In late summer, the face of Northern Germany and Hamburg changes.聽聽swarms with long-haired people dressed in black, passengers at Hamburg Central are carrying camping equipment and beer crates. The Autobahn is jammed with cars from all over Europe, many of them adorned with three letters: . 聽聽聽聽
What they all have in common: They are headed for the small and unassuming village of Wacken, about one hour north of Hamburg. Once a year, the rural calm makes way for the largest and most important heavy metal festival in the world. Over the years, all the greatest bands in heavy metal history have made their appearances at Wacken Open Air and the 75,000 tickets always sell in a heartbeat.
About one third of the audience consists of internationals聽鈹�聽they fly in from places as far away as Japan or Argentina to witness this noisy event. Check out the experiences of metalheads from South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, Singapore and the USA at Wacken Open Air聽below!
2025 Highlights
The 2025 highlights included Guns N' Roses, Machine Head, Saltatio Mortis, Papa Roach and many more acts.
Complete programme:
Dates
30 July - 2 August 2025
Location
Hauptstra脽e , 25596 Wacken
Getting there
Public transport:聽Regional trains from Hamburg Central Station towards Itzehoe, buses to Besdorf.
颁补谤:听Motorway A23聽towards Heide, exit Schenefeld.
