From visionaries to madmen, punk rock prophets to electronic shamans, distorted guitars to toned-down acoustic sounds: OFF Festival has inspiring music in abundance. From August 4 to 6 you’ll be hard pressed to hear it all and take it all in, but rest assured you will experience something new and unexpected. Here’s 5 reasons not to miss this years OFF Festival…
Start OFF as you mean to go on
To get you in the festival mood our friends at P23 Club are hosting a special StartOFF party on 3rd August, featuring Krakow-based DJ and producer Eltron John spinning everything from disco to soul, house and techno. Byron the Aquarius, famed for his work with Warp, Giant Steps and Wild Oats, will be the second StartOFF guest. Next up is Austrian DJ Demuja, who will be bringing you his selections of disco, raw house and techno. For techno with a French flavour, stick around to hear a resident of the legendary Concrete Club, Paris DJ Antigone. To finish the StartOFF night with a bang, Urloop, a new breed of Polish DJs, will teach you some old school techno.
Dance Non-Stop at the P23 Club
The OFF Festival’s new dance venue is the result of our partnership with the Katowice Porcelain Factory and P23, a mainstay of the city’s nightlife. Drop by the P23 club every day for over eight hours of non-stop music, with producers and DJs from Poland’s best clubs manning the decks. You might hear pretty much anything — from disco to house and techno — but we’ve made a point of inviting artists who don’t quite fit into the restrictive club music pigeonholes, like Abu Zeinah, who will be performing with a live (noise) act; Lutto Lento, who’s bound to surprise you with some something as extraordinary as his recent dancehall remix for Resident Advisor; and Kosel, whose analog experiments defy any genre labels.
A welcoming festival
OFF Festival regulars know all about this: tolerance and acceptance are the two cornerstones of our festival. It is a welcoming place for people with disabilities. As in previous years, festival guests with mobility impairments will have access to two viewing platforms, one in front of the Main Stage and another at the Forest Stage. Carers of festival attendees with mobility or visual impairments receive free entrance to the festival.
Children under ten will be also admitted free of charge — let’s turn them into a new generation of music fans and artists! And if you are parents or guardians, remember to drop by the PiaskOFFnica, where you can relax while the kids are taking part in games and workshops.
A delicious, wonderful life
If you want to get through our three-day music and social marathon in one piece, you’re going to need plenty of energy. That said, the OFF Festival Food Court has long been more than just a place to load up on calories. Our food is prepared with organic and Fair Trade produce, with options for vegans and vegetarians, gluten-free and kids’ menus. We also put the environment first by sorting our waste and choosing biodegradable tableware.
With a wide, sizzling selection of delicious international flavours, OFF gastronomic delights are guaranteed to satisfy even the most discerning of gourmets. Treat yourself to BB Kings’ all-American BBQ or Diaments’ Silesian grilled food. Have a bite of Hocio’s vegan hot dogs or dig into Dutch soused herring prepared by Sztuka Śledzia. Whether you’re looking for Moroccan tajine or Polish pierogi, “auteur” wines or superfood smoothies, OFF is a foodies’ dream.
Katowice, city of culture
Three Pond Valley will obviously be the centre of events at this year’s OFF Festival, but we encourage you to explore the city of Katowice while you’re here. Take a cultural tour of the city — there’s plenty of good stuff going on.
Is there a mathematical order in the world around us or is it a figment of our own imagination? Visit Galeria Szara to discover Szymon Kobylarz’ “Unknown Unknowns”, an exploration of the mathematical underpinnings of the most mundane objects and activities. Rondo Sztuki presents “Shure Shot,” an exhibition of music photography by the regulars of Polish festival scene Joanna “Forta” Kurkowska and Michał Murawski. And whilst you’re there why not pop in to see “Keep it Open?”, an exhibition turned amusement park. Antonina Konopelska and Piotr Urbaniec invite the viewer to participate in games and expeditions where adventure is what’s at stake. James Mollison’s “Playground” is a joint venture by Katowice’s City of Gardens Gallery and New York’s Aperture Gallery. Mollison is a critically acclaimed, award-winning photographer and author, currently travelling the world and collecting images and sounds of playgrounds to showcase the bright and dark side of the social interactions among schoolchildren.
About OFF
A truly unique boutique music festival, OFF Festival takes place in ‘Three Lake Valley’, Katowice – a beautiful green oasis in the heart of industrial Silesia. OFF Festival is a way of life, one that flies in the face of current trends and stays true to itself, and the ethos of organiser Artur Rojek is firmly aimed at supporting art and music with the festival bringing many acts to Poland for the first time. OFF Festival is growing in prominence year on year driven by the festivals forward–thinking, eclectic music policy. From the greatest alternative music stars from around the world to the increasingly strong Polish scene, OFF festival has inspiring music in abundance.
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk