History of CAVALIADA
The History of CAVALIADA
Equestrian competitions at the Poznań International Fair have been taking place annually since 1995. The only exception was 2008, when the fairgrounds hosted the United Nations Climate Change Conference, moving the riders' competition from the traditional December slot to February of the following year. In December 2009, a milestone in the history of horse competitions took place — the Poznań Cup. It was a national-rank show jumping event organized for the first time by Poznań International Fair, which until then had served solely as the venue host.
The CAVALIADA brand was born in 2010. Poznań hosted an international CSI-W competition with a World Cup qualifying event. This marked the introduction of a concept combining fair, sports, and show sections. Thanks to this comprehensive format, the event began attracting a new and broader audience. In 2012, the MTP Management Board decided to organize CAVALIADA in Warsaw, and in 2013 also at Targi Lublin.
In 2016, on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Poznań International Fair, a special edition of the event took place in Kołobrzeg — CAVALIADA Summer Jumping, Europe's first international equestrian competition with a sports arena located right on a sandy beach.
In 2019, the Royal City of Krakow joined the equestrian Tour locations. The ideally equipped TAURON Arena Krakow allowed for the organization of CAVALIADA's show jumping section as a World Cup Central European League qualifier as early as 2020.
In 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event was held without an in-person audience — CAVALIADA Winter Tour. The two-week international competition met with immense interest from athletes. For the first time in history, the CAVALIADA audience participated exclusively online.
CAVALIADA Tour 2022/2023 brought many exciting novelties! Despite a challenging period for the industry concluding the COVID-19 pandemic, a full tour with public attendance was successfully organized. The competition kicked off in Warsaw. In December, CAVALIADA traditionally visited Poznań, and in January, for the first time ever, it hosted an event at ERGO Arena in Sopot/Gdańsk. The grand final of CAVALIADA Tour and the World Cup Central European League Final were held for the first time in the Royal City of Krakow at TAURON Arena Krakow.
However, the most anticipated equestrian event in Poland was CAVALIADA Summer, held in June 2023 in Świnoujście. It was only the second international equestrian event in the world — after Miami, Florida — to take place directly on the beach. A year of intensive preparation, four days of incredible sports emotions, shows, and trade fairs, featuring 27 show jumping and pair driving competitions, all in the presence of nearly 9,000 spectators attending this exceptional event.
A New Chapter for CAVALIADA Tour!
In 2025, Poznań International Fair established a partnership with the Nałęczów Zdrój brand, resulting in granting the title of Title Partner to the Perlage CAVALIADA Tour!
This collaboration refreshed the strong CAVALIADA brand, leading to the organization of four high-ranking events as part of Perlage CAVALIADA Tour 2025/2026. The competition started in Warsaw (CSI3*-W), followed by Poznań (CSI3*-W), a brand-new location in Łódź (CSI3*), and the Grand Final in Krakow (CSI3*-W LF).
The event draws tens of thousands of fans to Poland's largest sports and entertainment arenas. High-level sportsmanship attracts riders from all continents and offers Polish athletes a chance to earn valuable ranking points.