Gdansk’s music guru
Words Shain Shapiro
While Poland is still playing catch-up with the rest of Europe in many respects (they were late in joining the EU, for instance), it is further ahead in other ways which it prefers to keep relatively quiet. Take Gdansk, for example, and its sister cities Gdynia and Sopot. This TriCity is responsible for Poland’s best-kept secret: a getaway that rivals the best in Europe.
While this is due in no small part to larger budgets afforded to its tourism officials, a fair heap of praise must be given to what is now a Polish institution, and one that represents Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot at their zenith – the Heineken Open’er Festival. Yet the festival did not originate here but in Warsaw in 2002, when the Chemical Brothers were the headliners. So what made it move north? It was partly the encouragement of the Heineken endorsement, coupled with that of the local council in Gdansk. “More than 10 years ago I thought it was high time to establish large scale summer festival in Poland,” explains founder Mikołaj Ziółkowski. He runs Alter Art, an agency that handles not only the Open’er but two other festivals, making it the biggest concert promoter in Poland. “The first edition took place in Warsaw, with two stages over one day. Then through a deal we moved it north, and now we’re entering our ninth edition.”
The festival now sports seven stages and over 100,000 revellers for four days in July each year. It’s a monster of a festival, and far and wide the best of its kind in Poland. Last year a slew of international heavyweights performed, including Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, the Ting Tings and Crystal Castles. This is the often only time artists of this calibre visit northern Poland, and as such the region laps up the event with open arms and excited ears.
It’s at this time of year, as the city becomes snowy and picturesque, that planning the festival gets into full swing.
In addition, it boasts a range of local acts, eager to seize their chance to perform on stages far in excess of their usual venues. The organisers will be checking out the talent, booking on recommendations as the snow melts. And, of course, all this on a converted airfield near a beach, surrounded by three beautiful cities. “To me, the three-city combination is a perfect location for the festival,” enthuses Ziółkowski. “The festival gets the best of all worlds; it’s near the sea, but one can also go sightseeing in town aside from seeing bands. Also, the actual venue is a former military airport, so there are bunkers all over the place. We even use one as a DJ stage. It’s surreal, even to me after eight years.
“To me, Poland didn’t just need a music festival, it needed a proper event encapsulating the entire breadth of our arts and culture,” adds the artistic director. “Being up in Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot allows this. And the venue is so big, about 75 hectares, that we can provide seven stages, DJ bunkers, movie theatres, art exhibitions and a whole slew of activity. We allow NGOs to set up booths, try and arrange only the best local and sustainable food and guard about 10 hectares of campsites.”
As such, the festival area is divided into separate zones: concert, catering, camping, sanitary, chill out and fashion. Plus, there are free shuttle buses from the city to the festival grounds.
Still, the best reason to go the Heineken Open’er is to experience the three cities, which are rich with history, classical architecture and offer some of the best clubs in Poland. And, admittedly, you can get this all year round. Summer may provide the weather, but January and February boast indoor attractions, such as later club nights, Poland’s top restaurants and, of course, the best music scene in the region. Many bands destined to play Open’er can frequently be found honing their talents within the cities’ pubs, bars and clubs. To Ziółkowski, Gdansk has the best music scene in Poland, regardless of time of year. “I would recommend Skinny Patrini, Loco Star and Pink Freud as three up-and-coming local bands. They play here all the time and are well worth checking out. Who knows, you see one in January and come July, they may be headlining one of our stages.”
To Ziółkowski, it’s this feeling of Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot, a youthful regeneration of the new Poland, so to speak, that invigorates him to keep the festival expanding and, of course, sustainable. “Each city in Poland wishes to have this kind of event, but it’s these three that allow the best cooperative conditions,” says the Alter Art founder. “Besides it has already become a tradition to have it here. To me, these three cities are the best in Poland. You cannot find a better place to sight see and listen to good music. I travel a lot, but Gdynia, Gdansk and Sopot are world class for sure. Really, who doesn’t love to come to the seaside and listen to music?”
The 2010 Heineken Open’er Festival is from 1 to 4 July. Visit www.opener.pl for the line-up. For advance tickets, visit www.alterart.pl
