Rockowisko '86

Overview

The "Rockowisko" Rock Music Festival was one of the most popular festivals of the 1980s in Poland. The report documents the latest, sixth edition of the festival, which was held at the Sports Hall in Lodz. The review's organizers note with regret the declining interest in rock music in Poland, which has affected concert ticket sales. In 1986, despite high financial outlays on advertising the festival, only 2,000 tickets were sold (for comparison - sales in 1981 amounted to 30,000). In the eyes of the audience, the festival has become commercialized, the invited bands do not play for ideas, for people, but for money. In behind-the-scenes conversations between organizers and journalists, we hear that the whole culture is in crisis, due to the economic crisis in the country, but also point to the marasm on the Polish rock scene, the lack of an invigorating sound that would attract crowds of people to concerts.