Green Zoo Festival is a not-for-profit independent alternative urban music festival held annually since 2011 between the middle of May and June, usually on weekends. The festival takes place in the city of Kraków in Poland at several venues and has hosted concerts by more than 100 musicians from around the world. The main mission of the festival is to integrate local musicians and those from around the world, DJs, journalists, photographers, graphic designers, promoters, and other artists, as well as regular concert goers, at the festival’s various events. As a result, there is no clear distinction between concert performers, the general audience, and the independent media, arts and music industry crowd.
The organizers of this festival are the concert promoters from Front Row Heroes based in Poland. Green Zoo Festival also has direct ties with POP Montreal Festival and has hosted many musicians that were initially showcased at this annual Canadian festival. In addition to the music, Green Zoo Festival provides means of promotion for upcoming local musicians, includes workshops dedicated to independent music, and is also associated with the development of volunteer programs
Green Zoo Festival 2021
Note: For more information, see Green Zoo Festival official site.
History
The first edition of Green Zoo Festival was a one day event and was held on June 25, 2011 in Kraków at the Betel Klub and Klub Piękny Pies venues. The idea of the festival was created spontaneously to help accommodate a concert by the Canadian songwriter Basia Bulat, as organized by the music promoters from Front Row Heroes. The day before Basia Bulat performed in Kraków, at the invitation of Arcade Fire, she supported their very first concert in Poland at the Arena COS Torwar music venue in Warsaw.
It turned out that several local Kraków-based bands wanted to open for Basia Bulat’s concert. This gave the festival organizers a chance to initiate a low profile urban music festival, loosely modeled on showcase festivals in Canada, USA, and elsewhere, where many bands play simultaneously in several different clubs and venues. The festival name, “Green ZOO”, originates from the title of the hit song performed by the Polish singer from the 1960s, Ludmiła Jakubczak, called “In the Green Zoo”. The song has been permanently included in Basia Bulat’s setlist during her concerts.
Venues
The concerts in each festival edition are held at various Kraków venues including local pubs and clubs. The venue locations where concerts take place change from year to year. However, the festival concerts always take place in at least two separate venues each year, as shown in the table below. In 2016, before the summer Green Zoo Festival edition, a winter edition of the festival also took place at three separate locations, between January 30 and February 4. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 edition of the festival was only held as streaming events. During 2021, a fall edition of the festival was held instead of a summer edition.
| Venue | Held concerts in | Address | More info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klub RE | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 winter, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 fall | ul. św. Krzyża 4 | |
| Betel Klub | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 winter, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 | pl. Szczepański 3 | |
| Klub Piękny Pies | 2011, 2013 | ul. Sławkowska 6a | No longer open at this location |
| Szpitalna 1 | 2016, 2016 winter | ul. Szpitalna 1 | |
