This year 2003, Sopot Festival celebrates its 40th birthday; it will take place as usual on 22th and on 23rd Augusts. The first day belongs to two Polish teams Skaldowie and Kaja, on the second day Ricky Martin will perform.

Sopot offers rich calendar of artistic and cultural events, which contribute to specific nature of the town. Undoubtedly, since 30 years, the song festival constitutes the attraction of the town. At the end of the August, the whole life is focused on the event. This most popular music festival takes place in Forest Opera. It is a beautiful amphitheatre with audience for 4,500 people, and its location, among forested hills, creates great acoustics. Each year, hundreds of people come to the town to listen to the stars performing on natural stage in Sopot. During the festival different types and styles of music are presented. Enthusiasts of theatre and painting may attend events on the Chamber stage of Wybrzeze Theatre, located in a house near the beach. Also the beach alternative theatres present their art. Numerous exhibitions are organized by galleries. People can admire paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photography and all other artistic works. Since 1996 Sopot has been trying to bring back the tradition of jazz festival from 1950s when the town was the cradle of Polish jazz.

In the year 2003 the International Song Festival, Sopot Festival, celebrates its 40th anniversary. The festival is one of the oldest song events in Europe. In the unique scenery of the Forest Opera representatives of various styles and genres of song and pop music come together.

Over these thirty-seven years the name of the festival, its formula and its organisers has changed a number of times. In the 1960s and at the beginning of the 70s the festival was a typical song contest organised by the Ministry of Culture and Art and the Polish Artistic Agency "Pagart". Among its participants were well-known and popular in those times performers like for instance Karel Gott (former Czechoslovakia), Frida Boccara (Monaco), Henri Dés (Switzerland), Isabelle Aubret (France), Salomé (Spain) and many many others.

In the middle of the 70s these same organisers together with the Committee For Radio and Television organised in Sopot the Intervision Festival, a festival regarded as the most prestigious song and musical event in Eastern Europe. It was there that the stars of the Eastern Block had their success - Helena Vondračkova, Jiži Korn, Frank Schäbel, Ałła Pugaczowa, Maryla Rodowicz.Since 1994 Telewizja Polska S. A has been the sole organiser of the festival. Thanks to the live broadcasts by Channel One of Telewizja Polska S.A. the festival concerts can be watched live by a multimillion audience.

In the past few years the following stars performed in Sopot:

• 1995 Chuck Berry, Vanessa Mae, Annie Lenox
• 1996 The Kelly Family, Vaya Con Dios, Deep Forest, La Bouche
• 1997 Khadja Nin, Alexia, Secret Garden, Boyz II Men
• 1998 The Corrs, Chris Rea, Tanita Tikaram, Ace of Base, ERA
• 1999 Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston
• 2000 Bryan Adams
• 2001 Goran Bregoviè, Lou Bega, UB40
• 2002 ZUCCHERO (Italy) GAROU (Canada)
• 2003 Kayah, Ricky Martin, Skaldowie, Justyna Steczkowska, Edyta Górniak, Janusz Radek, Kapela Karpieli Bulecki

Earlier, in the 70s and 80s, the participants and stars performing at the festival included: Charles Aznavour, Shirley Bassey, Boby Solo, The Temptations, Boney M, Johnny Cash, Jose Feliciano, Alison Moyet, Marillion, Paul Young.

Thanks to the International Song Festival, each year the Forest Opera is an attraction of the Sopot summer and thanks to the live broadcast, for a few days each year it is the centre of attention throughout Poland. "Sopot Festival” - one of the oldest song contests in Europe, celebrated its 35th jubilee in 1998. For many years now the unique scenery of the Forest Opera in Sopot has been a background to performances by representatives of various styles and genres of pop music.