OFF Festival

This is one of the top events that draws crowds to Katowice, a city that just recently shed its image as the capital of the industrial mining region of Silesia and now bears the title of UNESCO Capital of Music — due in no small part to the excellent festivals it hosts. The OFF Festival began in 2006 in Mysłowice, and has since grown considerably, resulting in its relocation to the much larger Dolina Trzech Stawów (Three Pond Valley) in Katowice. Curated by Polish rock royalty Artur Rojek, the festival has a penchant for indie rock, but also invites plenty of hip-hop and experimental artsits to its stages. The 2017 lineup featured PJ Harvey, Feist, Swans, Conor Oberst, Talib Kweli and many more; so far for 2018 Grizzly Bear, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Marlon Williams, Turbonegro, Big Freedia, Egyptian Lover, Aldous Harding, Oxbow, Bishop Nehru, King Ayisoba, Jaques Greene and John Maus have been confirmed.