Join us for a relaxed and friendly Welcome Reception at AMBEREXPO on Tuesday 10 June, opening Velo-city 2025 Gdansk!
Under the stunning amber glow of Gdansk’s iconic stadium, enjoy an early evening of informal mingling, great conversations, and light refreshments. Whether you're reconnecting with familiar faces or meeting new ones, this social event is the perfect setting to ease yourself into the conference in good company.
No formalities —just good energy, a shared passion for cycling, and a warm Gdansk welcome.
We look forward to welcoming you!
On Thursday 12 June, we are taking Velo-city 2025 to one of Gdansk’s most iconic urban spaces — 100cznia. Nestled in the heart of the city’s post-shipyard district, this industrial, creative hub is where raw history meets modern energy, and where we will gather for an unforgettable networking dinner party.
Expect a casual, open-air evening filled with good food, cold drinks, and even better conversations. Stringer lights, shipping containers, and the spirit of Gdansk all around you, 100cznia offers the perfect scenario to relax, connect and celebrate the cycling movement in a setting that is as authentic as it is unique.
We are keeping things simple — no speeches, no strict schedule — just great flavours, music, and the freedom to enjoy the moment with fellow Velo-citizens under the summer sky.
Come for the food, stay for the vibe!
When: Wednesday 11 June at 19:00
Start & Finish Location: Targ Węglowy
Duration: approximately 1 to 1.5 hours
Join us on Wednesday 11 June for the Bike Parade – a colourful, music-filled ride through the city that brings Velo-city 2025 into motion.
Starting at 19:00 from Targ Węglowy, right in the city centre, we will pedal together through Gdansk’s most iconic and vibrant areas. Expect a variety of attractions along the route, including a unicycle circus show, a street theatre with characters from different historical eras, live fire performances, and drumming shows. Cyclists will also get a chance to admire buildings such as the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre, the European Solidarity Centre, and the Museum of the Second World War from a cyclist's perspective.
The 12-kilometre route will take us about an hour, but the fun doesn’t stop there! After the parade ends around 20:30 back at Targ Węglowy, the live band 7po will take the stage to keep the good vibes going.
No stress, no racing—just a relaxed, shared celebration of cycling, culture, and the city itself.
Bring your energy. We’ll bring the music. Let’s ride!
Those who want to participate in the parade but don’t have their own bikes will be able to borrow one for free from several hundred Mevo city bikes available for pick-up and return at the event location – Targ Węglowy.. Volunteers will help participants with the logistics of free rentals and returns.
Side events
Q&A with Gil Penalosa
When: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Where: Gdansk Tourism Organisation (Booth A40)
Join us for an engaging and interactive Q&A with our keynote speaker, Gil Penalosa. This side event offers a unique opportunity to dive deeper into the themes of the keynote, ask questions, and gain further insights through an open conversation with Gil.
Bicycle Climate Test Awards Gala
Moderator: Rafał Glazik
When: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
Time: 18:00-19:30
Where: Freewheel Stage
The Bicycle Climate Test is an effort to collect opinions on the quality of cycling conditions in Poland. The results are used to create a national ranking of bike-friendly cities. The survey is organized since 2018 by the Polish Union of Active Mobility (PUMA), a nationwide local governments association.
The test seeks answers to key questions:
Does your city care about cycling?
Is cycling in your area a joyful experience or a source of stress?
The findings provide a multidimensional picture of what it’s like to cycle in different cities, towns and communes across Poland. This helps build strong arguments for improving cycling conditions and the quality of public spaces.
The Bicycle Climate Test in Poland follows the proven methodology of the Fahrradklima-Test, being developed since 1998 by ADFC and the Dresden University of Technology. Similar surveys are successfully carried out in other European countries.
Women in Cycling Networking Drinks @ Velo-city Gdańsk
supported by Mobycon
Join us for an informal evening of connection and conversation during Velo-city in Gdańsk! This networking event brings together people from across the cycling community who are passionate about inclusion, exchange, and strengthening the network around Women in Cycling.
When: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
Time: From 20:30
Where: Gdansk - exact location will be shared via email
Come by, grab a drink, and meet others committed to making cycling better for everyone—we look forward to seeing you there!
Sobremesa talk: Gender & Cycling
coordinated by Urban Cycling Institute & ZICLA
collaboration: Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) & Velo-city
Moderators: Meredith Glaser & Ruth Lamas
When: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Time: 13:15-13:45
Where: ZICLA (booth A58)
What Makes Bike Parking Work?
Details on User-Centric Bike Parking
Hosts: Infostelle Fahrradparken – Ludger Palz, Johanna Schelle, Norbert Schmidt, Jörg Welke
When: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Time: 16:00-16:30
Where: German Cycling Embassy (Booth A53)
The publicly funded “Competence Centre Bike Parking” (Infostelle Fahrradparken) supports municipalities across Germany in developing better bicycle parking infrastructure. Drawing on these experiences, we have developed design guidelines that prioritise the needs of diverse user groups. We invite you to join us on virtual tours through five exemplary bike parking facilities from different regions in Germany, followed by a discussion on qualitative criteria for designing high-quality user-oriented bike parking.
This event continues the discussion from session 6.3 "How to implement bicycle parking requirements" and critically reflects on our guidelines. Share your perspectives, thoughts and experiences to help shape inclusive and practical solutions for the future!
The next generation: Young Professionals session 3.0
Moderators: Teun Zeegers & Shelley Bontje
When: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Time: 16:00-17:30
Where: Orange Room
For every Velo-citizen aged 35 or below
What to expect?
The Young Professionals session is eager to return to Velo-city for a third edition! After Leipzig and Ghent, we are excited to meet with our peers in Gdansk. For an engaging, fun, and energizing networking session. You will meet fellow young professionals from across the globe (just ask anyone who joined us last years, it’s guaranteed fun and meeting new faces).
Snacks and drinks are provided.
The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the Dutch Cycling Embassy believe in giving young professionals a voice, and a network. That is why we initiated this session.
We increasingly hear in our field ‘’we need to include the children, the youth’’ when designing for public spaces or planning consultation processes.
This is a fantastic development; one we wholeheartedly embrace. Just as importantly, we believe is the inclusion of young professionals across the cycling field – from activists to academia, from policy makers to (bike) producers and from consultants to cyclists. That is why we warmly invite you to the Young Professional session 3.0.
As the new generation leaders will shape the future of mobility -whether through planning, design, research, advocacy, or policy- this event is for all of you. After all, we are not only the next generation, but we are also the generation of right now.
We cannot wait to see you soon, and please do bring your colleague’s (aged 35 or under).
SPREAD THE WORD – please share this invitation within your network.
Film screening: The Wheels of the Future (Les Roues de l’Avenir)
When: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Time: 17:00-18:20
Where: Purple Room
Come and see this unmissable documentary exploring the potential of cycling in environmental and social transition. Through the journey of a group of young people and the words of experts, it analyzes the economic, sociological, and health aspects of daily cycling, advocating for a cycling society for all. THE WHEELS OF THE FUTURE is the story of a new world, more pleasant, healthier, more humane… on a bike! Evan, Maud, Emilie, Augustine, and Baptiste are convinced that two wheels are a powerful force to trigger change. They decided to embark on a cycling trip that will take them much further than they expected. Through the testimonials of economists, urban planners, associations, politicians, and sociologists, THE WHEELS OF THE FUTURE explores the different ways of putting the bicycle at the centre of our cities, and the impact this would have on our lives. The movie lasts 1 hour and will be followed by a short Q&A with Baptiste Lemaitre, co-writer of the film. A perfect way to get in the right mood for the Bike Parade !
