We have taken part in this annual event, which comes with the 3-majówka festival, more than once. Since 2003 it has been held on Wrocław’s Market Square. That is where, every year on 1 May, Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe” rings out, as guitarists try to break the Guinness World Record for the number of people playing the song at the same time.
Apart from the main event, from 10 am there are accompanying concerts, workshops, lessons in playing other songs, and a competition for “a guitar made of any old thing”.
We took part in the event in 2019, the 17th edition. Stars are happy to join in. On stage during the record attempt there was, among others, the guitarist of the Finnish metal band Lordi (Jussi Sydänmaa – Amen, dressed as a mummy). In 2019 the record stood at 7,423 guitarists. The video above is a report from the event. Have a look!
Practical information (Guinness World Record)
- Place: Market Square in Wrocław
- Date: 1 May every year (except during the pandemic)
- Admission: free
- Registration for the record attempt: at the stands around the square. You can bring a completed form with you or fill it in on the spot
- Start of the event: 10:00
- Dress rehearsal/final rehearsal: 14:00–15:45
- Time of the record attempt: 16:00
- Fun fact: every guitarist who takes part gets a certificate as confirmation and can buy a cheaper ticket for the 3-majówka festival (see the information below)
- Accommodation: possible in hostels or youth hostels, as long as you book well in advance. You can also use the campsite set up for the festival (read the practical information below).
3-majówka
The same day, a music festival also starts in Wrocław. For three days (1–3 May) there are concerts at the Pergola and in the Centennial Hall (or right next to it) – mostly rock, but you can find almost any genre. Besides very well-known Polish acts, every year there are a few stars from abroad.
Practical information (3-majówka)
- Place: Pergola / Centennial Hall
- Date: 1–3 May every year (except during the pandemic)
- A 3-majówka pass (3 days) costs up to about €45. For those taking part in the Guinness record attempt or buying in the first ticket pool it cost about €23 in 2018, about €28 in 2019, about €28 in 2020 (the postponed edition) and about €36 in 2021. For comparison, on the day of the concert it cost about €42 in 2018, and about €47 in 2019. You can also buy tickets for one or two days, both in advance and just before the concert.
- A pitch at the campsite: in 2019 it cost about €6 per person for the first day and about €5 for each following day, and in 2021 about €7 for the first day and about €5 for each following day. The campsite has portable toilets with little taps and dirty bathrooms with showers (usually with cold water). Right next to the campsite there is a Biedronka supermarket, and one tram stop further on a Żabka convenience store. The campsite is at ul. Wróblewskiego 9, so you can get to the festival grounds in about 10 minutes on foot.
- At the festival there is a wide choice of food and drink – savoury, sweet, alcoholic or not. For example, a kebab costs about €4 and a beer from about €1.60.
Coronavirus
Because of the pandemic, the 2020 Guitar Guinness World Record moved entirely online, and the 3-majówka festival was cancelled. In 2021 the record attempt was held, as an exception, on 19 June at the Pergola (+ online), and the 3-majówka festival separately, on 2–4 July. In 2022 everything is (supposedly) going back to normal.
3-majówka 2025 – record broken
I went back to the Guitar Guinness World Record and 3-majówka in 2025 (1–3 May), this time in a group of seven – with Oliwia, Łukasz, Wiktor, Julia, Magda and Kuba. After a year’s break the record was broken again: officially 8,122 people played “Hey Joe” at the same time. To be honest, I didn’t believe it would work, but it’s great to be part of something like that.
The line-up wasn’t mind-blowing, especially when it came to foreign stars, but the Polish acts were a pleasant surprise. I saw live, among others, Polish Metal Alliance, IRA, Myslovitz, Dubioza Kolektiv, Artur Rojek, Pidżama Porno, The Rumjacks, Kult, Hunter and Nocny Kochanek. Between the concerts there were games of flanki (a Polish beer game played with cans and a bottle), long conversations and catching up with familiar faces. In 2025 a three-day pass cost about €80 in the first ticket pool, and about €60 for guitarists taking part in the record – more expensive every year.
One day we also went to Wrocław Zoo, which was literally a stone’s throw from the campsite. We went round at a fast pace, in about three hours, and still didn’t see everything – we skipped the Africarium because the queue was so long it wasn’t worth the time. It is the oldest zoo in Poland (opened in 1865), one of the largest in Europe and the third in the world by number of species. A standard ticket cost about €19 and a student ticket about €17 (2025).
The weather was good almost the whole time: sunshine, around 20°C and warm evenings. Only on 3 May did a storm pass over Wrocław, and we had to take shelter from the rain a few times. The nicest moments away from the festival were walks along the Oder, especially at sunset.
