Hard Rock Heroes Festival
Hard Rock Heroes Festival 2023
It will be a real feast for all hard rock fans! HARD ROCK HEROES FESTIVAL will take place on June 12, 2023 at TAURON Arena Kraków! Deep Purple will be the headliner of the festival! Among the special guests there will be such artists as the Scottish group Nazareth, the Polish scene will be represented by Kruk & Wojtek Cugowski!
Nazareth
A formation that certainly needs no introduction to any hard rock lover. The band has been active on the music scene since 1968. The group has 25 studio albums to its credit, and the latest one, “Surviving the Law” was released in April 2022. The band came to the top of the European charts primarily thanks to two albums from 1973, “Razamanaz”, which was produced by Roger Glover from Deep Purple and “Loud ‘n’ Proud”. However, the band’s album “Hair of the Dog” (1975) brought worldwide fame. In the United States alone, the album has found over 1 million buyers. It was on this album that the song “Love Hurts” was found, which Nazareth popularized and it was this version of the song that became a worldwide hit. The band currently tours with Carl Sentance (vocals), Pete Agnew (bass), Lee Agnew (drums) and Jimmy Murrison (guitar).
Raven
A formation that is well known to Polish fans of purple sounds. The latest album “Be There”, recorded together with Wojtek Cugowski, was released in April 2021 and met with a sensational reception from fans and the media. Certainly, Kruk’s music eludes rigid definitions – it draws inspiration from classic hard rock such as Deep Purple or Rainbow. The band is also not afraid of long complex compositions and flirting with more progressive sounds.
Piotr Brzychcy: “It is impossible to imagine a better festival for Kruk than Hard Rock Heroes with Deep Purple as the main star. It is a great honor and great happiness for us. Kruk has already performed with Deep Purple three times and it was the greatest fulfillment of our dreams. As a longtime fan of hard’n’heavy music, when I heard about such a festival, I immediately thought – you absolutely have to be there! legendary groups slowly decide to retire, or worse, go to the other side of the rainbow. There is also a spark of hope in my heart that maybe for this special occasion Wojtek Cugowski and I will prepare a premiere song, because work on Kruk’s new album continues!”
Deep Purple
This is a true phenomenon of the music scene. This band is considered the most important group in the history of music, which co-created such genres as heavy metal and hard rock. It was Deep Purple that was entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the loudest band in the world. The group has been operating for over 50 years and has sold over 100 million records. Deep Purple has released 22 studio albums and numerous live albums. Their song “Smoke On The Water” was among the top 500 compositions in the history of rock music.
In 2020, the album “Whoosh!” was released, and in 2021 the album “Turning to Crime” with a set of unusual Deep Purple covers. In July, Steve Morse left the band, but was replaced by Irish singer and guitarist Simon McBride. The great musical journey under the sign of Deep Purple continues, and the band itself impresses with its brilliant concert form. Metal Mind Productions invites you to:
12.06.2023 – TAURON Arena Krakow
Ticket prices in advance / on the day of the concert:
Slab – 290/ 320 PLN
Sectors:
1st category – 380/ 410 PLN
II category – PLN 340/370
III category – PLN 280/310
Tickets are now available at: shop.metalmind.com.pl, www.eventim.pl, www.ebilet.pl
More information: www.metalmind.com.pl
Beerweek Festival
The biggest festival of Małopolska (Lesser Poland), featuring only exhibitions of Polish breweries, as well as delicious food and phenomenal atmosphere.
A wide spectrum of craft beers aside, BeerWeek Festival also has a broad educational offer – courses and lectures meant not only for specialists, but also laymen who are only just getting into the world of craft beers, whose experience is limited to only regional or even syndicate beers. We wish to help our visitors ascend from beer consumers to beer gourmands and select what they consider the top beer of the festival.
More information about this event and the exact date will be posted soon.
Also read more on the festival’s own webpage
See our relation from the 5th edition from 24-26th May 2019.
