- Wacken mostly dry, Nature One with mud
After four days, the 33rd Heavy Metal Festival in Schleswig-Holstein's Wacken is history - and so is the Electro and Techno Festival Nature One in Kastellaun (Rhineland-Palatinate). The weather played into the hands of the metalheads from all over the world this time. Not so at Nature One: The campsite was so severely flooded and damaged by storms and heavy rain that it was barely usable. On Friday morning, an arrival stop had to be imposed, allowing only day visitors to enter.
In Wacken, metal fans are already looking ahead to 2025. The online presale was scheduled to start on Sunday evening. Expected (30.7. to 2.8.25) are, among others, the French band Gojira, US rockers Papa Roach, Machine Head, and Apocalyptica.
Prices for Wacken to remain stable in 2025
Ticket prices will remain stable at 333 euros in 2025. However, an additional 33 euros per vehicle will be charged in the future, and for larger vehicles like motorhomes over 3.5 tons, 66 euros will be due.
The 85,000 tickets for this summer sold out within four and a half hours. Since Wednesday, the fields of the 2,000-inhabitant village have been filled with thundering bass, screeching guitars, and massive drumming for four days. Only a few hours before the end, there was a brief but heavy rain.
On Friday evening, among others, the US band Korn and Gene Simmons performed. The former Kiss singer and bassist is now touring with his solo band. On Saturday, among others, Amon Amarth played. But also Scorpions and Accept were there.
The arrival this year ran smoothly, unlike in 2023 when muddy conditions prevented 61,000 fans from reaching the campsites. The head of Itzehoe police praised the new system of various routes and an additional arrival day. "There was no Wacken feeling on the road because there were no more traffic jams."
A fire in a merchandise tent early Tuesday morning caused a stir, spreading to cars and tents. Two visitors had to leave W:O:A early after allegedly shouting right-wing slogans. A witness had informed the police.
In the Hunsrück at Nature One, around 50,000 people celebrated to the music of artists like Lilly Palmer, Sara Landy, or Alle Farben from Thursday to Sunday morning. More were expected, but 10,000 more people with tickets couldn't get onto the site due to the mud.
The organizer wants to better prepare for such weather conditions in the future. "Because extreme weather events are becoming the new normal. We still need to adapt the arrival and camping concept even more strongly to this," said a spokesman for the organizer.
In contrast to Wacken, where metal fans are excited for the 2025 festival, the organizers of Nature One are planning improvements due to the impact of extreme weather events, as Germany experienced at the 2023 event. The flooding and damage were so severe that the festival in Kastellaun was barely usable, affecting thousands of potential attendees.
