Heineken Reaches For Bigger Parts

xThis year’s Heineken Open’Er Festival will be staged at Gydnia’s Babie Doly Airport because the city’s 25,000-capacity Kosciuszko Square is no longer big enough.

Since the first Heineken drew a 10,000 sellout crowd to Warsaw’s Tor Stegny Stadium in 2002, the event has expanded so fast that it now needs room for 40,000.

“Last year we were sold out with 25,000 people and this year we expect even more fans to show,” said Tomek Rawski from festival organisers Alter Art. “Kosciuszki Square is a very picturesque place but it’s surrounded by water on three sides and now it’s too small for us.

“We need space for bigger stages and backstage areas, more camping and other facilities,” he said.

Among the acts hoping to enjoy the sea air on Poland’s Baltic coast July 6-8 are Scissor Sisters, Franz Ferdinand, Placebo, Pharrell Williams, Manu Chao, Kanye West, Groove Armada, Basement Jaxx, and The Streets.