Practically every European country has at least one open air festival for fans of rock and metal. Poland has its Woodstock festival, but in order to find more intimate, as well as more profiled events, many fans focus on festivals abroad, for example, the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic has many festivals for the fans of rock and metal. The biggest and the most popular one is definitely Brutal Assault. The first time that the festival was held was twenty years ago. This year, it will take place between the 10th and the 13th of August.
Brutal Assault is often described as the most Polish festival in the Czech Republic. Each year, many Poles attend this event. Some people who participate in the festival regularly claim that there were some past editions which attracted more Poles than Czechs. The popularity of Brutal Assault in Poland shouldn't be surprising. The distance between Wroclaw and Jaromer (the host-town of the festival) is only 150 km. The best way to get to the festival is by car. There is also a possibility of taking an organized bus trip. Currently, the Brutal Assault website contains an add from a group, which takes passengers from Gliwice, Katowice, Krakow and Wroclaw. The cost for passengers who will get on the bus in the first three cities is 149 PLN. Passengers from Wrocław will pay 89 PLN. These are round-trip prices.
The area of the Brutal Assault festival is an eighteenth century fortress surrounded by forests. What's interesting is during the festival it's possible to visit the catacombs in the fortress, and some of its chambers are converted into pubs. Two main stages are set at the central square of the fortification. Going further, you will find a tent with a small stage. Each year, the festival organizers invite more than one hundred bands, which are being watched by a few thousand heavy music fans. The biggest attendance in the festival's history so far, was in 2012 (15 thousand people). A few years ago the organizers had expanded the musical spectrum of Brutal Assault. Thus, this year a neo-folk artist, King Dude, will appear on the festival next to such highly esteemed metal bands such as Exodus, Ministry, Mastodon, Satyricon and Behemoth, among others.
Despite the fact that the festival is in the Czech Republic, the 4-day festival passes need to be payed in the euro. This is a requirement introduced by the organizers, due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. The pre-sale cost of a 4-day festival pass is 80 euro (348.23 PLN*). You may also make a reservation, by making an advance payment of 10 euro (43.53 PLN) via bank transfer, and paying the rest at the gate. If you wish to buy the pass on the first day of the festival, you will have to pay 8 euro more. However, the organizers do not recommend leaving the purchase of tickets for the last moment. Why? The interest in the festival is huge, and there is a risk that the tickets may be sold-out during pre-sale. You can also buy single-day tickets. You can pay for those in the Czech currency – the cost is 1300 kronas (206.44 PLN).
The festival area has a campsite free-of-charge. However, if you would like to be more careful with your personal items, you can buy a spot in the VIP camp. This is a campsite which is surrounded by fence, has its own illumination and sanitary facilities, and it is guarded 24 hours per day. Each person needs to pay 400 kronas (63.52 PLN) to stay in one of these campsites. You also need to include the additional fee for the tent, which is determined by its size, and costs between 100 and 200 kronas (15.87 PLN – 31.74 PLN). The festival cooperates with two three-star hotels in Hradec Kralove, which is a town approximately 20 km away from Jaromer. However, this distance is not an obstacle. There are special festival taxis circulating between the festival area and the hotels, for the use of Brutal Assault participants. One drive costs 500 kronas (79.35 PLN). The area also has many hostels. However, making a reservation may be very difficult. Some of them are already booked one year in advance before the festival.
Attending an event like Brutal Assault can be a big expense. However, you can save money by exchanging currency online. Online currency exchange offices offer much more favorable exchange rates than traditional currency exchange offices or banks. Moreover, using them is very comfortable. - The transactions are made quickly. Our customers not only save money on spreads and conversion costs. They save time as well. More importantly, they do not have to fear that they will lose cash or become robbed – said Piotr Kiciński, Cinkciarz.pl Vice-chairman of the Board.
* - currency exchange rates as given by Cinkciarz.pl on 17.05.2016.