Wacken is, most of the year, a silent, serene village in Schleswig-Holstein, 80 km northwest of Hamburg. The thing is that every year many cows are forced out of their homes because for a few days as about 80.000 metalheads take over the fields to celebrate alongside the 1.800 inhabitants of the village.
Wacken Open Air is usually held at the beginning of August and lasts four days. Moreover, it has been the biggest heavy metal festival since 1990 and the host of some of the most popular heavy metal bands such as: Motorhead, Iron maiden, Saxon, Nightwish, Deep Purple, Amon Amarth etc.
This year’s festival though, is special. In 2019 W.O.A is celebrating its 30th year anniversary with a lot of fascinating events, concerts and more bands than ever. Particularly we are looking forward to :
- Sabaton’s 20th Anniversary. Sabaton are well known for their charming stage appearance and their electrifying energy. Last year they even brought a full-sized panzer on the stage! We don’t know what to expect but it’s going to be awesome nevertheless.
- Slayer’s Last Tour. This alone should prepare us for a big and unforgettable event. Besides let’s not forget that Slayer’s place in music history is secure as one of The Big Four (alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax).
- Rage with XIII ft. Lingua Mortis Orchestra, that are celebrating their most successful orchestral album to date, called ‘13’. On W.O.A they will be appearing alongside Lingua Mortis Orchestra for a unique show!
Other acts that in our personal opinion should be pointed out are: Saxon, Anthrax and U.F.O. for some old-time classic rock, thrash and heavy vibes. If you looking for a battle, Bullet for My Valentine, are promising to bring you war. Another choice is Parkway Drive with their latest release Reverence will keep you thrilled and headbanging. Battle Beast is well known heavy metal band featuring female fronted vocals and Powerwolf promise to drink your blood. You shouldn’t miss Eluveitie and Within Temptation if you love folk and symphonic yet powerful sound. And of course, Cradle of Filth, Messuggah and Opeth so we can feel some darkness flow through us. As you can see there is a band for every taste in W.O.A this year!
Source: https://www.wacken.com
Furthermore, except for the big concert stages, it’s important to be noted that there will be numerous stages and events that are going to take place in the premises of the 240 hectares(!) of Wacken this year. Some of those are The Wackinger Village and Wasteland and The Wacken Plaza. For more info you can kick the url below:
https://www.wacken.com/en/all-information/the-areas/
Last but not least here are some survival skills for your trip and stay in W.O.A.
- Your camping stay is included in the ticket price. We suggest to bring your own tent since renting one is already sold out. There are also alternative accommodations for all preferences.
- You can visit Wacken by car but we suggest to use public transportation to avoid the traffic jam.
- We know that you all want to bring your longsword in Wacken but unfortunately its not allowed. Glass and Fire pits can also prove hazardous so you should avoid them.
If you want to know more click on the link below
https://www.wacken.com/en/all-information/wacken-for-first-timers/
To sum up, it would be really exciting to live the W.O.A experience and feel that dust being thrown up by metalheads’ feet while they are in the mosh pit, headbanging with a beer on their hand.