The Conference will take place over five days (Monday, July 7th through Friday, July 11th) with morning plenary sessions followed by breakout sessions. The first day will feature four pre-conference seminars delivered by experts in different fields of humor research, as well as the Philosophy of Humor panel.
The Conference will include an opening reception, coffee breaks, the Conference dinner and comedy night.
Tentative conference schedule (updated)
July 6, 2025 (Sunday) Arrival in Kraków
July 7, 2025 (Monday) – pre-conference seminars (free for all registered participants) and the Philosophy of Humor panel. Arrival of most remaining participants
9:30-11:00 pre-conference seminars (Tony Veale, Dick Zijp, Andrew Olah)
11:30-13:00 pre-conference seminar (Salvatore Attardo), and two workshops
Lunch
14:30-16:30 3 parallel sessions
Coffee break
17:00-18:30 3 parallel sessions
9:30-18:30 Philosophy of Humor (4 sessions) (Auditorium)
7 pm – Welcome reception
July 8, 2025 (Tuesday) – the first day of the conference
9:00-9:30 official opening of the conference, Presidential Address
9:30-11:00 Keynote lectures by Salvatore Attardo and Francisco Yus
11:30-13:30 4 parallel sessions
Lunch
14:30-16:30 4 parallel sessions
16:30 coffee break
17:00-19:00 4 parallel sessions
Dinner (not included)
July 9, 2025 (Wednesday) – the second day of the conference
9:00-10:30 Keynote lectures by Alberto Godioli and Andrew Bricker
11:00-13:00 4 parallel sessions
Lunch (HUMOR board meeting)
14:00-16:00 4 parallel sessions
Coffee break
16:30-18:30 4 parallel sessions
Dinner (not included)
20:00 Comedy night
July 10 (Thursday) – the third day of the conference
9:00-10:30 Keynote lectures by Gil Greengross and Sharon Lockyer
11:00-13:00 4 parallel sessions
Lunch (ISHS Board meeting)
14:00-16:00 4 parallel sessions
Coffee break
16:30-18:30 4 parallel sessions
19:00 Conference dinner (additional fee)
July 11 (Friday) – the fourth day of the conference
9:30-11:30 ISHS Graduate Students Awards session
12:00-13:00 ISHS Business Meeting
July 12 (Saturday) Conference trip for the interested participants (not included)
July 12-13 Recommended summer weekend for participants in Kraków – booking a hotel in central Kraków is recommended for those who wish to see the city’s numerous sights
Getting there
You can get to Krakow by plane, train or bus.
The venue is easily accessible from the airport by taxi or Uber (15 minutes ride at ca. 80-150 PLN).
You can also get there by bus 300 from the airport (ca 20 minutes to Muzeum Narodowe stop) and then change to bus 109 (the Cracovia stop is around the block) and get off at Przegorzały stop. The whole trip can be made on one ticket of 6 PLN (which you can purchase by card from the machine on board the bus 300) if it is completed within an hour; if not, get another bus ticket.
Accommodation
Located up on the Castle Hill in a charming corner of the Wolski Forest. The building greets you with its simple and sturdy forms characteristic of late modernism. They form a harmonious whole with the austere reinforced concrete and brick, completing the image of the facade.
60 hotel double/twin rooms
We have reserved the entire hotel for the ISHS conference participants and rooms will be assigned on the-first-come-first-served basis. Those staying at Forest Hotel will have breakfast served there. Conference coffee breaks will be offered there every afternoon as well.
Saunas
As an extra perk, the participants can use the sauna area (part of the Forest Hotel), including a Finnish sauna, Infrared sauna and Graduation Tower (also known as a thorn house). There is also a relaxation area with comfortable deckchairs, and the microclimate here is similar to that of the sea.
Zinar Castle offers 31 rooms with a view, in a five-star standard, spa with massage rooms (planned opening in 2025), two-level restaurant with a cocktail bar, ballroom for 200 people with unique terraces and arcades with a breathtaking view of the panorama of Kraków, the Tatra Mountains and the Vistula River. It is located 100 meters from Forest Hotel where the conference will take place. Those choosing to stay at Zinar Castle Hotel will have breakfast served there. If interested, book there directly.
ISHS conference participants can also have dinners there on the days where no evening events are planned (10% discount is offered).
Other accommodation possibilities
It is also possible to book rooms in neighbouring hotels, e.g. Novotel hotel, or other hotels located at/near Kościuszki Street.
Alternatively, Srebrna Góra hotel at Księcia Józefa street is located a short ride or longer (30 minute) walk away from the conference venue.
If you book there or in other hotels in the city, you need to pay the conference fee without accommodation.
If you decide to stay in another hotel, you will need to take a bus (no 109, runs every half hour) to the foot of the castle and walk up the hill for about 10-12 minutes. A taxi/Uber is also an option.
Conference fees
The conference fee options are available when you enter registration in the main menu and press the „register now” button.
Cancellations until 1 May 2025 are subject to a handling fee of €20.
After that date until 15 June a cancellation fee of 50% of the fee applies.
No cancellations are possible after 15 June.
The organizers can also consider applications for fee reduction from currency-afflicted countries. Applications will only be considered after the early-bird registration ends (in March).