| Bomba na Placu | 2012, 2014 | pl. Szczepański 2 | No longer open |
| Kotkarola | 2012, 2013 | Rynek Gł. 6 | No longer open |
| SDK Warehouse | 2019 | ul. Dekerta 47 | |
| ZetPeTe | 2018 | ul. Dolnych Młynów 10 | No longer open |
| Rozrywki Trzy | 2012 | ul. Mikołajska 3 | No longer open |
Artists
The following musicians performed at each Green Zoo Festival edition (the country of origin of the artist is shown in brackets):
2011
Basia Bulat (CA), Vladimirska (PL), New Century Classics (PL), Point Reyes (US), Visionary Hours (PL), Lights Dim (PL), Hayden Berry (PL)
2012
Moonface (CA), Ben Caplan (CA), Molly Nilsson (SE), Lower Dens (US), Katie Moore (CA), Socalled (CA), VUK (FI), Jason Urick (US), Swearing at Motorists (US), Yesterday Shop (DE), Tarwater (DE), Coldair (PL), Kaseciarz (PL), Bad Light District (PL), Die Flöte (PL), Vladimirska (PL), Bubble Pie (PL), Fuka Lata (PL), The Pleasure Is Mine (PL), Plum (PL)
2013
Johnny Foreigner (US), SchnAAK (DE), Conquering Animal Sound (UK), Playlounge (US), Brotherhood of the Lake (UK), Kaseciarz (PL), Enchanted Hunters (PL), Anthony Chorale (PL), Patrick the Pan (PL), Setting the Woods on Fire (PL), Kapital (PL), Piotr Kurek (PL)
2014
Circuit Des Yeux (CA), Gelbart (DE), Zentralheizung Of Death Des Todes (DE), Mathematique (CA), Semantic Punk (PL), Mikrokolektyw (PL), Wild Books (PL), Inqbator (PL), The Kurws (PL), Pole (PL), Robert Piernikowski (PL), Silver Owls (PL)
Photos: Silver Owls
2015
Screaming Females (US), Buke and Gase (US), Zs (US), Doug Tuttle (US), Dinner (DK), Kaseciarz (PL), Kubaterra (PL), Złota Jesień (PL), Ukryte Zalety Systemu (PL), Wilhelm Bras (PL), Heroiny (PL)
Photos: Screaming Females / Kaseciarz, Buke and Gase / Kubaterra
2016 Winter
Jerusalem In My Heart (CA), Ben Caplan (CA), Yung (DK), Zdrowie (PL)
2016
Xara Dion (CA), MY DISCO (AU), The Space Lady (US), SKELETON$ (US), Komety (PL), Neal Cassady (PL), Chicaloyoh (FR), Black Zone Myth Chant (FR), Sasha Boole (UA), Lasse Matthiesen (DK)
2017
Molly Nilsson (SE), TOPS (CA), Operators (CA), Sean Nicholas Savage (CA), White Wine (DE), Mozart’s Sister (CA), Pierre Kwenders (CA), Skiing (US), Rycerzyki (PL)
Photos: Molly Nilsson, TOPS, Operators, Sean Nicholas Savage, White Wine, Mozart’s Sister, Pierre Kwenders, Rycerzyki
2018
Chad VanGaalen (CA), Yamantaka // Sonic Titan (CA), Omni (US), Big Ups (US), Moon King (CA), Fenster (DE), Ayuunne Sule (GH), Dubais (US), Rosa Vertov (PL), Bad Light District (PL), Adam Repucha (PL), Vegetable Kingdom (PL), Katie Caulfield (PL), Kirszenbaum (PL), Gadabit (PL)
Photos: Chad VanGaalen, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, Omni, Big Ups, Moon King, Fenster, Ayunne Sule, Dubais and Gadabit, Rosa Vertov, Bad Light District, Adam Repucha, Katie Caulfield
2019
Black Lips (US), Spencer Krug (CA), Tamaryn (NZ), Cold Showers (US), Xeno & Oaklander (US), Cocaine Piss (BE), Crying High (CA), Rycerzyki (PL), Niemoc (PL), Dizel (PL), Stonerror (PL)
Photos: Black Lips, Spencer Krug, Tamaryn, Cold Showers, Xeno & Oaklander, Cocaine Piss, Crying High, Rycerzyki
2020 Stream Edition
Trupa Trupa (PL), Rycerzyki (PL), Melty (PL), Akpatok (BLR/PL)
Photos: Trupa Trupa, Rycerzyki, Melty, Akpatok
2021 Fall
Trupa Trupa (PL), The Underground Youth (UK), Kill Your Boyfriend (IT), Komety (PL), Kaseciarz (PL), Oxford Drama (PL), Hugayz (PL), Strangers In My House (PL), Angry Sad Boys (PL), The Band of the Endless Noise (PL), Why Bother? (PL)
Photos: Trupa Trupa, The Underground Youth, Kill Your Boyfriend, Oxford Drama, Strangers In My House