It is one of the two major festivals of its kind held each year in Poland, the other being the Warsaw Autumn.

The festival presents numerous concerts of music by composers with a connection to Kraków, as well as contemporary pieces from around the world.

Overall responsibility for the festival rests with The Krakow Branch of the Polish Composers' Union.

From about 1993 up until 2013 the festival was directed by the musicologist Jerzy Stankiewicz, and since 2014 the director has been Marcel Chyrzyński.

The opening concert of the festival took place at the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Kraków.