What a great festival! Tonight marks the end of the 34th Wacken Open Air. Sensational performances by Guns N’ Roses with a set lasting over three hours, Machine Head, Saltatio Mortis, Papa Roach, Gojira, Within Temptation, Dimmu Borgir, King Diamond, W.A.S.P., Beyond The Black, and BAP will surely remain in fans’ memories for a long time to come. Over 200 bands played on nine stages at the once again sold-out festival for 85,000 metalheads from all over the world. The weather in northern Germany proved to be a bit moody, but after a wet start on Wednesday, more “shine” than “rain” on the following days reconciled the fans.
In addition to lots of wonderfully loud music and countless other activities at W:O:A, the theme of “space” proved to be a crowd puller: at “Space Camp,” for example, space research experts offered the fans insights into science and technology beyond our planet in exhibitions and lectures, with exciting simulations and real equipment. Astronauts Alexander Gerst and Rabea Rogge reported on their adventures in space, and even on the main grounds, “space” was symbolically represented by a huge model (scale 1:4) of an ESA Ariane 6 launch vehicle, which towered into the sky next to the Faster Stage.
At this summer’s annual Metal Battle, the international competition for young talent organized by W:O:A, 30 bands were able to live their dream and perform on stage in Wacken. A panel of experts ultimately selected Expellow from Switzerland as the winning band and awarded them the grand prize of €5,000 from the Wacken Foundation. Groups from India, Argentina, Bulgaria, and Finland took the following places. The result: huge cheers from the Alpine crowd and a few happy tears here and there. Over 16,200 bands from more than 100 countries had applied to take part.
The fact that there were no major disruptions to traffic on Wednesday despite rainfall of almost 40 liters per square meter was partly due to the travel concept introduced last year, which enabled fans to arrive at W:O:A on the Sunday before the festival. In addition, around 49,000 m² of mobile roads were laid in advance, and 3,500 m³ of wood chips and high-performance pumps were later used in critical areas to relieve the wet conditions.
At the joint closing press conference held by the organizers and responsible authorities all sides gave a fundamentally positive assessment—without glossing over the weather-related restrictions: “In 2023, the heroes were those who were unable to travel here,” said organizer Thomas Jensen. “This year’s heroes were all those who came and created a fantastic atmosphere throughout the festival, regardless of the weather. We have great respect for all these fans!” Organizer Holger Hübner added: “For me, the real heroes were those who managed to celebrate their bands in front of the stages despite the adverse conditions. The metal community sticks together, whether in the mosh pit, on the campgrounds including the Wheels Of Steel area, or at the bar.“
This was also emphasized by the emergency services, who reported that they had switched to four-wheel drive vehicles at an early stage. Almost 1,000 helpers were on duty, including around 700 volunteers. The emergency services were pleased that the number of ambulance transports at the time of the press conference was around 150, significantly below the average of 180-200 in previous years. Thanks were given above all to the fans and the Itzehoe Clinic. The fire department, which had also switched to four-wheel drive early on, was equally satisfied with the calm festival, saying, “Mud doesn’t burn” – but a car did, which was quickly and professionally brought under control. In an extraordinary operation, two runaway cows from the surrounding area were also caught and returned to their farmers. The responsible public order office succinctly emphasized its great satisfaction with W:O:A 2025 and thanked the fans and all those involved for a great festival. The police leadership also looked back on a quiet week, during which the number of relevant crimes fell by 21 percent to just 68 cases – a welcome figure for “Schleswig-Holstein’s third-largest city,” which Wacken grows into during the festival.
First bands for 2026
With an epic multimedia show on both main stages, the first bands for the 35th Wacken Open Air 2026, which will take place from July 29 to August 1, 2026, were announced to loud cheers on the last evening of the festival.
The highlights of this anniversary edition will include headline performances by Savatage, Def Leppard, In Flames, and Powerwolf. A total of 35 acts have already been confirmed for the 35th edition, including numerous “special shows”: Running Wild will end their live career at W:O:A and Sepultura will say goodbye to their German fans, while The Gathering will perform exclusively in Germany with their former singer Anneke van Giersbergen and Emperor have announced an “As The Shadows Rise” special set. Other confirmed bands include: Allt, Airbourne, Any Given Day, Blood Command, Broken By The Scream, Einherjer, Europe, Faun, Future Palace, Grand Magus, Gutalax, The Hardkiss, H-Blockx, Insanity Alert, Kupfergold, Lamb of God, Luna Kills, Mantar, Nevermore, Orbit Culture, Paleface Swiss, Pig Destroyer, Ten56., Triptykon, Thundermother, Thrown, and Blood Fire Death as an all-star tribute to Bathory.
Official advance ticket sales start on Sunday, August 3 at 8:00 p.m. at metaltix.com and wacken.com.
For the first time ever, fans had the opportunity to purchase the first tickets for the next W:O:A while the event was still underway. The Holy Ground Ticket, limited to 10,000 pieces, is now sold out.
Tickets for what is arguably the best metal party in the world cost €349. As was the case this summer, metalheads can arrive as early as Sunday, with an appealing supporting program awaiting guests on the three additional days. Access passes for stress-free travel by car will be available from spring 2026 at the latest and will cost €33 per vehicle (up to 3.5 tons) – or €66 for motorhomes, caravans, campervans, and vehicles over 3.5 tons, regardless of the number of passengers.
Fans can already register for a mailing list at wacken.com to be informed about all the details of the advance sale. The ticket price applies to both the Faster Ticket, which is limited to 10,000 tickets and comes with a limited free Faster Ticket Bundle Shirt, and the regular Harder Ticket.
In The Bullhead, the official W:O:A magazine, you’ll find hot-off-the-press interviews with Powerwolf, Def Leppard, and In Flames, who are set to perform in 2026, as well as unique background stories and a big review of the recently concluded Wacken Open Air 2025. The Bullhead was there when a big dream of W:O:A founders Thomas Jensen and Holger Hübner came true during Guns N’ Roses’ set, when the children’s metal band Heavysaurus became the headliner of hearts for metalheads young and old, and when Germany’s Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider learned about the festival’s sustainability projects on site. The Bullhead will be published here on Sunday morning as a free e-paper in German and English.
35th Wacken Open Air 2026
July 29 – August 1, 2026
Advance ticket sales start on Sunday, August 3, at 8:00 p.m. at metaltix.com and wacken.com.
Confirmed bands so far: Allt, Airbourne, Any Given Day, Blood Command, Blood Fire Death (A Tribute To Bathory), Broken By The Scream, Def Leppard, Einherjer, Emperor, Europe, Faun, Future Palace, The Gathering feat. Anneke van Gieresbergen, Grand Magus, Gutalax, The Hardkiss, H-Blockx, In Flames, Insanity Alert, Kupfergold, Lamb Of God, Luna Kills, Mantar, Nevermore, Orbit Culture, Paleface Swiss, Pig Destroyer, Powerwolf, Running Wild, Savatage, Sepultura, Ten56., Thundermother, Thrown, Triptykon.
See you in Wacken – rain or shine!
www.wacken.com
