Open'er Festival is bigger than ever
Back in Poland's communist period, the winds of freedom most often seemed to blow from the sea. No wonder then, that the most prestigious musical event was held every year in Sopot. For the Polish public, cut off from world trends in popular culture and bombarded with the proletariat's morale-boosting Soviet tunes, a concert by the aging Italian star Toto Cutugno or Demis Roussos, giant of the Greek pop scene, were a welcome change.
The Sopot Festival is still held every year, and older members of the public take it in with a feeling of nostalgia. However there's no doubt that for the last four years, the focus of attention for young music fans has shifted to Gdynia and its Heineken Open'er Festival.
"The event transforms Gdynia into the European capital of music for three days in July, but also for months before the event the name of the city is on everyone's lips - it appears in all the media. We couldn't imagine a better advertising campaign," says Joanna Grajter, Gdynia City Council spokesperson.
Great PR for the city and the region is just part of the bonus and although no one has yet calculated how much Gdynia actually earns from the event, everyone agrees that its impact on the local economy can hardly be overestimated.
"Maybe somebody could come up with a figure but I doubt it would be accurate. The event is a boost for the entire region, it brings profits to shop keepers, hotel owners, taxi drivers, cruise liners, you name it. We expect from 40,000 to 60,000 people, but we will know how many have actually come after we count the tickets sold," she says.
For all three days of music, those tickets cost zł.250, a price usually charged for a ticket to a concert by a single foreign star. This year, from July 6 to 8, music fans can see performances by Franz Ferdinand, Placebo, Pharell Williams, The Streets, Manu Chao or Kanye West, to name just a few. The event has grown so fast that this year it has been moved from its previous location at Skwer Kościuszki to the Gdynia airport.
