Jarocin Festival

Jarocin is a historic Polish rock festival with roots reaching back to the 1970s and 1980s, when it served as a crucial outlet for punk, rock and alternative music under the communist regime. It became symbolic of youth rebellion and cultural experimentation, drawing tens of thousands at its peak. After a pause in the 1990s, the festival was revived in the 2000s, combining nostalgia for its counter-cultural heritage with contemporary rock and related genres. Modern editions include big Polish rock names, younger alternative acts and thematic events linked to the Polish Rock Museum in Jarocin. The town itself strongly identifies with the festival, treating it as a central element of its cultural brand.