Wacken Open Air 2025: Everything about the start of the metal festival

The Wacken Open Air (W:O:A) began in 1990 as a mini-festival with around 800 rock fans and a few local metal bands. The venue was a former gravel pit on the outskirts of the Schleswig-Holstein village of Wacken. Today, the W:O:A is one of the largest and most famous metal festivals in the world. Around 75,000 fans from over 80 countries attend each year.

The festival usually sells out within hours, even though tickets are becoming increasingly expensive (now €333) and the event is becoming increasingly commercialized . Nevertheless, Wacken has become a symbol of the global solidarity of the metal community. And everyone knows the symbol: the "French fry fork," a raised fist with the index and little fingers extended. This includes the battle cry "Wacköööööööön!" It will be heard tens of thousands of times this year from July 30th to August 2nd.

2. Temporary big city logistics

During the festival week, the village of Wacken practically becomes a city with around 90,000 people: fans , up to 10,000 crew members, volunteers, hundreds of musicians, and press representatives from all over the world. The whole thing is built weeks in advance each year on a field where cows usually graze. The approximately 240-hectare site features a completely independent infrastructure with over 1,300 toilets, hundreds of showers, its own electricity and water supply, garbage collection, and even a small police station. In addition, there are mobile medical stations, field kitchens, shuttle buses, and sophisticated traffic management.

Aerial view of the Wacken Open Air Festival site with thousands of caravans and tents. — The Wacken Open Air from above Image: ABBfoto/picture alliance

Even in heavy rain and mud—a Wacken classic—the festival continues to operate. Tons of wood chips as a subsurface, a drainage system, and, ultimately, the help of local farmers who pull stuck vehicles out of the mud with their tractors make the festival possible even under difficult weather conditions . Only in 2023 did the mud problem become too severe : Most of the festival grounds were no longer accessible, forcing approximately 24,000 of the fans who had traveled there to turn back . The festival was almost canceled altogether.

People in traffic jams, many have placed camping chairs next to the cars. — Even in the traffic jam, the metal fans don't let their mood be spoiled. Image: Christian Charisius/dpa/picture alliance

3. Beer from the pipeline

A metalhead needs a lot of beer , from morning to night. To keep the taps from running dry, an underground beer pipeline was built in 2017. It connects central tanks with several taps on site and can transport up to 10,000 liters of beer per hour. This saves transport trips, protects the route, and ensures a steady supply.

The culinary offerings range from currywurst fries to vegan falafel dumplings, and food trucks can be found throughout the festival grounds. A new payment system has been established since 2022: The festival wristband also contains a chip that can be charged at numerous stations with an EC or credit card. This allows payment throughout the festival grounds – cash or card payments are not accepted.

4. More than Metal - the theme worlds in Wacken

Two men with long hair show the Wacken symbol fist with two outstretched fingers and look darkly into the camera. — Metalheads are also mostly quite peaceful contemporaries. Image: Axel Heimken/picture alliance/dpa

Naturally, the focus at W:O:A is metal – in all its forms. Big-name acts will play on three main stages named "Faster," "Harder," and "Louder." In 2025, these will include Guns N' Roses, Papa Roach, Machine Head, and Gojira. Fans will gather in front of the stages in the so-called infield, the part of the festival grounds also known as the "Holy Ground."

But the festival also offers a variety of experience areas: In the Wackinger Village, for example, you'll encounter jugglers, knights, fire shows, and medieval bands. The food offerings also differ from those at the other stalls; here you'll find mainly hearty dishes such as suckling pig, ox on a spit, stews, and soups, but also medieval desserts and drinks such as mead or fruit wines.

The Wasteland is designed post-apocalyptically, with flamethrowers, scrap buildings, and a Mad Max aesthetic. The artist group "Wasteland Warriors" creates an apocalyptic atmosphere with their martial appearance; something is burning or smoking everywhere. There's also a stage here where primarily industrial sounds are played.

Wacken Open Air, view from the audience onto the stage, where a brass band is playing. In the foreground, raised hands with the Wacken sign: fists with two fingers extended. — Part of it every year: The "Wacken Firefighters", the band of the local volunteer fire department. Image: Christophe Gateau/dpa/picture alliance

The Beergarden is a popular meeting place for metalheads who prefer a more relaxed atmosphere; the fire brigade band "Wacken Firefighters" takes to the stage, always creating a good atmosphere with brass band versions of well-known rock classics. There will also be additional stages with comedy, spoken word, metal yoga, wrestling and readings.

5. Metal with attitude: Wacken is committed

Behind the noise lies conviction: Wacken Open Air sees itself not only as a festival, but also as a platform for social and cultural engagement. A central element is the Wacken Foundation, which has existed since 2009. Its goal: to support up-and-coming metal and hard rock bands worldwide, independent of record contracts. The foundation provides financial support for studio recordings, tours, and instruments. The money is donated by fans and festival organizers, among others.

Also particularly important is the Wacken Metal Battle – a global competition in which young bands from over 30 countries compete against each other. It's often surprising which countries have a strong metal scene: Bands from Trinidad & Tobago and Botswana have performed there. The winners of the Metal Battle get to play on one of the festival's major stages – for many, this is the first step toward an international career.

Every summer, young people from all over Germany come together at the Wacken Music Camp to write, rehearse, and perform their own songs. Under professional guidance, this creates a creative space away from everyday school life.

There are also blood donation drives, campaigns against blood cancer, and mental health awareness projects. And those who need a short break can find it in the Metal Church: a small tent on the festival grounds where devotions, baptisms, and discussions take place.

Wacken shows that even loud music can make a subtle statement. And attitude is part of metal .