History of CAVALIADA

CAVALIADA History

Equestrian competitions at the Poznań International Fair have been held annually since 1995. The exception was 2008, when the United Nations Climate Change Conference was held at the fairgrounds, and the competition was moved from its traditional December date to February of the following year. In December 2009, the groundbreaking Poznań Cup equestrian competition took place. This was a show jumping competition of national importance, organized for the first time by the Poznań International Fair, which until then had only hosted the facility.

The CAVALIADA brand was born in 2010. The international CSI-W competition, which included a World Cup qualifying competition, was held in Poznań. It was then that the format was established, dividing the events into trade fairs, sports events, and demonstrations. This gave the event a comprehensive character and began to attract a new, increasingly broad audience. In 2012, the MTP Board decided to organize CAVALIADA in Warsaw, and in 2013, also at the Lublin Fair.

In 2016, on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Poznań International Fair, a special edition of the CAVALIADA Summer Jumping event took place in Kołobrzeg - the first international equestrian competition in Europe with a sports arena located on a sandy beach.

In 2019, the Royal City of Kraków joined the equestrian scene. The ideally suited TAURON Arena Kraków facility allowed for the organization of the showjumping portion of CAVALIADA in 2020, a competition included in the Central European League of the World Cup.

In 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the CAVALIADA Winter Tour was held without in-person audience participation. The two-week competition, featuring an international lineup, generated tremendous interest among competitors. For the first time in CAVALIADA's history, the public could participate exclusively online. 

The 2022/2023 CAVALIADA Tour brought a lot of new features! Despite the challenging period for the industry following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the full series was successfully organized with public participation. This time, the competition began in Warsaw. In December, CAVALIADA traditionally visited Poznań, and in January, for the first time ever, it was held at the ERGO Arena, owned by Sopot and Gdańsk. The CAVALIADA Tour Grand Finale and the Central European League World Cup Final were held for the first time in the Royal City of Kraków at the TAURON Arena Kraków.  

However, the most anticipated equestrian event in Poland was CAVALIADA Summer, which took place in Świnoujście in June 2023. It was the second international equestrian event in the world – after Miami, Florida – to be held on a beach. It was a year of intense preparation, four days of incredible sporting excitement, shows, and fairs, during which 27 competitions were held in show jumping and paired carriage driving, all in the company of nearly 9,000 people who participated in this unique event.

A new chapter of the CAVALIADA Tour! 

In 2025, Poznań International Fair entered into a partnership with Nałęczów Zdrój, which resulted in the appointment of the Perlage CAVALIADA Tour as Title Partner! 

This collaboration resulted in the refreshment of the strong CAVALIADA brand, which translated into the organization of four high-profile events as part of the Perlage CAVALIADA Tour 2025/2026. The competition began in Warsaw (CSI3*W), then moved to Poznań (CSI3*W), then to a completely new location – Łódź (CSI3*), and the Grand Finale in Kraków (CSI3*W-LF). 

The event attracts tens of thousands of fans to Poland's largest sports and entertainment venues. The high level of competition attracts competitors from all continents and offers Polish competitors the opportunity to earn valuable ranking points.