and many, many more!
All the actions connected with the World Snow Day celebrations were not only posted on FB World Snow Day Zakopane, but also on official city websites. Our posts reached thousands of people. In the end, Facebook of the City of Zakopane is followed by nearly 75,000 users, and every week we engage by likes or comments more than 5,000 people, reaching more than 38,000 people a week. The official Zakopane Instagram profile generates nearly 98,000 views per week. It is followed by almost 23,000 people, while posts, reports and videos posted on this account reach around 15.5 thousand people a week.
We met with a very warm reception. Many participants of the event expressed their hope of having at least as much fun as this year during the next year's edition of the World Snow Day on Sunday, 16 January 2022! For our part, we will make every effort to ensure that the upcoming World Snow Day compensates for all the inconveniences we have had to face due to the pandemic.
- Free gifts and prizes
- Free food and drink
- Free entry tickets
free entry to snow hill and two obstacle coursesWelcome to the World Snow Day in Zakopane!Fun on the snow hill.The World Snow Day is OK!Link to event video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga1tcisz288

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