We cheekily included this Katowice located festival in our guide to the 12 Best Things In Krakow, Poland Every Music Fan Should Do a little while ago, but there’s no denying that this indie lover’s festival paradise deserves our attention alone.
Because as the organisers of the event testify “OFF isn’t trendy: it’s just way ahead of most trends”. That’s an ambitious tag line to lead with but when they say “Often the artists we invite to Katowice still have their best records ahead of them, and they practice their breakthrough material on Polish audiences,” they mean it.
You only have to look towards their past lineups of local and international acts, which have included Architecture In Helsinki, Mogwai, The National, Spiritualized, Fucked Up, The Flaming Lips, Primal Scream, Deerhoof, Liars, Swans and My Bloody Valentine to name a few, to realise the mix of highly revered alternative acts from big to small that have been booked by OFF in the past.
And as you’ll see by the 2014 lineup poster below it’s a trend they won’t be changing anytime soon. The Jesus And The Mary Chain, Black Lips, The NOTWIST and LE1F have also been added to the lineup since this poster was created.
But there are plenty of great indie music festivals around the world, so why choose this three day Polish event over somewhere sunnier?
Held in the beautiful parklands of Dolina Trzech Stawów (which translates to Valley Of Three Ponds) in August annually there are few festivals that are as aesthetically green and as musically ambitious as this in Europe.
With five stages and plenty of other arts and cultural activities to partake in OFF has become one of the country’s most respected music festivals since its inception in 2006.
While around 10,000 people were in attendance that year, the 2009 event was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War 2, with the guest of honour being Sub Pop boss Jonathan Poneman.
The celebration of composer Fryderyk Chopin’s 200th birthday in 2010 further demonstrates the festival’s way of celebrating and promoting Polish culture. International travellers are destined to learn more than just a few things about the Polish music scene at OFF.
Few other festivals successfully combine high calibre international lineups with a local flavour that is this authentic and engaging.
So you’re convinced? Read on to discover our 7 step guide to the event below.
1. Book Ahead Before It’s Too Late
As we always advise you should book airfares as soon as possible for the best deals possible, and more importantly so you don’t miss out on a seat. You can book flights straight to Katowice, usually with a couple of stopovers involved, without having to travel by land to the city from another Polish destination if that’s what you prefer. But first and foremost you should secure your tickets. A three day pass is valued at the ridiculously cheap €62 (or about $89 AUD). If you want camping included in your ticket the price is bumped up to €79 ($113). If you’re on a time limit or have a preference over which day you’d like to attend a day pass will set you back €30 ($43).
Get Your Tickets here.
2. Should I Camp Or Book Accommodation?
With the price of camping outlined above it could be the best way to immerse yourself in the festival atmosphere and make friends with the locals. The OFF Festival Katowice Village is located at the Muchowiec airport, which is 800 metres away from the festival grounds. The campgrounds have a capacity of about 2,000 tents and include showers, toilets, a medical tent, phone charging facilities and a food court.
However if camping is not your thing Katowice has a few accommodation options in the form of hostels and hotels to choose from. For hostels go no further than the only two options Hostel Katowice Centrum and Twoj Hostel Katowice.
3. What’s The Best Way To Get To The Festival Site?
One of the best aspects of this festival’s unique location is that it’s situated between two neighbourhoods just outside Katowice’s hustle and bustle. There are plenty of accommodation options close to the park that are within walking distance. However if you choose to camp you can get to the grounds bus with services running from the Katowice train station. It takes only five minutes to get to the Festival Village from the station.
4. More Than Just Great Music, There’s Other Arts & Culture Events You Should Check Out At OFF Too
If you have any downtime from catching great live sets you can fill it at a variety of events with exhibitions, workshops and movie screenings all held throughout the three days. As we mentioned above, in 2010 OFF celebrated the 200th birthday of composer Fryderyk Chopin with a range of events that celebrated his work. You can expect in 2014 that more Polish culture and heritage will be on display.
5. Get In The OFF Mood With A Pre-Party Package
If you’ve gotten ahead of yourself and clicked on the ticket link above you’ll notice a few pre party packages that include access to a gig in Katowice before the festival gets underway along with a three day pass. If you prefer seeing bands in venues up close and personal this could be for you. There’s three options to choose from with all valued at €72 ($103), except for one which will set you back €69 instead, with multiple bands on each bill. Dirty Beaches (pictured) will headline just one of the pre parties, with information on all other bands listed in the ticket link. The pre parties will be hosted on the 31st of July, the day before the festival kicks off.
6. You Can’t Miss The Sub Pop Curated Experimental Stage
We shouldn’t need to explain the reverence of Seattle Record Label Sub Pop. Their taste in music is undeniable and as a punter you should certainly take some time out of your schedule to check out some of the acts they’ve hand picked for OFF. Wolf Eyes, clipping., Lyla Foy, Rose Windows or Wild Books amongst others could be the next big thing.
Check out more info about the acts here.
7. Any Other Information I Should Know About OFF?
As always do yourself a favour and download the app on your mobile phone. It’ll help you avoid scheduling headaches and help you out numerous other things. The app wasn’t available for download at the time of writing but check back here closer to the festival date for more updates. No food and drink can be brought into the festival, however there are ATMs around if you’re short of cash. In terms of food the festival caters for vegetarians and diabetics. The vegetarian food is especially good if that’s your preference.
Need more information? Head to the official OFF Website for the answers to all your questions.
