Well well, after relocating to Poland in late 2020 I never would have thought that my first festival post-pandemic/lockdown would be here in my new homeland. Poland has seemingly risen from the ashes of a lockdown world and has announced live music once again, and I couldn't resist to see what it looks like.
Enter fest festival near Katowice - well actually in Chorzów, a lesser known city to us Brits - and it's setting in a massive park next to a huge stadium where the national football team has played in the past. There are some vibes from Reading Festival here with the trek from the carpark, next to the river and the sheer size of the campsite.
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| Kygo headlining the main stage. |
Sadly some acts had to cancel, most notably for us Nothing But Thieves, but we still really enjoyed our time. Kygo closed the last night and was a real treat after discovering his tunes via a friend during lockdown, so weirdly enough it was a full circle feeling. Kensington opened up the mainstage with some anthemic rock in the baking sun and James Bay provided some sing-a-long worthy songs - even though sadly he broke his hand in a football game prior to coming out.
The setting of the festival was one of the highlights for a non-native, a massive park next to a stadium with ample parking and camping is something the UK festival scene doesn't do well - but Fest Festival done right.
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| James Bay |
One thing I'd possibly recommend for them would be to fill the gaps of acts that cancelled with local acts, in my experience small acts (especially local acts) would play for free and would enjoy the exposure - plus I always love seeing local acts as otherwise I'd never have a chance to check them out being based in Warszawa.
All in all Fest Festival 2021 was a big success considering some restrictions were still in place. With restrictions - hopefully - eased I can see fest Festival welcoming more acts and having a solid-lineup!
9/10
