Krakow music, film, literary, theater, and photography festivals have been important points on the cultural map of Poland and Europe for many years. What will they look like this year? Will artists come to Krakow and the audience will fill real halls? Time will tell because, as they say, the situation is dynamic.
Hybrid model – both online and offline
The slogan “hybrid model”, previously associated with the automotive industry, made a tremendous career in 2020 also in the world of culture. Everything indicates that the hybrid model of the festival organization will stay with us for a longer time.
Hybrid events will stay with us for sure. We learn to be flexible and quickly react to sanitary restrictions that change every now and then. Therefore, when planning events for 2021, we immediately program them in such a way as to be able to invite the audience whenever possible.
Michał Zalewski from the Krakow Festival Office, the organizer of numerous Krakow festivals, incl. Film Music Festival, Conrad Festival, Copernicus Festival, Misteria Paschalia Festival of Early Music.
Misteria Paschalia Festival of Early Music will be available online this year and will be available on the Play Krakow platform.
Krakow Festivals 2021 – how will they be held?
The 78th Hollywood Foreign Press Association awards ceremony is behind us. This year, due to the pandemic, the winners received the Golden Globes virtually and on a changed date. The Oscar-winning gala, traditionally held in February, has been moved to April. In the fall, the 58th National Festival of Polish Song is to be held in Opole. And what will this year’s Krakow festivals look like and on what dates will they be held?
Krakow Film Festival 2021 – Hybrid model
Invariably, on the last Sunday of May, the Krakow Film Festival will begin, the 61st edition will, of course, be a hybrid one.
We will be present both in the stationary and online version, the opening gala will take place in the Kijów cinema and at the same time on the streaming platform, as well as film screenings. The heart of the festival is the audience reacting live in Krakow cinemas and direct meetings with filmmakers and heroes. We treat online activities as an addition to the traditional festival, but after last year’s edition, we know that over 40% of people who participated in the festival took part in it for the first time precisely because it was online.
Olga Lany, spokeswoman for the Krakow Film Festival
The organizers of last year’s festivals, who decided to postpone the dates of the events, could see that there may not be a better date. How will it be this year? Some have decided to stick to the usual deadlines, others will wait for autumn hoping for less sanitary restrictions.
Virtual Space VS Hybrid model
Last year’s Jewish Culture Festival was mostly held in virtual space, stretched over time for several months, this year the organizers hope that in June and July they will be able to meet the audience live and that the situation is dynamic, the date is sure, but in what formula the fans of Shalom na Szeroka will take part. Only time will tell…
There will definitely be a lot of outdoor activities in which you will be able to participate regardless of the pandemic situation. However, when talking to each artist, we discuss 2 scenarios from the beginning – one ideal for a festival like the one above, when artists and the audience can come and perform in Krakow, and the other – for a festival under some strong regime.
Robert Gądek from the JCF
People of Krakow long for culture!
The fact that Cracovians long for contact with live culture was shown by the opening weekend of cinemas and museums, interest in the first concerts after lockdown. We want to return to the model we know of participating in live cultural events, and festivals are a very popular part of it. We are happy to attend online events that would be beyond our reach live, but we also like to return to real halls. And, as last year’s International Street Theater Festival has shown, the audience can be disciplined, keep their distance, and observe restrictions. This year’s festivals will therefore be a test of the crisis for viewers, participants, and organizers.
This year will be a difficult year for all the organizers because the cultural sector is also in crisis. There is much less money, but we are doing everything to make the festivals take place – shorter and on a smaller scale, but certainly at the same high level as in previous years.
Michał Zalewski from the Krakow Festival Office
News taken from Gazeta Krakowska – follow the link for the Polish version.
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug
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