LABA – Summer Activities Without Ambition
No deadlines, no rankings, no pressure. This August, in the Słowacki housing estate in Lublin, LABA kicks off – Letnie Aktywności Bez Ambicji (Summer Activities Without Ambition) – a week-long series of community and cultural events celebrating lightheartedness, neighborhood togetherness, and a holiday break from productivity. Although LABA grows out of the rhythm of a single neighborhood, it welcomes everyone who feels like spending a summer without stress – no matter their address.
A series of community-oriented activities, “Thinking with Architecture”, held in Lublin’s districts, in the shared spaces between apartment blocks and community gardens.
LABA
The Museum of Housing Estates (MOM) invites you to join an event that deliberately avoids being big, spectacular, or groundbreaking. LABA is a proposal to return to simple forms of leisure, reminiscent of childhood, playing cards under the block, or quiet conversations over breakfast on the grass. LABA doesn’t aspire to fill the calendar with attractions. Instead, it leaves space to breathe – offering a place to simply be together. Aimless, yet meaningful.
Do it already!
The program opens on Saturday, August 9, with “Do it already!” – an afternoon for those who, for weeks (or even months), haven’t been able to find the motivation to send that overdue email, caption their photos, or finally finish that book. The organizers propose a collective session of catching up and supporting each other in overcoming procrastination.
Neighborhood breakfast on the grass
On Sunday, August 10, a neighborhood breakfast will take place on the lawn next to the Juliusz Słowacki monument – with blankets, homemade food, and plenty of space for conversation. At the same time, a neighbor’s market will be held at the nearby Wileńska square, where residents can exchange items from their basements, wardrobes, and cupboards. Although not intended as professional trade, symbolic sales are possible.
Card games, Film Club, and a marathon of ads
The following days will bring more activities, including a card game night (Monday, August 11), a Film Discussion Club based on old TV programs and a marathon of 1990s commercials (Tuesday, August 12), a “countries and cities” tournament and lazy deckchair reading with magazines (Saturday, August 16), as well as coffee brewing without complexes (Sunday, August 17) – where everyone is invited to bring their favorite beans and brewing method, sharing taste and experience at a common table.
A summer without pressure
“LABA is our protest against the compulsion for perfection and productivity. It’s an alternative to Pinterest-style holidays. We want to create events that you can join not because you have to, or because you should, but simply because you want to – without pressure,” says Paulina Mazurek from the [SEE HOW] Collective, co-creator of the program’s concept.
