There are many music festivals in Poland and it becomes clear that there will only be more and more. Starting with rock events like the huge Woodstock and ending with classic jazz festivals. Here’s our list of the most important events between Odra and Bug rivers.
Przystanek Woodstock (a.k.a. Pol’and’Rock Festival)
When: first weekend of August
Price: FREE
Where: Kostrzyn nad Odrą
Few hundred thousand people every year visit a small borderline town Kostrzyna nad Odrą to embrace the tag line “Róbta co chceta” – Do whatever you want!
The name sounds American but the product is uniquely Polish. And the story behind the festival is pretty cool.
Every year a little balding guy with funny looking red glasses organizes a huge fund raising for kids. The whole Poland (except the members of the Polish ruling party Law and Justice who hate they man) gather at the free concerts and auctions and just chip in for the great cause. The free festival in summer – Woodstock – is a way of saying thank you to all the volunteers and funders like you and me.
The festival is huge, one of the biggest in the world. Cause it is 100% free.
And it is not just about music. There are many joint social events, meetings with writers, journalists and so on. It is the event of the year for most rock loving teenagers in Poland.
BTW: Due to the legal reasons Woodstock festival had to change the name and for the first time in history this year it will be called Pol’and Rock Festival.
This is how the festival started last year:
Open’er Heineken Festival
When: July
Price: 4day tickets cost around PLN 500 (125 euro)
Where: Gdynia Kosakowo
One of the most well known festivals in Poland and one of the best oportunity to see on stage stars like Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Florence and The Machine, Roisin Murphy or Chemical Brothers.
If you are not there for the music, don’t go to Gdynia at all. The city is overtaken by the festival and the prices for accomodation goes up up up.
Off Festival
When: First weekend of August (2018)
Price: 3 day ticket PLN 370 (90 euro)
Where: Katowice, Muchowiec
If you love doing things differently like for example going for the concert because you never heard about the band in your life, you will probably like this.
OFF Festival, organized every year in Katowice by one of the most influential vocalists of Polish music scene – Artur Rojek. Alternative music in the house!
GoaDupa Psycho Trans Festival
When: July (
Price: PLN 350 (90 euro)
Where: Bieszczady Mountains – Stężnica 46, Baligród
This one makes me smile. GoaDupa is a word play of Goa (already cult place in India for every yoga/eat pray love tourist in the world) which accidenttaly sounds a lot like “goła” (eng: naked) and Dupa (eng: ass). So: it is Naked Ass festival. Psychotrans festival.
Very peace and love. Lots of fun, lots of colors and probably lots of acid.
As usuall you can expect not only concerts but also many workshops, lectures and meditation sessions.
Techno
As we happen to be in a good relationship with the biggest techno fan in Poland, we present you with his list of recommended techno events in Poland.
Unsound
When: August
Price: doesn’t matter – you have one minute to grab it!
Where: Cracow
According to the certain someone tickets for this one were sold out in a minute after the sale opening (and yes, he got it, so congratulation!). The next tranche opens in August. Now you know that to get one, you need to be a fast one!
Beside that check:
Jazz festivals in Poland
We have Komeda, Urbaniak, Stańko, Możdżer, Ptaszyn Wróblewski and HOTs. Polish jazz is a real thing.
Jazz na Starówce
When: weekends on summer
Price: Free
Where: Warsaw’s Old Town
This one is an unique opportunity to listen to jazz in the heart of Warsaw’s Old Town, totally for free. Takes place through out the whole summer, every weekend different artists.
Beside that if you are jazz fan check:
Warsaw Summer Jazz Days
Jazz Jamboree
