- Firefighters open up a heavy metal festival
Wackōōōōn or "Wackeeeeen" echoes across the meadows - in the peaceful village of Wacken nestled in Schleswig-Holstein, metalheads once again set 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) under high summer temperatures.
Last year, due to weather caprices, only 61,000 fans made it to the Holy Ground, as fans call the area, instead of the expected 85,000. This year's festival was already sold out after four and a half hours. Following the 2023 issues, organizers have made changes.
"Thanks to our new approach, which includes an optional Sunday arrival and well-planned routing, we've managed to avoid larger traffic jams and already have 70,000 metalheads on site," said festival co-founder Holger Hübner. "The mood is accordingly good at the first program points." Around late afternoon, co-founder Thomas Jensen added, looking at the visitor numbers: "Almost everyone is here."
Firefighter band rocks
Cheered on by loud "Wacken, Wacken, Fire Department!" 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. Festival fans also enjoyed Peter Schilling's "Major Tom." "Oh folks, it's so great to see you all again," said a member of the band.
One of the world's largest heavy-metal festivals
Amid loud cheers, the gates to the Infield opened in the afternoon. At 3:30 PM, thousands of metal fans flooded the area in front of the two main stages. "Great to see you all again," said Hübner. "How quickly a year goes by, luckily."
The first artist on one of the main stages was Mannheim comedian Bülent Ceylan with his band. In Extremo was also expected.
The W:O:A is considered one of the world's largest heavy-metal festivals. For several days, thousands of fans turn the village of 2,000 inhabitants into the center of the scene. Headliners include the Scorpions. Other expected acts include Korn, Blind Guardian, Extrabreit, and Gene Simmons, who was the singer and bassist of Kiss and is now touring with his solo band.
Investigations after fire
Investigations are ongoing after a fire destroyed several tents and two cars on the campsite overnight Tuesday. A 23-year-old policewoman on night duty is credited with waking three tent occupants and helping them to safety.
On Tuesday evening, the festival ended prematurely for a 32-year-old. Police reported that the heavily intoxicated man got into a fight with festival-goers, tampered with other people's property, and insulted a 27-year-old. He then 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 altercation overnight, a 34-year-old from Norderstedt suddenly pulled a beer bottle from a bench and struck a 41-year-old multiple times in the face. The victim had to be taken to the hospital.
After an impressive turnout, Holger Hübner, one of the festival co-founders, expressed his delight, noting that 70,000 metalheads had already arrived at the Wacken Open Air (W:O:A). Despite being held in Germany, this annual heavy-metal event attracts fans from around the globe, making Wacken a temporary hub for the heavy-metal scene.
