While much of Poland is still catching up to the fact that Katowice is fast emerging as Poland’s preeminent music destination, locals and international music festival attendees have known it for years. On December 11, 2015, Katowice’s musical prowess and cultural status was certified by none other than UNESCO itself as it was officially made a UNESCO City of Music as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities initiative. Let's take a look at this prestigious distinction by exploring Katowice’s multi-genre musical pedigree.
Joining the Club
All things considered it is quite astounding how in little over 50 years Katowice has gone from being considered a cultural backwater to one of the most dynamic and interesting musical cities in the world. “The UNESCO Creative Cities Network represents an immense potential to assert the role of culture as enabler of sustainable development,” declared the Director-General. This statement especially rings true for Katowice which has been going through a massive transformation from an industrial hub to a post-industrial haven for innovative festivals, concerts, and projects across numerous genres.
The Best Festivals
These days, the first thing that comes to most people's minds when they hear the name Katowice is the hugely popular music festivals the city annually plays host to. The Tauron New Music and OFF festivals have both been going for over a decade and are now two of the biggest alternative and electronic music festivals, respectively, in Europe. Each attracts hundreds of thousands of international festival goers every June and August to Katowice and both are consistently voted as top European music festivals by music magazines and blogs. Not to be outdone by Katowice, and proving that the wider Silesian region is just as exciting, Chorzów now has a new music festival, the aptly named Fest Festival, which will take place for the first time in August in Silesia Park. The new kid on the block is one to look out for.
