Something for the Body, Something for the Ear

It’s no secret that the festival is more than just a lot of fun: it’s a pretty good workout as well, and you won’t get far without a delicious and nutritious meal. With that in mind, this year’s Food and Shopping Court will feature a selection of international cuisine. At its numerous small restaurants you’ll get a chance to try dishes from Turkey, India, the Middle East, Africa, France, the US, Thailand, and China. There will also be vegetarian and vegan options available, as well as typical Polish grilled delicacies, homemade pierogi, crêpes, potato pancakes, hot smoked fish, and traditional Silesian cuisine. And to wash it all down: a variety of beverages, some of which might surprise you. You’ll also find excellent beer and cider. If you feel like having a siesta, head for the lawn chairs at the Literary Café on the island, where you can enjoy a cup of choice coffee or smoke a hookah on a couch in the shade of a tree.

For round-the-clock food and drinks, visit the Festival Village, which offers five different breakfast options – including vegetarian and diabetic – at all hours of the day and night.

But the food and shopping court is more than just a place to eat and drink. If you’re looking to relax with a glass of wine and a good book, or just want some entertainment for your soul, visit the Literary Café, hosted this year by the Warsaw bookstore Czuły Barbarzyńca. Our partners and sponsors have prepared plenty of space for sitting, lying around, and relaxing by the green lakeside. This year, the cinema at the beach will feature a review of the greatest avant-garde films of the 1920s, including pictures by Marcel Duchamp, Fernand Léger, Man Ray, and Jean Epstein, as well as silent horror film classics by Paul Leni and Robert Wiene, along with trailers for the worst B movies of the 1950s.

Full and rested, but you’re favorite band’s not on yet? Then it’s shopping time! Head to the shopping street to find Poland’s leading independent releases and record labels, along with a number of art boutiques with pretty and practical objects. The OFF Shop will be carrying albums and merchandise by artists on this year’s lineup, as well as the official, limited-edition festival t-shirt and bag featuring a design by the Berlin-based Polish artist Sławomir Elsner.

We also have important news for parents coming to the festival with little children. The OFF Festival welcomes audiences of all ages, but we want parents to remember that a child’s hearing is very sensitive and requires special protection. If you’re planning to enjoy your favorite band up close, don’t forget to protect your child’s ears. 3M Peltor Kid Ear Muffs – available for purchase at the festival – are perfect for reducing noise without isolating your kids from their surroundings.

Accredited media representatives – over 200 of whom are expected to arrive from all over the world, as in previous years – will be able to work and rest at the Media Zone, the aesthetic interiors of which have been designed by Zamek Cieszyn.

Zamek Cieszyn, formerly known as the Silesia Castle of Art and Enterprise, is Poland’s first regional center devoted to promoting good design as crucial to the development of companies and institutions. For more information, visit http://www.zamekcieszyn.pl/en/