Over 110,000 people have enjoyed this year’s festival in Gdynia. Although the weather did not spoil us, and in terms of temperature it was one of the coldest Open'ers in history, the festival emotions sparked a fire! No wonder, if the atmosphere was heated by the rock giants The Strokes and The Smashing Pumpkins, iconic goddesses Kylie Minogue and Lana Del Rey, masters of electronic dance music Swedish House Mafia and modern hip hop stars - Travis Scott and Stormzy who became the undisputed hero of this edition.
There were also surprises. JAIN created a fantastic one-woman-show for the opening of Orange Main Stage. Rosalia left no doubt that it was only a matter of time when her name would appear on the festival posters as a headliner. However, the biggest surprise took place at the end of the second day. At the last moment, A$AP Rocky's concert was canceled and his slot was replaced with Stormzy - one of the most important figures of British hip-hop and grime. "24 hours ago, my manager called me and asked if I wanted to perform in Poland. I said 'Hell F*ckin Yes'! It will be a legendary night," he said at the beginning of his Wednesday performance on Orange Main Stage. And indeed - despite the heavy rainfall, Stormzy's performance was one of the most energetic during this year's edition. He was surprised by the wonderful reception. "You have one of the best energies I've ever seen," he repeated many times.
An extremely important part of Open'er was culture, art and social issues. For the 8th time in a row audiences enjoyed Theatre at Open’er. This year, viewers saw "Other People" TR Warszawa, "We Are Leaving" Nowy Teatr and "Holy Noodle" Komuna Warszawa. "The festival should stimulate your brain" emphasized Mikołaj Ziółkowski, the head of Alter Art agency and Open’er Festival. Panels with the President of Gdańsk, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, journalist Tomasz Sekielski, and the Ombudsman Adam Bodnar were also very popular.
We cannot wait for the 19th Edition, which will take place July 1-4, 2020.