Open’er For All Seasons

Despite having what would normally be a month’s rainfall within the space of three days and at one point being fogged, Poland’s Heineken Open’er Festival still enjoyed crowds of more than 50,000 per day and remains the second-largest outdoor in the old Eastern Bloc.

Hungary’s 65,000-plus capacity Sziget Festival will likely be the only outdoor in the region to pull more people in 2012.
“We didn’t plan to break any records this year, but during four days, more rain fell on Babie Doly airfield than the total July average,” the festival said in a statement as soon as the festival had finished.

It also said conditions were “part of festival life and fun,” pointing out how some fans built a pontoon bridge to reach one of the camping areas.

On the first day a low fog vastly reduced the viewing capability of the fans and no doubt the pilots who should have been taking off and landing from the former military airport that borders the site.

This year’s Open’er music programme was backed by various other cultural activities such as the fully packed theatre tent, which provided additional cover from the elements.

The Open’er lineup July 4-7 included Bjork, Gogol Bordello, Mumford & Sons, M83 and Wiz Khalifa.