Poland’s Follow the Step on launching On Air festival
Follow the Step co-founder Maciej Korczak has spoken to IQ about the challenging but rewarding launch of new festival On Air.
The inaugural edition took place last weekend in Warsaw and was the Polish promoter’s first outdoor festival in the capital city.
The two-day event debuted at the 70,000-capacity Bemowo Airport, which has hosted concerts from the likes of Madonna and Metallica, as well as three editions of Sonisphere festival between 2010 and 2012.
On Air, meanwhile, saw artists including Tame Impala, Jorja Smith, Celeste and The Kooks perform across two stages at the airport.
“Our main goal is to book A-list artists,” says Korczak. “We are really proud of the line-up – hosting such artists at the first edition of the festival is a dream.
“On Air was already hailed by people and the media as one of the best festivals in Warsaw and Poland.”
“We are really proud of the line-up – hosting such artists at the first edition of the festival is a dream”
Even with a star-studded lineup, a myriad of external issues meant that Follow the Step didn’t sell as many tickets as it hoped for the inaugural edition.
High inflation and a saturated market were key obstacles for the festival, alongside a less-than-ideal weather forecast for the weekend.
“Launching a new festival is never easy, especially in the post-pandemic times,” says Korczak. “The biggest challenge that we faced was that On Air took place at the very end of the festival season and a lot of fans already used their festival budget.
“Normally it wouldn’t be a problem as it’s actually a good time for organising a festival in the capital – people are coming back from holidays and students to the universities – but this year because of the high inflation and because of many festivals and events being moved to this summer due to the pandemic, it meant that tickets were harder to sell this year.
“We also had to allocate a significant portion of the budget to raise awareness among people about the existence of the festival and break through the noise about other summer events that already had their fanbase.”
With that said, Follow the Step has already announced the second edition of the festival, set to take place on 8 and 9 September 2023 at the same location.
In addition to On Air, the Warsaw-based festival and concert agency promoter organises marquee event Fest Festival, based in Chorzów, which this year marked a record attendance.
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Poland’s Fest Festival draws 50,000 to third edition
Fest Festival welcomed 50,000 attendees over four days for this year’s edition, marking a record attendance for the Polish festival.
The third annual event, promoted by Warsaw-based promoter Follow The Step, took place between 10 and 13 August at Chorzów’s Silesia Park – the largest park in Europe.
The Chainsmokers, Rudimental, Nothing But Thieves, Rüfüs du Sol, James Arthur and Jungle were among the 200 artists performing across 11 stages during Fest.
“The third edition of Fest Festival came to an end and was hailed by festivalgoers and media as the most beautiful festival this summer in Poland,” says a spokesperson from Follow The Step.
The Chainsmokers, Rudimental and Nothing But Thieves were among the 200 artists performing across 11 stages
“During the whole festival, we gathered almost 50,000 attendees – a record attendance for Fest – and the festival ran continuously for 120 hours.
“Fest Festival means way more than an exceptional music celebration. The festival town plays a special role that encourages festivalgoers to take the most from its attractions such as artistic performances, social campaigns and workshops.”
Unlike the vast majority of European festivals, Fest Festival was able to go ahead last year, with 35,000 Covid-19-vaccinated concertgoers. The 2021 edition was the largest event to take place in Poland that year.
Follow The Step continues its festival season with On Air, slated to take place on 9 and 10 September in Warsaw.
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Follow the Step to launch new festival in Warsaw
Follow the Step has revealed details of its new On Air Festival in Warsaw.
Tame Impala, Jorja Smith and Celeste will top the bill at the debut edition, which will take place at the 25,000-cap Bemowo Airport from 9-10 September.
The Polish agency describes the event as a mixture of Lovebox and Lollapalooza festivals, transferred to Warsaw, with top quality production and an atmosphere heralding the end of summer.
