Wacken Open Air

Wacken Open Air

Wacken Open Air, often called the "Mecca of heavy metal," is a big music festival held each year in the village of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It began in 1990 and happens over four days in early August. About 85,000 fans, called metalheads, come from over 80 countries to enjoy the festival.

The festival has about 200 bands playing on two big stages and several smaller ones. It features many kinds of heavy metal music, including power metal, speed metal, thrash metal, death metal, black metal, doom metal, industrial, symphonic, and folk metal. There are also special areas like a medieval-themed village and an apocalyptic-themed zone with shops, beer tents, and fun activities.

Wacken is famous not just for the music, but also for its friendly community and traditions. Over the years, the festival has grown and sometimes includes more popular bands. This has brought in new fans but also changed the feeling for some long-time attendees. Many documentaries have been made about the festival, and it even holds a contest called the Wacken Metal Battle for new bands.

History

The Wacken Open Air music festival started in 1989. Two friends, Thomas Jensen and Holger Hübner, thought of the idea while visiting a restaurant. They wanted to hold an outdoor concert in a gravel pit in their village, Wacken.

The first festival was in 1990. Almost 800 people came to watch local bands play. Over the years, the festival grew very fast. More bands from around the world joined, and thousands of fans began attending.

Today, Wacken Open Air is one of the largest metal music festivals in the world. It now has about 200 bands and welcomes around 85,000 fans from over 80 countries. The festival lasts four days, with many stages and activities for fans to enjoy. It remains a favorite event for metal music fans everywhere.

Overview by year

This chart shows how ticket prices and the number of visitors have changed over the years for past festivals. The prices listed are the total cost per ticket for the whole event, including parking and camping. The prices are from early sales before any extra fees. For example, the price for the 2023 festival was set at 299.00 EUR after adjustments.

Organisation

The people who started Wacken Open Air created a company called Stone Castle Rockpromotions in 1990 to run the first festival. The name comes from the area Wacken is in, called Steinburg. The company later changed its name to ICS (International Concert Service) GmbH in 1999. It also owns a music label called Wacken Records and a shop called Metaltix.

Since 2007, there has been a daily newspaper at the festival. In 2014, an online radio station began providing the official Wacken radio, which has its own place at the festival each year.

The festival grounds are very big, covering more than 240 hectares. They have many fences, toilets, and showers for the visitors. Thousands of workers help set up and run the festival, including security staff, cleaners, and medical teams.

Infrastructure

The festival site is large, covering more than 240 hectares with many fences. There are over 1,300 toilets and almost 500 showers for the visitors. Many trucks bring equipment to the festival. Building and taking down the stages takes several days. The festival uses a lot of electricity, about as much as a small town.

There are special drainage systems to help with heavy rain, and mobile roads to help emergency vehicles. About 5,000 people work at the festival, including security, cleaners, and medical staff.

Stages

Wacken Open Air has eight stages for musicians. The main stages are called Faster and Harder, and they share sound and lighting. There are also other stages inside tents and in different parts of the festival, each with its own style of music.

Event area

The festival has many different areas. There is a medieval market area with special food and music. There is also a post-apocalyptic area inspired by the Mad Max movies. The main stages are in the Infield, which also has food and drink stalls.

Camping grounds

Because most visitors stay for the whole festival, there are large camping areas. The campsite has showers, toilets, drinking fountains, and shops. It is patrolled by police and security staff.

Medical services

Because so many people attend, there is a big medical team at the festival. They have ambulances, radios, and other equipment to help people who need care.

Crime and accidents

The festival is generally safe, with few serious problems. There are sometimes reports of thefts, but the festival is considered secure by police. There have been a few incidents over the years, but none recent.

Commitment

Metal Battle

W:O:A Metal Battle is a contest for new bands. It started in 2004. Bands from many countries compete, and the winners meet at the big Wacken Open Air finale. A jury picks the best bands, and the top five win prizes.

Wacken Foundation

The Wacken Foundation was started in 2009 by the festival’s organizers. It helps young heavy metal bands. The foundation supports projects like making a CD or going on tour. It shares information at many European festivals each summer. Since 2017/2018, the foundation’s name is on the jerseys of a German football club, FC Carl Zeiss Jena, thanks to sponsors Heaven Shall Burn.

Wacken Music Camp

In 2014, the Wacken Music Camp began. One week after the festival, young people from Germany could write and play their own songs with help from professional musicians. They stayed at the Kuhle, where the first Wacken Open Air happened.

Blood donations

The festival organizers often ask for blood donations. Donations happen at the Itzehoe Clinic, which is decorated in festival style with heavy metal music playing.

DKMS typing campaign

Since 2014, visitors and musicians at W:O:A have been asked to help find bone marrow donors for people who need bone marrow transplants. They work with the German Bone Marrow Donor Database. In 2014, 2,700 visitors took part.

