Poland - The Pol’and’Rock Festival, created by Jerzy Owsiak – also the driving force behind the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP) – has become a symbol of community, music, and humanitarian commitment. What began as a thank-you to volunteers has grown into one of Europe’s largest open-air music events, attracting hundreds of thousands each summer to the airfield in Czaplinek.
The 31st edition, held 31 July - 2 August, once again demanded extraordinary technical resources. Audio delivery for an audience of this scale is no small feat, and the task was entrusted to GigantSound - Letus, Europe’s largest Outline GTO inventory holder. Their choice underlined a long-standing confidence in Outline’s technology.
Jurek ‘Gigant’ Taborowski and his tech team managed the festival’s sound throughout, delivering Outline systems not only on the Main Stage but also on the Small Stage – small in name only. To meet the scale and coverage requirements of a vast open-air audience, Gigant deployed more than 300 Outline loudspeaker elements, combining large-format arrays with compact systems and substantial low-frequency support.
The complete Outline inventory on duty comprised 64 GTO line-array modules with eight GTO-DF (down-fill) units, 72 GTO C-12 enclosures, 50 Superfly compact line-array modules, 14 Mantas cabinets, and 90 DBS 18-2 sub-bass elements. The design approach ensured continuity of the audio signature from the near field to the far field, aligning with the festival’s objective of delivering a superior experience for all attendees.
Festival founder Jurek Owsiak and the WOŚP Foundation’s mission remain central to Pol’and’Rock’s identity. As Poland’s most recognised non-governmental, non-profit organisation dedicated to improving healthcare by providing medical equipment to public hospitals, WOŚP sets a high bar for every aspect of the event’s production – including sound.
“One of the largest festivals in the world, Pol'and'Rock has for years accustomed audiences to experiencing festival music through various high-class sound systems,” comments Jurek Owsi. “This year, we chose the Outline – the massive system from Gigant – and I must say that it provided excellent and complete sound coverage of the concert area, far beyond our expectations. Even with a headwind, the bass remained incredibly fast and precise.
“Stereo imaging was excellent at every point, making it feel like listening to a very dynamic hi-fi system at home. These impressions were widely shared by the audience, who sent us many messages during the festival confirming the same experience.”
From the rental provider’s perspective, the choice was clear. Jurek Taborowski has long relied on Outline for the largest and most demanding productions on his calendar, citing both the system’s raw power and its ‘authority’ at level.
As he explains, “What do I like most about Outline? The punch. With this system, there is no such thing as running out of headroom. Nothing stops playing, nothing starts to crackle – the only limit is how far the engineer dares to push it. When I first invested in Outline – many years ago – I had all the top brands’ systems available for testing. I chose Outline decisively, and I have never regretted that choice.
“I would also like to thank the excellent work of the production and technical team, the organisers, and our colleagues at Gondek Sound, who, as part of our good cooperation, supported us with GTO C-12 modules and DBS 18-2 sub-bass units.”
Beyond headline numbers, the Pol’and’Rock deployment demonstrates how a coherent family of systems can be scaled and adapted to different stage sizes and audience geometries while maintaining a common sonic character.
Large-format GTO arrays provided long-throw coverage for the Main Stage, GTO-DF handled near-field down-fill duties, GTO C-12 added further array flexibility, Superfly brought compact power where footprint was limited, Mantas supported closer-in zones, and the DBS 18-2 delivered the low-frequency foundation required by the festival’s diverse programme. The result was a large audio infrastructure capable of translating performances with precision and authority across the entire site.