The inaugural Open’er Festival was held on July 2, 2002 in Warsaw as the Open Air Festival. It was headlined by The Chemical Brothers, an English electronic music duo that helped bring the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. The next year, the festival was relocated to the Kościuszki Square in Gdynia. In 2005, it was expanded to two days and featured two stages. That year it attracted over 50,000 music lovers from all over Europe. Since 2006, the festival has been held at the Gdynia-Kosawoko Airport (Babie Doły Military Airport).
As of 2017, the Open’er Festival is a four-day event with several stages. Attendees can purchase four-day passes, weekend passes and one-day tickets. The line-up of the festival includes internationally renowned artists some of which have never performed in Poland before. Past headliners include Radiohead, Foo Fighters, The Weeknd, Florence and the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, LCD Soundsystem, Pharrell Williams, Drake, The Libertines, Mumford and Sons, Kasabian, Pearl Jam, and many more.
The audience of the Open’er Festival has witnessed exceptional concerts and performances. For example, in 2009 Faith No More reunited after having been broken up for more than a decade and performed in Gdynia. Sonic Youth, the legends of the alternative and indie rock movements, gave their first and only concert in Poland at the 2007 Open’er Festival.
Alongside world-class artists, the Open’er Festival showcases emerging Polish musicians, giving them a chance to perform in front of a huge audience. For some of them, it is their first big concert.
Open’er is a member of Yourope – The European Festival Association with 91 members from 27 European countries. It strives to bring music, culture, art and design to millions of young people through peaceful and joyful events.
Photo: opener.pl
