The wait is finally over – Mystic Festival 2025 has dropped its full timetable, and just like clockwork, I’m already into planning mode. For a photographer, this is where the dream begins and the juggling act kicks in. Four days of unrelenting metal music and legendary performances, set against the industrial district of the Gdańsk Shipyard – it’s the kind of backdrop that begs for stories to be told in stills.
This year’s lineup reads like a fever dream, a who’s-who of raw power and atmospheric depth. And yeah, there are bands I won’t miss for anything. Combichrist, Sepultura, Eagles of Death Metal, Apocalyptica, Opeth, Jinjer. Their stage presence is a photographer’s fan’s goldmine. These are the moments that define a festival, the kind that live forever in a single frame.
Mystic Festival is also a place of discoveries. Being curious is just part of my soul – it’s how I approach the lens, and how I approach music. So I’ll be moving from stage to stage, looking to be surprised by bands I’ve never seen live before. That’s how I stumbled upon Heilung a few years back – a set that completely floored me, both visually and emotionally. It left a mark. I want more moments like that.
But if there’s one place that pulls me back time and time again, it’s the Desert Stage. My personal oasis in the storm. There’s a kind of quiet magic there – not in volume, but in intensity. The lighting is perfect and moody, the proximity intimate, the performances stripped down and soul-deep. It’s where I’ve taken some of my most personal, poignant shots and where I’ve got my best souvenirs.
The lineup’s had a few shakeups, too. London’s Burner steps in for Port Noir, and two Estonian wildcards – Intrepid and Pridian, fresh from the “Road to Mystic” competition in Tallinn – have earned their place.
So now begins what I like to call festival chess – the art of being everywhere at once. It’s a race against time, against yourself, a calculated chaos where one perfect shot means missing another. It’s running on instinct, caffeine, and sheer love for the music.
And yet – amid the hustle, there will be moments when I’ll stop. Put the camera down. Let the lens rest and just listen. Because that’s what Mystic is all about, isn’t it?
See you in the pit. On the field, or in the shadows. Wherever the next great moment finds us.
Our Previous Mystic Festival Live Reports HERE!