The first wave of acts announced also includes The Comet is Coming, Tash Sultana, Alexandra Savior, Ralph Kamiński and Baasch.
Warsaw’s Bemowo Airport has previously hosted superstar acts such as Madonna and Metallica
Warsaw’s Bemowo Airport has previously hosted superstar acts such as Madonna and Metallica.
The area will be decorated with colourful installations and decorations designed for On Air, while the festival city will also include chillout zones, bars, food trucks and other attractions.
Early bird tickets are on sale at 89 PLN (€84) for a two-day season ticket and 249 PLN €54 for a one-day pass.
Follow the Step also organises Fest Festival, which welcomed 35,000 attendees over four days for last year’s edition, making it the biggest event in Poland in 2021.
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10k people attend Poland’s biggest show since 2020
Last weekend, German DJ Boris Brejcha played the biggest concert Poland has seen since the outbreak of Covid at the beginning of 2020.
Ten thousand fans gathered in Poland’s largest and best-preserved fortress, in Modlin, located northwest of Warsaw, last Friday (25 June) to enjoy Brejcha’s set.
According to the promoters, Follow the Step, the enormous structure (pictured) was created by specialists especially for the event and was months in the making.
“This was the first production of this type in this part of Europe and thanks to the huge amount of technology, lights and the latest generation sound system, provided an amazing experience,” according to a press release.
Entry was restricted to doubly vaccinated residents, as per government guidelines, all of whom were required to show proof of vaccination.
“Finally after one and a half years we could put our plans into action and get back to organising events on the big scale,” Follow the Step’s Tamara Przystasz tells IQ.
“Not only was it quite a challenge organising it in such a way that will comply with all the new rules and restrictions, but it was also the first event that we could organise for vaccinated people only. However, it was amazing to see 10,000 people celebrating the comeback of music events.”
Maciej Korczak, owner of FTS, added: “The Boris Brejcha show was a huge step forward not only for our company but also for the whole event and music industry in our country. We like to pave the way here as we believe that nothing is impossible.”
“It quite a challenge organising it in such a way that will comply with all the new rules and restrictions”
“The show was just a warm-up for us before Fest Festival this summer which will take place on the 11-14 of August in Chorzów. But after what we managed to do with Boris show we are now sure that we are able to organise Fest Festival this summer for 40,000 people safely.”
Earlier this month, Follow the Step was given permission to hold multi-genre event Fest Festival without any capacity limits, provided that attendees have had their Covid-19 vaccinations.
During a press conference, the Polish minister of health confirmed the information that people vaccinated against Covid-19 do not count towards the established limits applicable during mass events.
The event is scheduled to happen 11–14 August in Chorzów and organisers have so far confirmed acts such as Kygo, James Bay, Rag’n’Bone Man and Alan Walker on the bill.
Alongside Poland, mega concerts with 10,000 people or more have recently returned to China, the US and Israel, while France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and the UK have set a date this summer for the resumption of large, non-socially distanced shows.
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Poland’s National Stadium to become Covid hospital
Poland’s National Stadium, PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, is being converted into a temporary hospital to accommodate more Covid-19 patients.
The 58,500-capacity stadium will initially have room for 500 beds and will be equipped with oxygen therapy, said head of the chancellery for the prime minister, Michał Dworczyk, during a press conference yesterday (19 October).
The hospital will provide care for the residents of Warsaw and also Mazovia. According to Dworczyk, the hospital, which will be a branch of the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, will be the first in a series of such facilities in Poland.
“We can see that the pandemic is dangerous and progressive. We want to transfer the experience gained by the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior and Administration to the already designed temporary hospital. In the hospital, patients will have access to all the most important tests,” said Dworczyk.
“We want to transfer the experience gained by the Central Clinical Hospital to the already designed temporary hospital”
PGE Narodowy is the largest association football arena in the country and is the home of Poland’s national football team.
The stadium will close to visitors from 19 October when preparations for the temporary hospital will begin.