Great Dragon Parade
22st Great Dragon Parade
Great Dragon Parade in Kraków is one of the largest and most colorful open air events in Poland, taking place annually in the first weekend of June. Although intended to cater primarily to children, this event manages to bring tens of thousands of tourists of all ages from across the entire world to Kraków.
For this celebration, the Kraków Old Town is converted to Dragon’s Cave. During the first day’s evening one can see the spectacle by Vistula’s boulevard, starring the main characters swimming along the river with an impressive musical and visual accompaniment.
This year’s main theme are dragons associated with Polish cities, cathedrals, castles and palaces.
The first dragons will arrive by morning of 4th June and will stop by the boulevard near Dragon’s Cave, where Family Picnic is also located. Around 10am children and adults alike can try playing with the dragons, rolling dragon eggs, archery, visiting tents of the event’s sponsors or participating in one of the many competitions with prizes.
During saturday evening the dragons will be floating near the bend of Vistula at the foot of Wawel Castle. This is where the Open Air Grand Performance will take place at 10pm. The enormous helium dragons – up to 25 meters long and a dozen meters tall – will be animated from barges and ships by actors from Groteska Theatre to dance in rhythm of music, accompanied by lasers, gigantic water curtains and pyrotechnic effects. Groteska has over 30 of such dragons at their disposals, out of which about a half will be used during this one hour long spectacle.
Much like in 2021, Grand Performance is tipping its hat towards pro-environment movements. The show will make use of cutting edge silent pyrotechnics – much more silent than traditional ones while being just as visually impressive. It is also bang-free, contained to intended area of performance and fully bio-degradable.
In Sunday afternoon (5th June) the Gread Dragon Parade will depart from Planty to Main Square via Grodzka Street. Over 30 of these colorful monsters will be animated by children. 22 of them will compete for title of the parade’s most beautiful dragon. These figures are created by schools and culture centers by children and their teachers and caretakers from all over the country.
The legend of the Wawel Dragon
But why dragons? One of the most popular Kraków’s legends tells about a dreadful dragon that used to live under the Wawel Hill and terrorized the city. The inhabitants of Kraków had to feed the beast by giving to it offerings of cattle and their virgin daughters. Many knights tried to kill the monster, but all of them died burned by dragon’s flames. And finally… It was Skuba, the shoemaker, who outsmarted the dragon by giving to it fake sheep stuffed with sulphur. Having eaten the sheep, dragon felt pain and burning in the throat and started drinking water from the Vistula river. The dragon couldn’t quench the thirst and kept drinking, swelling from the excess of water. And then, suddenly… It exploded, bursting into milion pieces! Skuba was properly rewarded and inhabitants of Kraków lived happily ever after.
Celebrations during Great Dragon Parade
Now the legend came back to life! Groteska Theatre’s actors used this story to show their reinterpetation of the dragons in amazing spectacle on Vistula River. Enormously big puppets, loud music and fireworks display attract many tourists since the year 2000.
The most spectacular celebration will take place after nightfall – multiple gigantic (up to 25 meters tall) swimming and floating dragons will be moved across Vistula river, near Wawel Castle, with help of barges, ships and jet skis. All with impressive musical and lighting accompaniment, including fireworks and laser lights, which along with massive crowds of viewers give this spectacle unforgettable expressive power.
Another key part of this event is Great Parade of Dragons, which takes place in the antique Kraków center. A score of dragons designed and made by the march’s participants (mostly children and youth) will compete for the grand prize for the prettiest and most ingenious dragon. All with side performances by dancers, musicians and jugglers.
The program of this year’s dragon festival:
Dragon Family Picnic on the boulevards near Wawel Castle:
June 3 – 6:00 p.m. 10am to 8pm
June 4 – 6:00 p.m. 10 to 19.00
The Great Night Show on the Vistula River – June 3, at 22.00
The Great Parade of Dragons (ul. Grodzka-Rynek Główny) – June 4, at 12
Join Great Dragon Parade and see for yourself!
