last dash before the Mud Festival in Wacken wraps up preparations
Wacken Open Air 2025: A Muddy but Memorable Festival
The Wacken Open Air heavy metal festival, held in Schleswig-Holstein's Wacken, wrapped up this summer with a record-breaking three-hour concert by Guns N' Roses, marking the longest performance in the festival's history. Despite adverse weather conditions that brought up to 39.3 liters of rain per square meter, the event was a success, with over 85,000 fans in attendance.
Organizers brought in 3,500 cubic meters of wood chips to stabilize the surfaces, but large parts of the area still turned into a muddy mess. Fortunately, the arrival at the festival went smoothly, according to event director Daniel Schlatter. When the rain subsided, fans and nearly 1,000 helpers, including 700 volunteers, worked together to ensure the departure of the fans went as smoothly as possible, with 30 tractors ready for self-help efforts to avoid further field damage.
The festival was affected by a number of incidents, with around 2,800 people treated, and 150 fans taken to a hospital. However, the rescue service reported 10 to 15 percent fewer interventions than in 2024. Additionally, around 150 cases of other interventions, including confused people, increased. Organizer Holger Hübner stated that they were happy with Guns N' Roses' performance, while Thomas Jensen expressed enthusiasm.
The late rock icon Ozzy Osbourne was paid tribute at the festival with a drone show, featuring the songs "Mama, I'm Coming Home" and "Paranoid" by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. When asked about Metallica, Thomas Jensen replied, "we have time." They have also waited for other groups in the past. Bands like Papa Roach, Machine Head, Saltatio Mortis, Apocalyptica, BAP, and Michael Schenker, as well as Metal Queen Doro Pesch with Dirkschneider, also performed at the festival.
As of early August 2025, specific headlining bands for Wacken Open Air 2025 have not been officially announced. Ticket prices for the 2023 festival were approximately €333, including all fees, which cover access to the entire festival from July 30 to August 2, 2025, as well as camping from July 27 to August 3, 2025. Early ticket buyers on-site will have the 16 euro price increase credited for food. The 2026 edition has begun announcements with tickets priced at €349 plus booking fees for the next year’s festival.
Overall, the Wacken Open Air 2025 was a memorable event, despite the challenging weather conditions. Fans and organizers alike praised the metal community for creating a great atmosphere in the mud and slush, making it a truly unforgettable experience.
Fans looking for other forms of entertainment could also have enjoyed various music performances besides heavy metal at the Wacken Open Air 2025. Additionally, sports enthusiasts might have found the cooperative efforts of fans and helpers during the departure process to be an unexpected source of entertainment.
