Jarocin Festival

Jarocin Festival was one of biggest and most important rock music festivals in the 1980s Europe, by far the biggest festival of alternative music in the Warsaw Pact countries.

Founded in 1980, had been based on the earlier Wielkopolskie Rytmy Mlodych (Greater Poland’s Rhythms of the Youth), which had been organized in Jarocin since 1971. In 1980, due to Walter Chelstowski’s initiative, its name was changed to Ogolnopolski Przeglad Muzyki Mlodej Generacji w Jarocinie (All-Polish Review of Music of Young Generation in Jarocin) and subsequently, musicians and bands from the whole country were invited. Later on, its name was changed again - to Festiwal Muzykow Rockowych (Rock Musicians’ Festival).

Jarocin’s Festival was generally based in its organization and atmosphere on famous American Woodstock Festival, thus it sometimes was called the Polish Woodstock. In the 1980s it was regarded as some kind of a springboard from drab, poor reality of late-Communist Poland. It lasted for 3 days, usually at the beginning of August. The Festival attracted thousands of fans (e.g. in 1986 there were more than 30 000 of them), who lived in tents and came to listen to music which was otherwise hardly (or never) played in Polish radio and TV. Still, many believe that Jarocin was a design of Communist secret services, which created a "safety outlet" for restless Polish youth.

Music that was played during the Festival’s 3 days differed, but generally it was "alternative" - blues, rock, heavy metal, punk rock, reggae. Bands played on two stages, with the bigger one located on local soccer pitch. Interesting was the fact that several fans brought with them tape recorders and during concerts, held them above their heads. This was the only chance to record and distribute music unwanted by official mass-media.

Jarocin Festival lost its message and kick since early 1990, after the collapse of the Communist system in Poland. Even though fans would still come, it was not like it had been before. New generation of listeners was also more aggressive and in 1994, after riots and clashes with police, it was suspended. Later on, local government tried to revive it, but with little success.

Among most popular bands that played or debuted in Jarocin, there are:
* Dżem
* TSA
* KSU
* Armia
* Dezerter
* Kult
* Brygada Kryzys
* Sztywny Pal Azji
* Acid Drinkers
* New Model Army
* Therapy
* Babayaga Ojo
* Feeling B

References

* [http://jarocin.pun.pl/ Internet forum about history of the festivals] pl icon
* [http://www.jarocin-festiwal.com/historia/historia.html Several articles on history of the Festival] pl icon
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External links

* http://www.jarocin-festiwal.com pl icon
* [http://bruno.netstrefa.com.pl/jarocin/index.htm Photos from 1986-1988 Festivals in Jarocin]