Pol'and'Rock Festival, formerly known as Woodstock Festival Poland, (Polish: Przystanek Woodstock; "Woodstock Station"; English-language materials often referred to it simply to the Woodstock Festival Poland) is an annual free rock music festival in Poland, inspired by the Woodstock festival. The festival has been held since 1995. In 2009, Woodstock Festival Poland gathered an audience of over 400,000 people,[1] in 2011, the attendance was above 700,000,[2] in 2012, about 550,000 people,[3] in 2013, about 500,000,[4] and in 2014, the attendance reached a record high of about 750,000.[5] As of 2019, the aggregate attendance of the festival is 750,000 making it one of the biggest music festivals in the world.[6][7]
The name Przystanek Woodstock– "Woodstock Station"–refers to peace and friendship symbolized by the Woodstock Festival and the TV series Northern Exposure, aired as Przystanek Alaska (Alaska Station), immensely popular in Poland at that time. The name of the festival was changed to Pol'and'Rock Festival on March 8, 2018. The change was motivated by licensing dispute with the agency representing Michael Lang. The new name reflects both the rock'n'roll roots of the event and the strong ties to the heritage of the Polish democratic and freedom fighting movement. The organizers of the festival claim that even though the name of the festival has changed, the ethos behind the event remains unchanged.[14]
Mud baths are part of festival traditionWoodstock Festival Poland, Żary 2003Woodstock Festival Poland 2017
First Woodstock Festival Poland took place on 15–16 July 1995, in the town of Czymanowo (near Gnewin), located near the Żarnowieckie Lake. The performers included Carrantouhill, Skankan, Żuki, Myslovitz, Ira, and Urszula. During the festival no alcohol was sold, which was similar to the Jarocin festivals.[21]
The second festival was held in Szczecin-Dąbie, Szczecin in 1996. This time the first Woodstock's "prohibition law" was partially lifted and beer was sold.[22]
The third festival took place the next year, on 16–17 August in the town of Żary, which became the setting of the Przystanek Woodstock festivals until 2003. Initially, the festival was planned to be held in July, but because of the 1997 flood, which affected much of Poland, the festival was postponed until August.[23]
The 1998 Woodstock Festival Poland featured the performances of nearly 50 bands. The band list included Closterkeller, Akurat, Oddział Zamknięty, Kobranocka, and Acid Drinkers. Almost 150,000 people attended the festival.
The 1999 Woodstock was held on 6–8 August. This time the attendance record was broken. The audience reached almost 200,000 people.
The 2000 festival was planned to be held in Lębork, but due to permission uncertainties, and protest of local committees (Komitet obrony Moralności - The Committee for the Defense of Morality) it had to be cancelled. Nevertheless, over 1000 people showed up and organized an unauthorized "rock'n'roll picnic" without any professional music bands. This happening was later referred to as the "Dziki Przystanek" ("The Wild Station").
In 2001 Żary was again the setting for the festival. The 2002 Woodstock was significant, because it was filmed, and the footage was used to produce "Przystanek Woodstock. Najgłośniejszy Film Polski" ("The Woodstock Station. The Loudest Film In Poland"), a concert film, which was screened in movie theatres across the country the following year, and also took part in a number of international film festivals.[24]
The 2003 Woodstock was the last one held in the town of Żary. Because of controversy surrounding some incidents during the festival, that Jerzy Owsiak was part of, it was decided that Żary would no longer be a setting for the concerts.
From 2004 to 2019, the festival took place in the town of Kostrzyn nad Odrą.[25] In 2011 the festival featured such bands as The Prodigy and Helloween.[26] In 2012, the Swedish power metal band Sabaton performed at the festival, recording the set as a live album, Swedish Empire Live.[27][28]
In 2020 an online festival was held due to the covid pandemic, livestreamed from Transcolor Studio in Szeligi near Warsaw.[29] The 2021 edition was held on the Makowice-Płoty airfield in Western Pomerania with limited attendance.
Since 2022 the festival has been held on the Broczyno airfield in Czaplinek, Western Pomerania.
Mysłowice is a city in Silesia in Poland, bordering Katowice. The population of the city as of 2022 is 72,124.
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Myslovitz is a Polish rock band. The band take their name from their industrial hometown of Mysłowice in the Upper Silesia region of southern Poland.
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Jerzy Zbigniew Owsiak is a Polish journalist and social campaigner. He is the founder of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, one of the largest non-governmental, non-profit charity organizations in Poland. Owsiak is the main initiator and promoter for the group's Grand Finale, an annual worldwide festival where money is raised for the medical care of children as well as the elderly suffering from various medical conditions. He is also the creator of the annual Pol'and'Rock Festival, formerly known as Przystanek Woodstock, the largest annual music festival in Poland, and one of the largest annual music festivals in the world.
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Daab is a Polish reggae band. They were previously named Daab – Muzyka serc.
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Witek Łukaszewski, real name Witold Adam Łukaszewski, born 30 November 1956 in Szczecin, Poland – Polish bassist, classical and electric guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, poet and writer.
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