- Firefighters open up a heavy metal festival
Wackōōōōn" or "Wackeeeeen" echoes across the meadows - in the peaceful village of Wacken in the heart of Schleswig-Holstein, the metalheads are once again setting the tone. The traditional concert of the Wacken Firefighters kicked off the Heavy-Metal Festival. Despite last year's mud problems, the scene is celebrating at this year's 33rd Wacken Open Air (W:O:A) in high summer weather.
Last year, due to the weather's caprices, only 61,000 fans made it to the Holy Ground, as the fans call the area, instead of the expected 85,000. This year's festival was already sold out after just four and a half hours. After the problems of 2023, the organizers have made changes.
"Thanks to our new approach, which includes an optional Sunday arrival and a well-thought-out route guidance, we were able to avoid larger traffic jams and already have 70,000 metalheads on the grounds," said festival co-founder Holger Hübner. "The mood is accordingly good at the first program points."
Firefighter band rocks
Cheered on by loud "Wacken, Wacken, Firefighters!" chants, the Wacken Firefighters took to the stage to start the festival. During their performance, loud cheers erupted from the packed area in front of the stage.
The band doesn't just play folk songs or Schlager, but also instrumental cover versions of modern pop songs like "Let me entertain you" by Robbie Williams. The festival fans also seemed to enjoy Peter Schilling's "Major Tom". "Oh people, it's so great to see you again," said a member of the band.
Mecca of the metal world
In the afternoon, the so-called Infield, the large area in front of the two main stages Faster and Harder, is set to open. On the first day, concerts by Mannheim comedian Bülent Ceylan with band and In Extremo are on the program. On the neighboring Louder stage, Suzi Quatro was expected.
The W:O:A is considered one of the largest Heavy-Metal festivals worldwide. For several days, the community of 2,000 inhabitants becomes the center of the scene, with thousands of fans. The Scorpions are among the headliners. Other expected acts include Korn, Blind Guardian, Extrabreit, and Gene Simmons, who was the singer and bassist of Kiss and is now on tour with his solo band.
Investigations after fire
Investigations are ongoing after a fire in several tents and two cars on the campsite in the early hours of Tuesday. A 23-year-old policewoman on night duty is credited with waking up three tent occupants and helping them to safety.
On Tuesday evening, the festival ended prematurely for a 32-year-old. According to police, the heavily intoxicated man got into a fight with festival-goers, tampered with other people's property, insulted a 27-year-old, and injured a security guard. In the end, the man was taken into police custody with a blood alcohol level of 1.85 and had to surrender his festival wristband.
In another incident overnight, a 34-year-old from Norderstedt suddenly pulled a hamburger from a beer bench and hit a 41-year-old several times in the face. The victim had to be taken to hospital.
The Wacken Open Air (W:O:A) is often referred to as the "Mecca" of the metal world, attracting thousands of fans from around the globe. Many metalheads consider the Holy Ground, the festival area, a sacred place where they can fully embrace their passion for heavy metal music.
After a successful festival, many metalheads venture to Mecca again the following year, making the Wacken Open Air an annual pilgrimage for many.