Poland has experienced relatively low rates of infection throughout the pandemic but is now dealing with an exponential surge of cases. Last weekend, the country reached its highest daily rate for new cases, recording 9,622 on Saturday (17 October).
The government has responded to the surge last week, announcing a series of measures in Warsaw and other major cities now considered “red zones” where it’s mandatory to wear masks in the street.
Restaurants have been forced to close at 9 pm local time, wedding ceremonies are banned, and the number of people allowed in shops, public transport and religious services is limited. All high schools and faculties located in these zones are closed and are conducting remote teaching.
PGE Narodowy is one of the many venues across the world which have been repurposed as a field hospital or Covid-19 test centre during the pandemic.
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Solidarity with Belarus: Thousands attend Poland concert
A line-up of popular Polish and Belarusian artists performed at Poland’s National Stadium last week as part of a concert in support of the protest movement against Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
Solidarity with Belarus (Solidarni z Białorusią) took place at the 58,580-seat PGE Narodowy in Warsaw – bedecked for the occasion in white-red-white of the pre-1995 Belarusian flag, used as a symbol by pro-democracy protestors – on 26 September. Performers included many musical veterans of Poland’s own struggle for democracy, such Chłopcy z Placu Broni, who performed ‘I Love Freedom’ in both Polish and Belarusian.
A total of 11,000 free tickets were available for the show, which was broadcast live on Belsat, a Polish government-owned channel aimed at Belarus, and Polsat, a private Polish TV station.
“Today the Belarusian people are fighting for their freedom”
Providing the visual the experience was Polish production company ARAM, which delivered almost 1,000m² of new Infiled AR-series LED screens, which were installed on layer construction.
To meet local Covid-19 regulations, attendees were obliged to sanitise their hands on entry and wear face coverings until they took their seats, with the requirements enforced by police.
Speaking at Solidarni z Białorusią, Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki told concertgoers: “We are here to be with Belarusians on their bumpy road to freedom,” adding that it was 40 years ago that the anti-communist Solidarity movement emerged in Poland.
“Back then, Poles had the courage to say ‘no’ to those who violated human rights and trampled on freedom. Today the Belarusian people are fighting for their freedom… Long live sovereign and free Belarus, and long live Poland.”
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Outdoor concerts return to Poland
Live music is returning to Poland this summer, following a government announcement that outdoor events of up to 150 people are now permitted.
Poland, where events of over 100 people have been banned since early March, entered its fourth phase of lockdown easing on 30 May, giving the green light for public gatherings of up to 150 people – with a specific reference to outdoor concerts – as long as participants keep two metres apart, or cover their faces.
From Saturday (6 June), cultural institutions in Poland such as theatres and venues will be allowed to reopen with reduced capacities. Night clubs are to remain closed.
Capitalising on the new regulations, promoter Follow the Step has announced an outdoor concert series, which is taking place in the Praga area of the Polish capital of Warsaw in July, in conjunction with venue Praga Centrum.
Live music is returning to Poland this summer, following a government announcement that outdoor events of up to 150 people are now permitted
The Lato na Pradze (Summer in Praga) series is kicking off on 1 July with a show by electronic-pop trio Kamp!, followed by concerts by Polish artists Nosowska, Krzysztof Zalewski, Natalia Nykiel, Natalia Przybysz, Jabłoni Flower and Sonbird.
Green relaxation zones, food trucks and bars will also be set up in the garden of the Praga Centrum complex.
Tickets go on sale on 4 June at 12 p.m. (CET) here. The number of tickets available may increase as restrictions are lifted.
Poland’s Open’er Festival, among those forced to cancel its 2020 edition due to the Covid-19 crisis, recently confirmed that Twenty One Pilots, the Chemical Brothers, Thom Yorke Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes and FKA Twigs will appear at its 2021 festival, from 30 June to 2 July.
Photo: Tim Adams/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) (cropped)
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