Nigel Kennedy – Summer Jazz Festival Kraków 2021
Nigel Kennedy - "When I am 64"
Summer Jazz Festival Kraków – concert in Kiev Center
Nigel Kennedy once again played in his favorite polish City – Kraków. This time his concert was one of the main parts of Summer Jazz Festival. Starting the festival with such a big name was an excellent choice on the organizers’ part – as usual Kennedy gave a marvellous performance, serving excellent music along with a pinch of good humour. Kiev Cinema, which housed the concert, has once again become Kraków’s center of jazz.
The first thing that got our attention once the artist stepped onto the stage was his footwear – garish yellow Adidas with white soles, contrasting with the remainder of his wardrobe, which was dominated by dark colours. But it soon became clear that these boots were perfectly suited for Nigel’s dynamic performance, full of foot stamps cushioned by the thick soles. The artist did not stop for even a moment, continuously moving across the stage with great fervor.
Nigel Kennedy’s charm had little trouble earning the public’s favor, helped all the more by his strong accent. His fans from Kraków were overjoyed during moments where the musician spoke in Polish language and talked about his love for the city of Kraków. The audience returned the favor with numerous and long standing ovations. A good indicator of love between him and his Polish fans would be the fact that almost all available seats were filled, despite the difficult situation during pandemic.
The motto of this concert, as well as the summer tour it was a part of, was “When I’m 64” – referencing The Beatles. Nigel Kennedy presented a wide variety of his discography – old and new alike. Kennedy also played a few compositions of Krzysztof Komeda, including “My ballad”, as well as Jimmy Hendrix’s “Little wing” and “They can’t take that away from me”. Some songs had the artist abandon his violin in favor of an impressive piano, showcasing his versatility and virtuosity. Kennedy’s band, consisting of incredibly talented musicians, ensured a real musical treat in Kiev Cinema this evening.
Photos from the concert in Kiev Cinema, 10 July 2021:
The most interesting events in Poland on summer. Concerts, Festivals and outdoor events. Jazz, Rock, Reagge, Rap, Hip-Hop, Beer and traditional polish food.
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Al di Meola in Krakow
Aldi Meola
World of Great Music in Kraków
On 2nd November, as part of “World of Great Music in Kraków” in Kiev Center, played world-renowned virtuoso of guitar Al di Meola.
This concert was enormously hyped, to the point that all tickets were sold out well before the event, and met all our expectations.
The concert’s two hours were enough for Al di Meola to demonstrate his perfectionism and mastery over guitar. Although fully concentrated on the instrument while playing, he also had a few comments and announcements for the audience between the compositions.
In contrast, the accompanying musicians of his trio had a laidback attitude and had a lot of fun playing with their music.
The audience listened with total silence and focus, except for the trio’s most magnificent displays of skill worthy of all the applause they received.
This concert was a grand experience for anyone present in the hall and we had a rare pleasure to watch a performance of one of the best living musicians from up close.
The most interesting events in Poland on summer. Concerts, Festivals and outdoor events. Jazz, Rock, Reagge, Rap, Hip-Hop, Beer and traditional polish food.
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Final of 23th Summer Jazz Festival Kraków
The final concert of 23rd edition of Summer Jazz Festival Kraków
On 4th August (Saturday) in Pałac pod Baranami took place the final concert as part of Summer Jazz Festival Kraków. On the stage performed Orchestra Dedicated – Groborz & Cronies, Karen Edwards Trio and the evening’s special guest – Frank Parker. The performances were dedicated to saxophonist Janusz Muniak.
This finish of the 6 week long cycle of jazz concert received widespread attention. The musicians provided jazz music at its best. Professional sound composition filled the space of Pałac pod Baranami, creating a unique climate. The music kept changing both tempo and temper, enchanting the gathered fans, who gave their appreciation with loud ovations. This was a worthy finish to an event of its rank, spanning 41 days and 150 concerts.
If you wish to pleasantly spend summer evening next year while listening to live music, this event is for you – we invite you to the next year’s edition of Summer Jazz Festival in Kraków!
