2026 is not there yet, and Gdańsk is already sharpening its knives. The fifth edition of SEA YOU 3city Music Showcase lands on 10 and 11 April 2026, and with it comes a clear message, the Tricity scene is not waiting for permission, trends, or validation from Warsaw, Berlin, or anywhere else. It is doing its own thing, loudly, thoughtfully, and with a growing sense of purpose.
SEA YOU has quietly become one of the most important cultural pressure points in northern Poland. Rooted firmly in the Tricity ecosystem, SEA YOU has built its reputation as a meeting point for music, art, and ideas that grow locally but speak nationally. Five editions in, this is no longer a promising newcomer. It is a fixture, and a necessary one.
A Line Up That Reads Like A Manifesto
The first wave of announced artists is already here and is about mapping a cultural terrain. It connects generations, styles, and attitudes that have shaped the Tricity sound for decades.
At the heart of the opening night sits Budka Surfera by Unda, a project born not in boardrooms or studios, but in a caravan, on the coast, during the summer of 2025. Unda’s return is not nostalgia bait. It is a living continuation. Recorded spontaneously in Chałupy, “Budka Surfera” captures something rare in Polish hip hop, community without calculation.
Guests like Miły ATZ, Gruby Mielzky, and Nadja LOLO are not there for feature-box ticking. They are part of the same ecosystem. The record, and the project behind it, feels like a love letter to ten years of Unda’s influence and to a coastal culture that values shared experience over individual ego. This is hip hop as social fabric, not content.
On the other end of the generational spectrum stand Blenders, one of the defining Tricity bands of the 1990s. Since reuniting, Blenders have proven that their blend of rock, funk, disco, and irony still cuts deep. Albums like “Kaszëbë” and “Fankomat” were never polite records, and time has only sharpened their edge.
Their recent singles, including “O to Chodzi” and “Janusz! Szanuj!”, suggest a band that remembers exactly who they are, and why they mattered. Seeing Blenders at SEA YOU is less about reliving the past and more about understanding how much of today’s Tricity scene stands on their shoulders.
New Voices, New Languages
SEA YOU has always balanced legacy with discovery, and the 2026 edition continues that tradition with artists who are redefining what local music can sound and look like.
Kasoil represents a different kind of ambition. Her alternative R&B is intimate, futuristic, and emotionally direct, built as much through image and atmosphere as through sound. Tracks like “Wyrosłam” and “Płyń” revealed an artist unafraid of vulnerability, while her debut album “Głód” confirmed that this is a carefully constructed world, not a passing phase.
What makes Kasoil particularly compelling in the SEA YOU context is her total authorship. She writes, performs, directs, and curates her visual language with the same care she gives her music. In an era of disposable singles, her work insists on coherence and depth.
Then there are The Surfers, a band that could easily be dismissed as retro novelty if you weren’t paying attention. Surf rock, when treated lazily, is pure costume. When treated seriously, as The Surfers do, it becomes something else entirely, rhythm, movement, and collective joy.
Formed in Gdańsk in 2023 as part of the SurfRock In Poland initiative, the band taps into 1960s Californian DNA while filtering it through a distinctly Tricity sense of humour and looseness. Their 2024 release “Surf Party!” is light on its feet but heavy on intent, proving that genre revival can still feel urgent when driven by belief rather than irony.
SEA YOU, A Cultural Engine
What truly separates SEA YOU from countless other showcases is its refusal to reduce music to performance slots. The festival has consistently invested in its industry programme, treating artists not as disposable acts but as professionals in need of dialogue, tools, and networks.
The 2026 edition will once again feature panel discussions with Polish and European music professionals, networking meetings for artists and organisers, and workshops addressing the realities of today’s cultural economy. This is where SEA YOU earns its credibility. It does not just present the scene, it strengthens it.
Publications have noticed. Gazeta Wyborcza has described SEA YOU as a vital discovery space for industry insiders. Full Moon Magazine praised its confident, locally focused model, pointing out that its scale is a strength, not a limitation. This is a festival that knows exactly what it is and refuses to apologise for it.
Gdańsk As The Setting, Not The Backdrop
Once again, SEA YOU will unfold within the atmospheric spaces of Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre, a venue that adds physical weight to the experience. This is not a neutral container. Its architecture encourages attention, presence, and immersion. It suits a festival built on listening rather than distraction.
By anchoring itself so firmly in place, SEA YOU reinforces a broader truth, Tricity is not just a convenient location. It is a cultural identity, shaped by proximity to the sea, a history of resistance, and a stubborn independence that continues to produce artists who do not sound like anyone else.
Looking Ahead
With early bird passes already on sale, SEA YOU 2026 feels less like an announcement and more like a statement of intent. This festival is not chasing growth for its own sake. It is cultivating depth, continuity, and relevance.
Five editions in, SEA YOU has proven that local does not mean small, and that authenticity still matters.
April 2026 cannot come soon enough.
