KILKA SLOW O FESTIWALU
Pierwsza edycja Nocy Walpurgii odbyla sie30.04.1996. Na przestrzeni lat, festiwal stal sie jednym z najwiekszych i najwazniejszych wydarzen sceny niezaleznej, zupelnie prekursorskim ze wzgledu na podejmowana tematyke i charakter festiwalu. Stal sie rwniez wyjatkowym wydarzeniem, ze wzgledu na roznorodn i miedzynarodow publicznosc oraz wykonawcow.Idea przewodnia festiwalu jest wspieranie niezaleznej tworczznej. Jednoczesnie Noc Walpurgii stanowi sprzeciw wobec seksizmu, spolecznych i kulturowych nierwnosci plci i homofobii oraz zjawisku komercjalizacji, hamujacej w coraz wiekszym stopniu rozwoj nieskrepowanej i autentycznej kultury.
W dobie aktualnej sytuacji politycznej i wzroscie poparcia dla skrajnej prawicy, religijnych fundamentalistow oraz szowinistycznych i nietolerancyjnych postaw, cenzury sztuki i naruszenia prawa do wolnoci sowa i zgromadzen przekaz festiwalu nabiera jeszcze wyraniejszego i glebszego znaczenia.Festiwal NOC WALPURGII jest inicjatywa niezalena, wywodzaca si ze sceny hardcore punk oraz anarcho-feministycznej, zaangazowanej na rzecz pozytywnych przemian spolecznych. Jego celem jest wspieranie oraz zintegrowanie srodowisk pro-rownosciowych oraz wszystkich tych osob, ktore popieraja idee przestrzeni i twrczosci wolnej i otwartej na roznorodnosc.
english:
A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Noc Walpurgii festival started in 1996 in Warsaw, Poland. It was the first festival in the country taking issues of struggle against sexism and homophobia as a main ideas. This issues were not taken seriously inside of the punk or antifascist scenes and we felt the importance to show that most forms of discrimination like racism, sexism, homophobia are linked and that fighting against these forms of opression is basic for antifascist, leftist, anarchist and hardcore/punk movements.As a pro-feminist and pro-women festival, we support anarchist-feminist activities as well as other forms of feminist and anti-patriarchal struggle. We also support all female and female fronted punk and hardcore bands, as it was clear that local scenes used to have small amount of women involved.It was even worse with openly queer, gay or lesbian participants in punk, anarchist or antifascist scenes before. We worked with queer, lesbian and gay activists, spoken word artists, drag queens, drag kings, djnesand other activists. The festival started been successful with being attractive for females and males, queers, lesbian, gays or straights, punks, hardcore or others who wanted to be a part of it. Its impressing feeling to see so many different people having fun at the dance floor or during the shows.We respect needs for self-organization and needs for space for all those discriminated or oppressed, but the festival idea is not to create a separated place fot just one certain type of people. Noc Walpurgii is more about connecting each others and building fundamental structures to resist it means thats open to anyone interested in supporting the issues of the festival; Bands or artists, interested in the same struggle against sexism, homophobia, fascism, racism and other phobias. It means, that anyone is welcome, no matter of sex, gender or sexual orientation.We felt the importance to make events friendly to everyone involved, so were standing in opposition to all kinds of violence at the shows, any violent dancing or macho behaviours are not accepted. It was importance to us all to see more women taking up the space or having fun during the shows.Throughout the years the festival became one of the biggest and most important events in Poland coming from the underground hc/punk scene. Each festival there is around 700-1000 visitors. Its also one of the most international events in Poland, with a lots of visitors from other countries, foreign bands or artists.Noc Walpurgii became important because of the ideas and issues related with the event, but its also important because its now the oldest polish hardcore/punk festival. Throughout the years many bands from Poland played on the fest like Post Regiment, Homomilitia, Guernica Y Luno, Zlodzieje Rowerow, Sanctus Iuda and many more, as well as many international bands like Harum-Scarum, Re-Sisters, Scattergun, Highscore, Active Minds, Lorena & The Bobbits, Beyond Pink, De Fatwas, Lady! Die, Oil and others. Theres always lots of non-musical activities like workshops, performance, exhibitions, spoken word, movies or demonstrations (Take back the night, Gay Pride).Noc Walpurgii since the beginning was organised by members of the anarcho-feminist collective Emancypunx and Refuse Records, both involved in hardcore punk scene in Poland
www.nocwalpurgii.prv.pl
www.emancypunx.com
www.refuserecords.prv.pl"NOC WALPURGII 1996- 2002" compilation CD (last copies available!)
on Emancypunx Records and Refuse Records.Live recordings from the first editions of the fest incl. Re-SISTERS (Switzerland), HARUM-SCARUM (US), LADY DIE! (Holland), LORENA & THE BOBBITS (Germany), DULDUNG (Poland), HISTERIA (Poland), SCATTERGUN (Germany), N.K.D. (Germany), LIFE CYCLE (Belgium), DIASPORA (Finland), GUERNICA Y LUNO (Poland), POST REGIMENT (Poland), PIEKLO KOBIET (Poland), HOMOMILITIA (Poland), GERONIMO (Poland), SILIKONFEST (Poland), SILIKONFEST (Poland), WHITE RABBIT (Poland), HIGHSCORE (Germany), OIL (Holland), SANCTUS IUDA (Poland), ANTICHRIST (Poland), ZLODZIEJE ROWEROW (Poland)20zl / 6 euros / $8 + postage
ordering: [email protected]
