How do professionals begin to plan an event? Where do they look for ideas and what is their inspiration behind the line-up? What does their day-to-day work look like? BEHIND THE SCENES – a new series of events organized by the City Culture Institute – will present the biggest Polish festivals from a perspective reserved for the chosen few. At 6 p.m. on 8th March, CCI will host a meeting with the founder of Płock’s Audioriver Festival, Piotr Orlicz-Rabiega. He will be interviewed by Małgorzata Muraszko. Admission free.

Audioriver is an electronic music festival taking place at the end of July on the sandy bank of the Vistula in Płock. The event is produced by Jest Akcja! Foundation, and the organizer and founder of the festival is Piotr Orlicz-Rabiega, the guest of our first BEHIND THE SCENES meeting.

“Let me give you some numbers about Audioriver in Płock: 12 editions, a total of 672 festival hours, during which 827 concerts took place – of 433 Polish and 394 foreign artists. However, these statistics fail to convey the experience of spending three summer days and nights on the riverbank,” says Piotr Orlicz-Rabiega, the man behind Audioriver.

The good atmosphere of music festivals is first of all due to the audience – and the last weekend of July attracts swarms of music lovers to Płock. Anyone who has been to Audioriver even once goes back with plenty of memories and associations: dancing with friends throughout the nights, the main square in Płock, sunrise by the Vistula or sand on the beach instead of parquet floors. Audioriver is currently expanding its programme to include new activities.

“Starting from this year, we would like Audioriver to include a programme of cultural events organized together with local institutions that would be free of charge and open to everyone. 2018 has already brought some changes: cooperation with the creative team from Pracownia Szumu, a new visual identity created by the talented graphic designers from Hopa Studio, a new website we’re about to launch thanks to our cooperation with the experienced Owls Department, creative cooperation with artists from various fields – such as the unique Barrakuz, and, above all, a new approach to what we can offer to our audience, who will trust us and visit Płock in the summer,” adds Marta Berto, who is responsible for Audioriver’s communication.

BEHIND THE SCENES is a new series of meetings with organizers of cultural events held at CCI. In the first edition, we will take a sneak peek at the preparations to organize the largest music festivals in Poland: Audioriver, Ostróda Reggae Festival, Inne Brzemienia, and Przystanek Woodstock.

“This series of meetings is addressed to everyone who would like to become involved in producing cultural events: both students of cultural organization studies and other persons interested in organizing music festivals, their fans and avid festivalgoers. A prize draw will be held at each of the meetings – participants will be able to win tickets or festival gadgets. Audioriver gave us one double festival pass,“ says Agnieszka Urbańska from the City Culture Institute.

Interviews with the people behind music festivals will be held by Małgorzata Muraszko, journalist and culture expert associated with Gazeta Wyborcza Trójmiasto and Co jest grane 24. She went to her first music festival at 16, and she has not stopped going to festivals since. She has published numerous reviews of Polish and international festivals. She graduated in Journalism and Social Communication, Culture Studies and Management from the University of Gdańsk and completed a post-graduate management course for artists and organizers of cultural events at the University of Warsaw.

Our first guest, Piotr Orlicz-Rabiega, is a Varsovian by birth, who left his heart in NYC and Andalusia. Without any experience in event organization, he created one of the most important and biggest Polish cultural events. He used to work in a bank and in an abattoir. He says that his greatest dream is to be an outstanding chef.

BEHIND THE SCENES programme

Venue: City Culture Institute, Długi Targ 39/40

At each meeting, members of the audience will have an opportunity to win festival tickets or sets of festival gadgets.

8 March (Thursday), 6 p.m. | Behind the scenes at… Audioriver Festival

Guest: Piotr Orlicz-Rabiega, Audioriver Festival

27 March (Tuesday), 6 p.m. | Behind the scenes at… Ostróda Reggae Festival

Guest: Piotr Kolaj, Ostróda Reggae Festival

12 April (Thursday), 6 p.m. | Behind the scenes at… Inne Brzmienia festival

Guests: Agnieszka Wojciechowska and Rafał Chwała, Inne Brzmienia

8 May (Tuesday), 6 p.m. | Behind the scenes at… Przystanek Woodstock

Guest: Bartłomiej Stolarek, Przystanek Woodstock