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By M.M.
The 10th Destination Woodstock, the largest rock festival in Europe, ended in Kostrzyn on the Oder near Poland's western border Aug. 1. This year, Kostrzyn hosted the festival for the first time.
The organizers say the festival attracted a crowd of about 250,000, chiefly from Poland and Germany. "Very hot, very friendly, many smiles, very dusty, unusual music," described the organizer of the event, Jerzy Owsiak, also known as the head of the Great Christmas Aid Orchestra Foundation.
Destination Woodstock ended with a performance by the band Dżem, a legend of Polish blues. The musicians played their best-known compositions, and at the end of the concert Owsiak and his co-workers appeared on stage to sing together with the audience the chorus of the famous Dżem hit, "W życiu piękne są tylko chwile" (Life's Moments of Beauty).
The event lasted three days. The first concert, July 30, ended around 3 a.m. It featured Polish stars such as T-Love, Voo Voo and Dezerter. The largest number of people gathered in front of the stage on the second day, which also lasted until the wee hours. In all, the festival featured almost 30 bands presenting various musical trends.
Owsiak created the festival 10 years ago as a way of thanking volunteers in his foundation, who help raise funds every winter during the Grand Finales of the Great Christmas Aid Orchestra, the largest charity event in Poland. However, since its inception, the Destination has generated a lot of controversy, with both dedicated supporters and fierce opponents. Destination Woodstock has taken a beating in the Catholic press, its organizers accused of depraving young people by exposing them to narcotics and crime. One newspaper ran an article entitled "Destination Demoralization." Owsiak's favorite slogan "Róbta co chceta" (Do what ya wanna do) has provoked mixed emotions; some interpret it simply as an appeal to have fun, while others believe it symbolizes a renunciation of moral norms.
This year's festival started on a bad note. Two lethal accidents took place in special trains carrying participants to Kostrzyn. A 21-year-old leaning out of an open door was hit a rail post. Another young man fell out of another train under unexplained circumstances. Police also stopped nine people on their way to Woodstock-on charges of drug possession. However, the spokesman for the festival, Robert Leszczyński, described the event as peaceful. This was confirmed by police in the Lubuskie region, who said that considering the scale of the event, no major crimes or incidents were reported. For the first time, German police helped provide security during the festival.
"I'm grateful to the participants for their attitude and the fact that the event was safe. This is most important for us," said Andrzej Kunt, mayor of Kostrzyn, who agreed to host the festival despite protests from some residents (earlier the festival was held in Żary in Lubuskie province). Owsiak hopes that the next Destination will also be held in Kostrzyn.
The Numbers
170 tonnes of stage installations and structures, 20 tonnes of lighting, 20 km of cables and 64,000 kW of energy consumed. A 600,000-square-meter campsite offered 400 water taps, with water consumption totaling 11,000 cubic meters.
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