The concept of the Stars Festival In Gdańsk

For the last ten years Międzyzdroje, a charming town situated at one of the most spectacular beaches on the Baltic, hosted the STARS FESTIVAL. Over the decade, the festival underwent dynamic development, enriching its formulation with numerous cultural ventures of national and often international character and consequently, the number of people wishing to participate in this summer artistic celebration greatly increased. Międzyzdroje is hospitable and cosy, but could no longer contain this expanding event, so the STARS FESTIVAL found a new home in Gdańsk and the opportunity for continued growth.

Gdańsk is a city with rich history and tradition; while having a modern centre permeated with authentic European atmosphere and above all, possessing cultural infrastructure of the highest world standards. A notable feature is the concert hall complex which is home to the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra. The thousand seat concert hall has been set up in the former power station building, a post-industrial building which would be a source of pride for any European capital. These historic buildings, comprising the Baltic Philharmonic Society building, the Królewski Hotel in a reconstructed royal granary, and the impressive Central Maritime Museum occupying three historic granaries, are situated on Ołowianka Island close to the Old Town. This cultural centre has become the new "heart" and the venue for the Stars Promenade highlight of the festival. It is a symbolic venue where great arts combines with the tradition of one of the oldest and greatest Polish cities.

Gdańsk is a "window on Poland" for the world and this has a symbolic as well literal significance for the festival. Gdańsk provides opportunities for developing the international facets of the festival. In previous years it was inaugurated with presentations of the achievements by world renowned artists such as: Volker Schlöndorff and Peter Greenaway.

What is the festival?

STARS FESTIVAL is a popular, annual cultural event that incorporated the formula of del' arte festival and gathers notable Polish representatives of theatre, film, music, visual arts and literature. The festival has been held since 1996, in the first week of July (this year from 5^th - 8^th July). The festival schedule features concerts specially arranged for this event, exhibitions, outdoor performances as well as literature meetings, major theatrical spectacles and film screenings. In general, each festival day gives viewers a chance to see several artistic undertakings.

The main goal of the Festival is to facilitate wider public contact with artists, known from media coverage and leading representatives of mainstream of Polish culture. Every day, alongside the ambitious artistic ventures, outdoor performances, theatre spectacles and exhibitions, "Encounters with the Stars" take place; when the public have a chance to meet directly with the best known figures in Polish theatre and cinema.

The highlight of every STARS FESTIVAL is a ceremonial Stars Promenade - handprints by the artists representing various artistic realms. The Festival may boast of 120 "hands" gathered on the Promenade; it is a collection of bronze sculptures made by one of the most renowned and famed Polish sculptors, professor Adam Myjak. Over ten festival years the Promenade achieved the status of a separate artistic space, becoming a favourite tourist attraction of Międzyzdroje and now Gdańsk.

Each edition of the Festival has a dedicated theme or motif as a reference for major festival events; the leitmotif of the first festival was Federico Fellini and Krzysztof Kieślowski, the second edition was dedicated to Andrzej Wajda and Wisława Szymborska and the third edition to Adam Mickiewicz. The theme of the fourth festival was Fryderyk Chopin and his achievements, the fifth, due to the symbolic year 2000, was an attempt to commemorate the passing century. The schedule of the sixth edition was arranged as a series of tributes to muses, each day was dedicated to a different muse and artistic field. The distinctive theme of the seventh edition was the 50th anniversary of Theatre in Television. The ninth Festival focused on Witold Gombrowicz the tenth commemorated the jubilee edition and the eleventh centred on a theme "You are really lucky…" provoking laughter.