Plan your stay

Everything you need to know before coming to Open Blues.

Open Blues and its home

Open Blues takes place at a beautiful and historically rich palace, which fell into disrepair during Russia’s rule over Poland 1945–89. It was bought by a Polish-British couple, Anna and Jim, who are now renovating it with much love. They make it available for visitors and cultural events. This unfinished palace is their home; a home they want to share. The palace has a raw feel that invites experimentation, so feel free to explore. However, remember to respect Anna’s and Jim’s privacy!

Open Blues is a private, cost-shared do-it-yourself gathering open to anyone aligned with that format. The main organisers deal with the venue, signups, scheduling and some logistics, but music, workshops and merriment are created by the participants. Nobody is paid and nobody profits; everyone contributes their share of the real expenses.

The venue consists of the beautiful palace and two big barns. The palace has many rooms and attics that are great for sleeping. One of the barns is suitable for sleeping when it’s warm and has its own showers.

The venue is Piotrowice Nyskie Palace, Piotrowice Nyskie 54, Poland. The nearest airports are Wrocław, Ostrava, Katowice, Pardubice and Brno. The nearest rail hub is Nysa, about a 20-minute drive from the palace; from Nysa, arrange a participant pickup or take a taxi (usually around €30–50).

Please join the Open Blues transport group on WhatsApp if you are looking for a ride or happy to share your journey. The invite is public, and other members can see your phone number and any WhatsApp profile information you make visible. If you are driving, use the palace map pin rather than only the village name, and ask in the group or email openbluespoland@gmail.com for the current on-site parking instructions before setting off.

Accommodation & food

Please bring your own towels and toiletries.

If you chose a single bed or a place in a double bed, it is prepared for you with fresh sheets and a pillow. It will be in a shared room: a bed does not guarantee a private room. In the view-only Room Browser, use Claim beside a FREE single-bed place for yourself. Request a double or small-double bed only when both places are FREE and both people have signed up, using its REQUEST email link. The accommodation balance is paid later in cash at the venue.
If you chose tent or floor, bring the complete setup you need for comfortable sleep, including a mat and sheets or a sleeping bag. There is plenty of space and you choose your own spot when you arrive, which is the advantage: if you snore or sleep lightly, you can find somewhere quiet. Unless you have a dust allergy the barn is a good spot, and it has its own showers.

You can browse the room photos and venue floor plans in the accommodation room guide. The Room Browser linked there shows the public display name for each claimed place, so everyone can tell what remains available.

If your signup includes a bed, choose or change your exact place through the accommodation room guide. For a single-bed claim, give the full name you used to sign up for private matching. For a double or small-double request, wait until both places are FREE and both people have signed up, then use REQUEST to email both signup names. Public display names are optional: leave them blank to show signup first names, or enter nicknames or anonymous labels. Any display names shown in the Room Browser are public. Your latest single-bed form submission replaces the earlier one; pair changes are handled by email. The accommodation balance is paid later in cash at the venue. To ask about changing the category, start with the edit link in your confirmation email; openblues.pl/change explains how it works.

All communal food is vegan and included from Thursday dinner through Monday breakfast. There is a small and poorly stocked village shop a 5-minute walk from the venue, and a Dino supermarket in Kałków, the next village over, a few minutes away by car.

Showers and toilets can be used throughout the castle.

There is generally decent Wi-Fi in several rooms.

DIY, tasks & chores

This is a DIY festival: participants make the music, workshops, cooking and day-to-day running of the event happen. Please take initiative and actively look for things to help with. This might mean carrying speakers, rearranging chairs, helping in the kitchen, washing up or replacing toilet paper rolls.

The programme grows from the participants. Mark “yes” or “maybe” when the signup form asks whether you might lead something. Closer to the gathering, participants add their ideas to a community-filled workshop sheet. The exact line-up is not advertised in advance.

Festival rules

For everyday practical questions, check with three fellow participants first. Contact an organiser directly for safety, conduct, health or other time-sensitive issues.
For a safety or conduct concern, email openbluespoland@gmail.com and ask for Klaudia, the primary contact; Konrad is the backup. They decide next steps together, except that either may act immediately if someone is in immediate danger.
Do not openly consume drugs or be nude where the public or neighbours can see you.
There is a relaxation room should you want a moment of privacy. Please use it considerately (max 2h, no sleeping).
You are free to take pictures, but try not to film or take pictures of specific people. We are all here to be free, comfortable and worry-free of looking silly in some video or picture. Before publishing pictures in which the main subject is someone else, make sure they are okay with it.
The palace is a shared space. Keep it tidy; avoid leaving cutlery or clothes around to prevent clutter.

Payments and signing up

Open Blues 2027 happens when 40 Reservation Payments have arrived by 3 August 2027. If fewer than 40 people commit by then, every €50 Reservation Payment is refunded. The live people count is on the front page.

Go straight to the cost calculator to choose your stay and see your exact total, then continue to the signup form. The calculator separates the €50 Reservation Payment you transfer at signup from the cash you bring to the venue. The transfer details are inside the form.

Join the festival WhatsApp group.

The invite is public, and other members can see your phone number and any WhatsApp profile information you make visible.

Checklist

Claimed your single-bed place, or emailed a REQUEST for a completely FREE double/small-double after both people signed up, if your signup includes a bed
A mat and sheets or a sleeping bag, if you chose tent or floor
Right amount of cash. If you changed any of your answers, recalculate with the cost calculator
Dress-to-impress outfit for Saturday
Earplugs
Towel and toiletries
Swimwear — there is a natural pool and a lake nearby
Dance shoes, or your bare feet
Joined the WhatsApp group
Happy!