Wacken Open Air

Wacken Open Air, often called the "Mecca of heavy metal," is a huge music festival held every year in the village of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It started in 1990 and takes place over four days in early August. Around 85,000 fans, known as metalheads, come from more than 80 countries to enjoy the event.

The festival features about 200 bands performing on two main stages and several smaller ones. It focuses on many types 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 stalls, beer tents, and entertainment.

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

History

The Wacken Open Air music festival began in 1989 when two friends, Thomas Jensen and Holger Hübner, came up with the idea during a visit to a restaurant. They wanted to organize an outdoor concert in a gravel pit in their village of Wacken. The first festival happened in 1990, with just under 800 people attending to watch local bands perform. Over the years, the festival grew quickly, adding more bands from around the world and attracting thousands of fans.

As the years went on, Wacken Open Air became one of the biggest metal music festivals in the world. It now features around 200 bands and welcomes about 85,000 fans from over 80 countries. The festival has expanded to span four days, filled with many stages and activities for fans to enjoy. It remains a favorite event for metal music lovers everywhere.

Overview by year

This chart shows how ticket prices and the number of visitors have changed over the years for past festivals, based on information from the organizers. The prices listed are the total cost per ticket for the whole event, including parking and camping, and 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 organisers of Wacken Open Air started a company called Stone Castle Rockpromotions in 1990 to run the first festival. The name comes from the area Wacken belongs to, called Steinburg. The company 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 cover more than 240 hectares and include 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 very 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 also 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. In 2013, around 3,300 people received medical help from about 500 medics.

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 that started in 2004. Bands from different countries compete in qualifiers and finals, with the winners meeting at the big finale during Wacken Open Air. A jury picks the best bands, and the top five receive cash or material prizes.

Wacken Foundation

The Wacken Foundation was created in 2009 by the festival’s organizers to help young heavy metal bands. It supports projects like making a CD or going on tour. The foundation shares information at many European festivals each summer. Since 2017/2018, the foundation’s name appears 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 join a campaign to help find bone marrow donors for people who need bone marrow transplants, working 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 5,000 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. The trip was cancelled in 2019.

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, 2020. 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 3,000 people joined the 20 km run with 40 obstacles. It returned to Wacken in 2017.

Merchandise

Over the years, Wacken Open Air has created many special items for fans to enjoy. You can find t-shirts, music CDs, DVDs, and even books about the festival. One book tells the festival's story up until 2005, while another funny book was written by a comedian and a comic artist. There is also a metal cookbook!

In 2005, the festival introduced its own special beer, made in a brewery in Chieming. For a few years, it was sold in bottles, but later switched to cans because of safety concerns.

Every year since 2003, the festival has released a live DVD showing performances from that year. These DVDs capture the energy and 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 documentaries about Wacken Open Air. Some of these include:

• Metalheads, a documentary about the 10th anniversary of the festival
• Nordland, a documentary about the 15th anniversary
• Full Metal Village, a 2006 film
• Various shows from Rockpalast covering the festival in 2006, 2007, and 2009

Since 1999, many documentaries have been made about W:O:A. The first one, Metalheads, was made in 1999 to celebrate the festival’s 10th anniversary. It showed behind-the-scenes looks at the festival, including construction, fans, and organizers. Another early documentary, Nordland, was made for the 15th anniversary but was mostly used for promotion.

Other documentaries have highlighted 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, feature interviews with musicians and performances.

Live albums recorded at Wacken

Many bands have recorded their shows at Wacken Open Air and released 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 capture the energy of live performances from some of the biggest names in heavy metal.

Other media

In July 2023, RTL+ began showing a mini-series called Legend of Wacken. This series tells a fictionalized story about the founders of the festival and their efforts to start it. It mixes real history with comedy and satire.

Some crime novels also use Wacken Open Air as a setting, describing the festival and its visitors.

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

Some concerts from Wacken Open Air 2014 were streamed online. Additionally, Spiegel Online and Arte made some performances available to watch on demand.

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.