Orchestra Dedicated – Groborz & Cronies
Karen Edwards Trio
The most interesting events in Poland on summer. Concerts, Festivals and outdoor events. Jazz, Rock, Reagge, Rap, Hip-Hop, Beer and traditional polish food.
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New Orleans Sunday 2018
Summer Jazz Festival Kraków
On July 1 the titular New Orleans parade passed through Floriańska street, finishing on the Old Town Square. This was followed by an extraordinary concert near the Town Hall by one of Kraków’s oldest jazz bands – Old Metropolitan Band – full of vigor, sense of humor and above all some great juicy music.
On the photos: New Orleans parade, concert of Old Timers and Old Metropolitan Band.
The most interesting events in Poland on summer. Concerts, Festivals and outdoor events. Jazz, Rock, Reagge, Rap, Hip-Hop, Beer and traditional polish food.
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Alfredo Rodriguez w Krakowie
Alfredo Rodriguez at Summer Jazz Festival Kraków
Alfredo Rodriguez Trio played in Cracow tracks from their fourth CD “The Little Dream” and some jazz singles with connection with popular songs like “Thriller” of Michael Jackson.
The audience could feel so much enthusiasm which flowed from stage and really music joy. Some of compositions were really touching.
Musicians knew how to create jazz show on the stage and how to thrill the audience. Need examples? Funny variations of musical themes, Guantánamera in the eastern climate, so crazy solo on drums with the audience clapping their rhythm and joke with it.
Cuban rythmes ensured positive energy. Creativity and fantastic music skills built this unforgettable concert.
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The most interesting events in Poland on summer. Concerts, Festivals and outdoor events. Jazz, Rock, Reagge, Rap, Hip-Hop, Beer and traditional polish food.
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Stacey Kent
Stacey Kent in Krakow
On 26th April in Kiev Centre in Cracow took place Stacey Kent’s concert.
Stacey Kent is one of the most famous female jazz-star. She took the audience to the places without time and without space. Two hours with Stacey and her band was the time when they presented songs from their newest “I Know I Dream” album. It was also a little older songs which are ones of her musical achievements.
Melodic voice with the sounds of instruments definitely enchanted the audience. During this concert, Stacey took us to a magical journey all around the world: New Orleans, Paris Roofts, Brazil, Cuba… and, at the culmination – “Jardin d’hiver”. Smiles, singing with her and some applause – that were the audience’s reactions.
Stacey took us on a musical walk along the streets of Paris. But, between the reflexive and romantic songs, there were also more lively accents. We could listen for example “Photograph”, “Lex eaux de Mars” or “I know I dream”.
Stacey admitted that she likes come to Poland. She told that it is “like a special chemistry” for her and “if you coming here you want to be among those people, you want to be one of them”.
After the concert we heard a lot of good opinions. People were really thrilled.
We also are sure that this Stacey’s concert will be remembered for a long, long time as a real feast for the ears and soul.
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The most interesting events in Poland on summer. Concerts, Festivals and outdoor events. Jazz, Rock, Reagge, Rap, Hip-Hop, Beer and traditional polish food.
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TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE
TROMBONE SHORTY in Krakow
Merging music genres and styles may not be a recent invention, but has an unique character when done by TROMBONE SHORTY. Funk, Rock, Hip-hop and Pop fused with classic New Orleans Jazz is the game here.
TROMBONE SHORTY together with his band has been celebrating a successful career across USA and Europe for many years. In 2007 an American music magazine “Offbeat” named them Performer of the Year in Jazz category.
On November 8th we were honored to see them live during their concert as part of World of Great Music cycle in Kraków. From the very first music bar TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE grabbed the public not only with perfection of their tunes, but also the way they were having fun playing them.
Saying the concert of this immeasurably talented musician and his band got close to blasting Kraków Congress Center apart would not be a large overstatement.
Out of all the things deserving “Fun in Poland” tagline, this New Orleans band’s concert is at the top of the list.
The most interesting events in Poland on summer. Concerts, Festivals and outdoor events. Jazz, Rock, Reagge, Rap, Hip-Hop, Beer and traditional polish food.
