For more than a decade, Tychy's rock festival has belonged to the lakeside; in 2026, its next chapter moves decisively into the city centre.
For more than a decade, Rock na Plaży has been associated with the shores of Lake Paprocany, becoming a familiar fixture in Tychy's music calendar. This year, however, the festival is changing both its name and its setting.
On 5 September 2026, the event will become Rock pod Żyrafą Festival Tychy, taking place at Park Miejski Solidarności, on the square beside the city's distinctive Żyrafa monument. Organised by Miejskie Centrum Kultury w Tychach, the free festival will run from 15:00 until 23:15.
The move follows growing attendance at previous editions. According to the organisers, the former lakeside site no longer offered sufficient space and access conditions for an event of this scale. The new central location provides more room for audiences, improved conditions for event organisation and easier access.
The change is therefore more than a new name on a festival poster. It reflects how an established local music event has grown beyond the physical setting that helped define it.
From Paprocany to the heart of Tychy
The decision to leave the Paprocany site was driven primarily by safety and comfort considerations. Increasing attendance, changes to the area around the so-called "dzika plaża", limited space for movement and difficulties with emergency access had all become considerations for the organisers.
Park Miejski Solidarności offers a larger and more central environment, making it easier for audiences to reach the festival and for organisers and emergency services to manage the event. The new setting also has a connection to Tychy's rock heritage.
The park is close to places associated with Rysiek Riedel, including a mural on Osiedle F, where the DŻEM frontman lived, and his monument on Al. Niepodległości. That connection gives the new location a local cultural context rather than making it simply a practical replacement for the former lakeside venue.
The festival's identity, meanwhile, remains rooted in a broad interpretation of rock, bringing together established performers with younger and independent acts.
Established names meet the next generation
The main stage will bring together several generations and styles of rock. DŻEM, performing with vocalist Sebastian Riedel, will headline a programme that also includes former Genesis vocalist Ray Wilson, Polish punk-rock band Pull The Wire and Tychy-based young rock representatives Batna.
Batna has an additional connection to the festival, having won the previous edition's competition. This year's event continues that tradition of giving emerging musicians an opportunity to appear alongside established performers.
Three finalists, Kąkol, Sick Saints and Pökitzø, will open the festival's competition stage. They were selected from 65 applications submitted by bands from across Poland, with the final taking place at Park Miejski Solidarności on 5 September.
The competition is part of the Przegląd Konkursowy o Nagrodę Prezydenta Miasta Tychy, which is designed around independent, original music. The finalists will perform before the festival audience and compete for the city president's award.
That combination is central to what has made the event distinctive: a festival where established names and developing artists share the same programme rather than existing in separate musical worlds.
The 2026 edition will also feature food and drink stalls and themed stands connected with rock culture, giving the new location a broader festival setting.
For Tychy, Rock pod Żyrafą is consequently not simply the continuation of an event under a different name. It is an example of a local festival adapting to its own success, moving into a larger city setting while retaining the musical traditions and community connections that brought audiences to Paprocany in the first place.
The landscape has changed, but the purpose remains familiar: bringing people together through live music and giving new artists a place alongside the names that have shaped Polish rock.
Visitor Information
Event: Rock pod Żyrafą Festival Tychy 2026
Date: Saturday, 5 September 2026
Time: 15:00–23:15 CEST
Admission: Free
Venue: Park Miejski Solidarności, Plac pod Żyrafą
Address: al. Niepodległości 106, Tychy
