New Polish festival announced, NZ fest relocates

Veteran German band Scooter have been announced as headliners for the inaugural edition of Poland’s two-day Fajer Festival.

Promoted by Kraków’s DM Agency, the festival will debut at Silesian Park in Chorzów on 21-22 August, with separate days dedicated to electronic music and hip-hop.

Polish composer Bass Astral has also been confirmed for the event, for which tickets start at PLN 199 (€47).

In other festival news, it has been announced that New Zealand’s Homegrown will be relocating after 18 years in Wellington. The event has been held on Wellington Waterfront since its inception in 2008, but this year’s edition will mark its last time in the capital.

“For a myriad of personal and logistical reasons, Homegrown is moving cities after this year”

“For a myriad of personal and logistical reasons, Homegrown is moving cities after this year,” says festival director Andrew Tuck. “We couldn’t be more grateful for the unwavering support we’ve had from fans and the city. The support from WellingtonNZ and Wellington City Council has been massive over the years, so we’re keen to knock this last one out of the park as a heartfelt thank you to Wellington.”

Homegrown’s Wellington swansong will be held across five stages from 14-15 March and will include the last ever performance by local legends Shihad. The bill also features domestic artists such as Synthony, Shapeshifter, Kaylee Bell, Stan Walker, Lee Mvtthews and Katayanagi Twins.

Organisers are yet to reveal where the festival, which reportedly brought NZ$3 million (€1.6m) of economic value to the region last year, will take place from next year onwards. But Wellington City councillor Geordie Rogers tells RNZ the festival has outgrown its location in the capital.

“The beautiful thing about the Wellington waterfront is that it is such a tight knit space,” he says. “That means you can have really special experiences but it does mean you get a little bit stuck when it comes to massive event numbers. We’ve got a lot of work to do I think in Wellington to find out where our venue for those numbers is.”

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