The Idea[]
Przystanek Woodstock is a huge summer music festival held in the beginning of August in Kostrzyn on the Oder, Poland.
The Festival is organized by the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation in order to thank all its volunteers and supporters who take part in the annual Grand Finale fundraising event in January. The first Woodstock Festival was held in 1995 in Czymanów at the Żarnowieckie Lake.
Music[]
Every year, Przystanek Woodstock features a few dozen bands from Poland and abroad. The guests are invited to perform on one of our two stages: the Big Stage or the Small Stage, also known as the Folk Stage. For 15 years the Orchestra has been organizing auditions for bands willing to perform for the Woodstock audience. Any groups interested in such an opportunity, whether they are a well-known group already or quite new to the scene, may send their demo CD to Fabryka Zespołów, which has been managing the band recruitment process for Przystanek Woodstock since 2009.
Among the bands that have performed at Woodstock so far there were for instance:
Polish bands: Hey, Dżem, Voo Voo, Pidżama Porno, T.Love, Raz Dwa Trzy, Sweet Noise, KSU, Armia, Dezerter, Indios Bravos, Habakuk, Leszek Możdżer, Farben Lehre, Kobranocka, Lao Che, Vader and Hunter.
Bands from abroad: Guano Apes, Die Toten Hosen, Kiling Joke, The Stranglers, Clawfinger, Kreator, Beatsteaks, Zion Train and Twinkle Brothers.
Financing[]
Money used to organize Przystanek Woodstock Festival comes from our sponsors and it is raised throughout the year. This means that all funds raised during the Grand Finale in January are used to pursue the Finale’s theme and to purchase medical equipment only.
Safety[]
Safety matters at Przystanek Woodstock are taken care of by the Peace Patrol, a group of volunteers whose job it is to inform and offer advice and assistance to Woodstockians. Besides, our guests can count on professional security guards (the Blue Patrol) and policemen ready to deal with any more serious problems. Przystanek Woodstock is one of the safest places in Poland. A huge mass of people meet and have fun in one spot. With numbers that big it’s a great success that the problems are reported so rarely.
Meetings[]
The Academy of the Most Beautiful Arts is a crucial element of Przystanek Woodstock. It’s the place where various authorities, including journalists, TV people and celebrities come to talk to Woodstockians. What is it that they discuss? Faith, truth, dreams, adventures and all kinds of other interesting things. With every year and every meeting the audience grows in numbers. Despite our AMBA tents are big enough to accommodate a few thousand people they’re never empty.
Jurek Owsiak[]
Jurek, the Orchestra’s conductor, is the mastermind of the festival. He is the person who talks to the artists and joins separate concerts into one unified festival. On the last day he is not able to utter a single word – and that’s not because he has no intriguing thought to share, it’s just because his voice fails him – for the 15th time already! Still, we all want to risk this – because apart from the concerts it’s Jurek voice that gives Woodstock its unforgettable atmosphere.