Stark gegen Krebs – Strong against cancer

The festival works with the organizers of the Wattolümpiade ("mudflat Olympics") in Brunsbüttel to support the “Strong against cancer” movement. The festival’s team helps with planning and logistics for the event.

Related events

Besides the main festival, the organizers plan many other events.

Hamburg Metal Dayz

Hamburg Metal Dayz is an indoor festival that happens at the same time as the Reeperbahn-Festival. It brings together fans, musicians, and experts for concerts, discussions, and workshops.

Wacken Roadshow

For the Wacken Roadshow, bands travel across Europe to perform concerts. These shows help get people excited before the main festival.

Wacken Rocks

In the past, open-air festivals called Wacken Rocks were held in different places to share the Wacken spirit.

Wacken Winter Nights

Wacken Winter Nights (WWN) is a three-day festival with folk and medieval music. It started in February 2017 in Wacken. The first event sold out quickly, and more people came each year. In 2019, the festival grew bigger to welcome visitors.

Zum Wackinger

The old restaurant Zur Post in Wacken, built in 1919, was where the idea for Wacken Open Air was created. Today, it hosts events with music, comedy, and entertainment. Since 2016, it also holds a two-day medieval feast with jugglers and performers.

Metal Monday

In 1990, Metal Monday started at Knust in Hamburg. Local, national, and international metal bands played every Monday. After a break, it returned in 2014 with new bands performing monthly.

Metal Church

The Evangelical Lutheran Village Church in Wacken becomes the Metal Church during festivals. Bands perform there while services are held.

Full Metal Mountain

In the winters of 2016, 2017, and 2018, metal fans went on ski trips to Nassfeld, Austria, called Full Metal Mountain.

Full Metal Holiday

Plans are for a holiday trip to Mallorca called Full Metal Holiday - Destination Mallorca. It will have metal concerts on the beach from October 12 to 19. It was originally planned for 2017 in Ibiza but moved to Mallorca for 2018.

Full Metal Cruise

Since 2013, cruises with heavy metal bands have been organized across Europe under the name Full Metal Cruise.

StrongmanRun

The Fisherman's Friend StrongmanRun first came to Wacken in April 2016. About people joined the 20 km run with obstacles. It returned to Wacken in 2017.

Merchandise

Wacken Open Air has created many special items for fans. You can find t-shirts, music CDs, DVDs, and books about the festival. One book tells the festival's story, and another funny book was written by a comedian and a comic artist. There is even a metal cookbook!

In 2005, the festival introduced its own special beer, made in a brewery in Chieming. It was sold in bottles at first, but later switched to cans for safety.

Every year since 2003, the festival has released a live DVD showing performances from that year. These DVDs capture the excitement of the event.

The festival uses fun phrases like "See you in Wacken - Rain or Shine" and "Louder Than Hell" in its ads.

Media

Documentaries

German television has made many shows about Wacken Open Air. Some of these include:

• Metalheads, a show about the festival's 10th year
• Nordland, a show about the 15th year
• Full Metal Village, a film from 2006
• Shows from Rockpalast about the festival in 2006, 2007, and 2009

Since 1999, many shows about W:O:A have been made. The first one, Metalheads, was made to celebrate the festival’s 10th year. It showed looks at the festival, including fans and organizers. Another show, Nordland, was made for the 15th year but was mostly used to get people excited.

Other shows have shown different parts of the festival. For example, Full Metal Village focuses on how the people of Wacken experience the event. Some shorter shows, like those from Rockpalast, have interviews with musicians and performances.

Live albums recorded at Wacken

Many bands have recorded their shows at Wacken Open Air and shared them as CDs or DVDs. Some of these include:

• Hypocrisy – Hypocrisy Destroys Wacken, 1999
• Rose Tattoo – 25 to Live, 2000
• Twisted Sister – Live at Wacken: The Reunion, 2005
• Scorpions – Live at Wacken Open Air 2006

These albums show the energy of live performances from some of the biggest names in heavy metal.

Other media

In July 2023, RTL+ began a story called Legend of Wacken. This story is about the founders of the festival and their work to start it. It mixes real history with comedy.

Some books use Wacken Open Air as a place in their stories.

To celebrate its 30th year, the Norddeutsche Rundschau made a special edition with details about organizing the festival. There will also be a special show at the Prinzesshof Kreismuseum in Itzehoe.

Some concerts from Wacken Open Air 2014 were shown online. Spiegel Online and Arte also made some performances available to watch.

Awards

In 2008, Wacken Open Air won an award for being the best festival of 2007. In 2018, it was chosen as the best major festival at the European Festival Awards and also won best festival at the Helga! Awards.