31 Jan European Blues Challenge 2023 in Chorzów

Mark in your calendars the next EBC dates in Chorzów, Poland, during 1 – 3 June 2023: It will be an open-air event at in the beautiful garden area of Sztygarka.

Chorzów is located in the heart of the Silesian Metropolitan Area in the south of Poland close to Katowize and not very far from Krakow. Once an industrial town, home to now defunct two steel works, four coal mines and various other plants, Chorzów has undergone a major transformation over the last 30 years and is nowadays best known for its cultural events.

Tickets for general audience now available at: https://www.ebc2023.info/tickets

EBC 2023 BANDS PERFORMING ORDER

The performing order of bands at EBC 2023 was established by a raffle during our past physical Board meeting in Porto:

FRIDAY:
1) Belgium, 2) Sweden, 3) Hungary, 4) Portugal, 5) Austria, 6) Switzerland, 7) France, 8) Italy, 9) Romania, 10) Poland and 11) Spain.

SATURDAY:
1) Germany, 2) Norway, 3) Netherlands, 4) Czech Republic, 5) Denmark, 6) United Kingdom, 7) Croatia, 8) Ireland, 9) Ukraine, 10) Finland and 11) Luxembourg.

Remember that the next EBC will take place in Chorzow, Poland, as in an open-air event in the beautiful garden area of Sztygarka during 1- 3 June 2023.

Garden area of Sztygarka

Chorzów is located in the heart of the Silesian Metropolitan Area in the south of Poland next to Katowice. Chorzow is also the home town of Poland’s only blues magazine, “Twój Blues” Quarterly.

Chorzów’s other attractions include a blues museum, “Gruba Bluesa”, and the “Prezydent” mining shaft and viewing platform, both part of the “Sztygarka” complex, located in the post-industrial area of a now defunct coal mine. There’s also a beautiful, extensive park, “Park Śląski w Chorzowie” encompassing a Zoo, “Legendia” amusement park, a planetarium, and other attractions.

HOW TO ARRIVE TO THE EBC, CHORZÓW, POLAND, 1 – 3 JUNE 2023

Important: the Polish currency Zloty (PLN) is c. 0,21 €.

Chorzów is in the heart of the Silesian Metropolitan Area in the south of Poland next to the city of Katowice.

Katowice-Pyrzowice Airport (KTW) is the closest airport, about 25 km from Chorzow. The quickest connection to downtown Chorzów is by taxi costing c. 25 € and taking c. 30 minutes. Suggested company: Eco Taxi (+48 666 227 266) gives a fixed airport rate upon placing an order by phone, NOT through the app. Price c. 100 PLN = 21 €.

There’s also public transportation: Bus line AP2 goes to downtown Katowice. The ticket costs 14 PLN (3 €). More information: https://rj.metropoliaztm.pl/rozklady/1-ap2/?cookieok=y

Travel between Katowice and Chorzów is best by local taxi services (e.g., Eco Taxi mentioned above), international apps (Uber, Bolt, Free Taxi) or local public transport. For bus and tram routes, timetables, tickets, and maps:

https://www.metropoliaztm.pl/en/ or trains: https://www.pkp.pl/en/.

The airport with best international connections is Krakow-Balice (KRK), about 75 km from Chorzow. You can take a bus from the airport to downtown Katowice. The ride will take about an hour depending on traffic. You can check the timetable, pricing, and purchase your ticket at: https://neobus.pl/en/. Once you arrive in Katowice use the guidelines listed above to travel to Chorzów.

If you decide to spend some time in Kraków, you can take a train from “Kraków Główny” station to either “Katowice Dworzec Główny” or “Chorzów Miasto” (https://www.pkp.pl/en/). If you prefer traveling by bus, check: https://neobus.pl/en/.

ACCOMODATION:

Park Inn by Radisson Katowice
Address: Bytkowska 1a, Katowice, 40-147
https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/park-inn-katowice

Reservations by email: info.katowice@parkinn.com or phone: +48 32 721 11 11
Conditions: Individual payment prepayment/card/cash. Guaranteed non-refundable reservations, 100% prepayment after booking
Prices include breakfast, buffet, gym/sauna, wifi

Parking options:
Free overground hotel parking
Underground hotel parking / garage (payable) PLN 40 /day.
City Parking outside the hotel, up to 25-50m (free)
– Bytkowska / Targowa st.
– Bytkowska / Józefowska st.

Focus Hotel Katowice Chorzów
Address: Armii Krajowej 15, 41-506 Chorzów
https://www.focushotels.pl/en/focus-hotel-katowice-chorzow

Reservation link: https://booking.profitroom.com/pl/focushotelchorzow/details/offer/387974?code=EBC2023PL&no-cache=&currency=PLN

Reservations can also be made by sending an e-mail to the Central Reservation Department at the address cdr@focushotels.pl

Prices are valid for the time window: 31. 5 – 5. 6.2023

In order to confirm and guarantee the reservation, the hotel requires an advance payment in the amount of a non-refundable 30% of the reservation value. Payable via payment link, card, or bank transfer.