LIONSTAGE / CONCERTS

WROCŁAW’S 30th WOŚP GRAND FINALE UNDER THE SLOGAN “OPEN YOUR EYES!”

As befits a major anniversary, Wrocław's 30th Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Finale will be an extraordinary event. After a year's break, the long-awaited celebration returns to Wrocław's Market Square. From the morning of 30 January, residents supporting the Orchestra can look forward to a wealth of attractions. They will feel right at home, because this will be by far the most distinctly Wrocław Finale to date.

WE WILL BE PLAYING REALLY LOUD!

The Market Square will host attractions prepared by WOŚP partners and a musical zone for the Guitar World Record. Meanwhile, more than 20 Wrocław acts will perform across two stages at Stary Klasztor.

Excellent concerts are Wrocław’s WOŚP Finale trademark. This once-single-day event has become a small music festival crossing divisions, representing every generation and genre. This year, organisers strongly favour Wrocław performers whose concert opportunities were severely restricted during months of lockdown. It is a genuine treat for good-music fans. Audiences will attend, with organisers naturally ensuring safety through strict observance of pandemic restrictions.

The first to celebrate are Wrocław’s shanty musicians, long-standing WOŚP supporters. On Saturday 29 January, the Stained Glass Hall hosts folk-nautical group Za Horyzontem, the cheerful W Stronę Portu, eclectic Znienacka Projekt, exuberant Orkiestra Samanta and happy-folk band Jan i Klan. The Gothic Hall will sound considerably heavier. The wROCK dla WOŚP concert features experienced punks 4Dziki, funk-rock Uvaga, Grey Fruit’s mixture of ska, funk and melodic rock, new-wave Nowomowa and old-school rock and metal from Suchy Pion.

On Sunday 30 January, Wrocław singers known from television programmes including The Voice of Poland and Szansa na sukces will join forces as Wroclove Girls in the Stained Glass Hall. Singing for WOŚP will be Kasia Gaya, Anna Nguyen, Angelika Klimek, Jadwiga Tomczyńska, Nikola Warda, Monika Wiśniowska-Basel, Wiktoria Wlaźlik and Martyna Bellini, who is associated with the Guitar World Record. Another musical attraction will be Handpans Projekt. The handpan is one of the world’s youngest instruments. Created in Switzerland in 2000, it quickly won the affection of street musicians. The excellent indie-pop group Nago will follow, before Żniwa, Rustica and Dziwoludy present every shade of folk music.

There will be plenty happening on the Gothic Hall stage. First comes a treat for the youngest WOŚP participants, who will hear live performances of much-loved songs from Disney animated films. Guests from outside Wrocław will then take the stage. Last year, the alternative reggae partnership No Logo & Maria Sadowska had to cancel their concert; now, keeping their promise to fans, they will perform at the Grand Finale. Well-known Wrocław musician Damian Szewczyk will present material from “Basem i barytonem”, followed by supergroup WrocLove Guitar Top, playing the all-time guitar favourites chosen by the public. The poll is available at https://heyjoe.pl/ankieta. The finish will be powerful: legendary Wrocław punk band Hurt will perform their biggest hits, including “Załoga G”, loved by successive generations of fans.

All performances will be streamed online. A Wrocław WOŚP Finale studio will operate at Stary Klasztor, allowing viewers to follow conversations with guests supporting the Orchestra and learn the latest results of Wrocław's fundraiser.

On Grand Finale day, exhibitors who have accompanied the event for years will return to the Market Square alongside local residents. Classic-car enthusiasts in particular should be delighted: Stowarzyszenie Wrocławskie Klasyki and Muzeum Topacz will organise a major classic-car exhibition. Two-wheel enthusiasts will have even more to enjoy, as a motorcycle village appears in the square, with students from LEM Wrocław as its stars. It will provide a unique opportunity to see the latest electric two-wheelers. Visitors can also meet many old friends: participants announced include Panthers American football players, rescuers from Lower Silesia’s WOPR and historical re-enactors. Nawrot is the Finale’s automotive sponsor.

Alongside exhibitions, the Market Square offers catering stalls, food trucks and hot drinks. The youngest visitors in particular can expect numerous attractions and surprises. The Orchestra’s traditional auctions provide an ideal chance to support this exceptional undertaking. In the Guitar World Record zone, you can become a true music star. A stage and guitar await anyone wishing to play and sing for the Orchestra.

This year’s celebration has a single purpose: improving standards of children’s eye diagnosis and treatment. It will be the Orchestra’s first fundraiser for severely underfunded paediatric ophthalmology. Goals include establishing Poland’s first ophthalmic surgery simulation centre, enabling specialists treating children to learn appropriate surgical techniques. A key planned purchase is a biplane angiography system for treating retinoblastoma, children’s most common malignant eye tumour.

Last year, despite difficult conditions, Wrocław raised an impressive PLN 1,267,591, and hopes of breaking that record this year are high. It is all thanks to hundreds of volunteers on the streets, auctions and online collection boxes, which make it possible to join the Grand Finale without leaving home. The organisers are clear: we will do everything to make this the most beautiful Finale yet, and we are counting on residents’ big hearts. Because if not us, then who?

CONCERTS

Stary Klasztor, ul. Purkyniego 1, Wrocław

Saturday 29 January, 19:00

Stained Glass Hall

Shantymani play for WOŚP

Za Horyzontem

W Stronę Portu

Znienacka Project

Orkiestra Samanta

Jan i Klan

Saturday 29 January, 19:00

Gothic Hall

wROCK for WOŚP

4Dziki

Uvaga

Grey Fruit

Nowomowa

Suchy Pion

Sunday 30 January, 15:00

Stained Glass Hall

Wroclove Girls

Handpans Projekt

Nago

Żniwa + Rustica

Dziwoludy

Sunday 30 January, 13:30

Gothic Hall

Songs from Disney Films

No Logo & Maria Sadowska

Damian Szewczyk – Bass and Baritone

All-Time Guitar Hits

Hurt

EXHIBITIONS

Market Square, Wrocław

Sunday 30 January

– A large exhibition of classic cars: Wrocławskie Klasyki Association and Topacz Museum

- Motorcycle village

- Harley Davidson motorcycle exhibition

– An exhibition of electric motorcycles: a project by LEM Wrocław university students

- Guitar World Record Music Zone

- Official WOŚP shop

- Panthers Wrocław

- Golden Retriever WOŚP Wrocław

– The Twierdza 14 Association re-enactment group presents paramilitary equipment

– Tarczyński food truck (an Allegro auction from the main sponsor of Wrocław’s WOŚP Grand Finale)

- Lower Silesian Volunteer Water Rescue Service

– Cars from Nawrot, the automotive sponsor of Wrocław’s WOŚP Grand Finale