Countdown begins for the Mud Festival in Wacken
Wacken Heavy Metal Festival 2025: A Successful and Muddy Event
The Wacken Open Air festival, held in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, this summer, was a resounding success, attracting over 85,000 metalheads from around the globe. Despite the challenging weather conditions, the event ran smoothly, with a decrease in recorded offenses compared to the previous year.
Organisers brought in an additional 3,500 cubic meters of wood chips to stabilise the surfaces, which proved effective in managing the mud and sludge that engulfed large parts of the area due to the heavy rain. Around 2,800 people were cared for during the festival, with 150 fans being taken to a hospital.
The rescue service manager, Volker Böhm, commented that nobody was nervous when the rain came on Wednesday. From the police's point of view, the festival deployment was successful, with a slight increase in around 150 cases of other incidents, including confused people. Their number has increased.
The organisers paid tribute to the late rock icon Ozzy Osbourne with a dramatic drone show on the night from Friday to Saturday. The show featured the songs "Mama, I'm Coming Home" and then the Black Sabbath number "Paranoid".
The confirmed bands for the 2026 Wacken Open Air festival (excluding Metallica, who have not been announced yet) include Def Leppard, In Flames, Powerwolf, Savatage, Lamb of God, Nevermore, The Gathering, Sepultura, Airbourne, Europe, Emperor, Grand Magus, and many others, totaling 35 bands announced so far.
The full first wave lineup consists of these 35 bands: Def Leppard, In Flames, Powerwolf, Savatage, Allt, Airbourne, Any Given Day, Blood Command, Blood Fire Death (tribute to Bathory), Broken by the Scream, Einherjer, Emperor, Europe, Faun, Future Palace, Gutalax, Grand Magus, Insanity Alert, H-Blockx, Kupfergold, Lamb of God, Luna Kills, Mantar, Nevermore, Orbit Culture, Paleface Swiss, Pig Destroyer, Running Wild, Sepultura (notably their final show in Germany), Ten56, The Gathering, The Hardkiss, Thundermother, Thrown, Tryptikon.
When asked about Metallica, festival founder Thomas Jensen replied, "we have time." The organisers will announce the bands for 2026 in the evening (10:30 PM).
The headliner performances, including Guns N' Roses, sparked different reactions. The rock legends offered the longest concert in the history of the festival, lasting three hours. The departure of the fans is being managed with 30 tractors, but self-help forces of the fans are relied upon to minimise damage to the meadows.
Thomas Jensen praised the metal fans for creating a great atmosphere in the mud and sludge. He commended their resilience and positive spirit throughout the event. The ticket prices for next year will increase from 333 to 349 euros, but the first 10,000 tickets bought on site will have a 16 euro price increase credited for food.
The rescue service reported 10 to 15 percent fewer deployments than in 2024, a testament to the improved safety measures and crowd management strategies implemented by the organisers. All in all, the Wacken Heavy Metal Festival 2025 was a memorable event, filled with music, camaraderie, and a shared love for heavy metal.
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- After the success of the Wacken Heavy Metal Festival 2025, attendees can look forward to even more entertainment, as the organisers have announced the inclusion of a live sports broadcast on the festival's radio station next year.
- Even though the metal music was the main attraction, the sports broadcast on the festival's radio station provided an additional source of entertainment for many festival-goers, keeping them updated on the latest developments in their favorite sports while they enjoyed the muddy grounds of Wacken Open Air.
