From Wolf Alice to FKA twigs to Gracie Abrams, there's a relentless, fizzing excitement throughout Open'er 2025

On the surface, Poland's biggest music festival is very different to a weekend at Worthy Farm. Rather than a five-day endurance test in a tent, most punters stay in the nearby cities of Gdansk or Gdynia and make use of the lush beaches at Sopot before the music starts in the late afternoon. The festival site is borrowed from the Polish military and the entire field can be covered in 15 minutes – if you don't get distracted by brightly-lit brand activities from Pepsi Max (refreshing), Heineken (yum) or Old Spice (sure?). However, there's also a huge tent offering workshops, talks and crafts as well as encouraging political and charity action. It's all designed to bring people together. As the festival boss explains, "Diversity is our strength".

He's not kidding, either. The 2025 event features a powerful, politically-charged headline performance from Massive Attack alongside the pure dance escapism of Justice. Muse deliver clenched-fist fury and the right amount of stadium-sized cheese while Linkin Park return to Poland for the first time since 2017 for an emotional, celebratory 90 minutes of rock karaoke. The controlled chaos of Open'er means you're encouraged to bounce between the industrial ferocity of Nine Inch Nails, the sleek pop party of Tyla and Future's mosh-pit-baiting rap – and that's just one afternoon.

Wolf Alice follow-up that very special Glastonbury performance with a smirking, gorgeous set that sees new tracks 'Bloom Baby Bloom' and 'My Sofa' already doing things to the rowdy crowd. Camila Cabello's larger-than-life stage show gives her tropical pop party a sleek edge, Magdalena Bay are just as joyfully theatrical over on the Alter Stage and Fcukers smash together indie sleaze, nu-rave and infectious hooks during their deliberately messy 45 minute set that has no right to go as hard as it does at 7pm.