Poland is renowned among European music fans for its high-quality yet affordable open-air music festivals with an international line-up. They include the Orange Warsaw Festival in the Polish capital, the Open’er Festival in Gdynia, and the Live Music Festival in Krakow. Until 2014, the Live Festival was known as the Coke Live Music Festival because the Coca-Cola Company was its principal sponsor.
The inaugural Krakow Live Music Festival took place on September 9, 2006 at the Wisła Kraków stadium (Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana). The line-up featured several Polish musicians and bands as well as a few international acts such as Shaggy and Jay-Z. The Sugarbabes were supposed to perform too but canceled. The next year, the festival expanded to two days and featured three stages. Its current venue (as of 2017) is the Polish Aviation Museum located ar the site of the disused Kraków-Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport.
The Krakow Live Festival is a multi-genre event that presents different styles of music. Nevertheless, it usually features more hip-hop artists than other summer music festivals held in Poland. However, there have been exceptions. For example, the 2013 Live Festival focused on mainstream rock artists and was the first edition not headlined by a major hip-hop star. Since 2015, the festival has featured more alternative music.
Over the years, the Krakow Live Festival has welcomed a lot of renowned musicians. Artists and bands who have performed at the festival include Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding, Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, The Maccabees, Florence and the Machine, Regina Spektor, Franz Ferdinand, Placebo, The Roots, Kanye West, Panic! at the Disco, The Chemical Brothers, Thirty Seconds to Mars, 50 Cent, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, and many others. Of course, the organizers always make sure to include Polish artists in the line-up so that they get their chance to shine.
Photo: BAJERSKI.org
