Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
From July 26 to August 2, a small village in northern Germany is once again transformed into the loudest town in the world as 85.000 metalheads come together to celebrate Wacken Open Air.
As in previous years, fans were able to begin arriving on Sunday. Thanks to the well-established traffic routing concept, arrivals proceeded smoothly and continued to do so on Monday, without any significant incidents. While Sunday brought slightly changeable weather, the forecast for the days ahead promises plenty of sunshine—ideal conditions for a spectacular 35th edition of Wacken Open Air.
As tradition dictates, the best week of the metal year began with a performance by the Wacken Firefighters. This year’s concert took place at the Landgasthof, the venue in the heart of the village where the festival’s story first began. Later in the afternoon, festival co-founder Holger Hübner, better known as DJ Hüby, welcomed arriving fans with a DJ set from the fire truck at the Camping Plaza. The day’s grand finale belonged to a band that is inseparable from Wacken’s history: Skyline. The band, whose former bassist was festival co-founder Thomas Jensen, delivered a memorable show at the Landgasthof.
(Photo Credit: WOA Festival GmbH)
The Warm-Up program is now in full swing, while the festival officially kicks off on Wednesday with the traditional opening of the Holy Ground. Over the coming days, around 200 acts from across the metal spectrum will perform on ten stages. The lineup includes heavyweights such as Judas Priest, Sabaton, Def Leppard, Powerwolf, Savatage, Lamb of God, In Flames and Arch Enemy.
Fans can also look forward to two particularly emotional moments: legendary Brazilian metal pioneers Sepultura will play their final German show in Wacken as part of their farewell tour, while Running Wild will also bid farewell to the stage.
Beyond the main stages, metalheads can look forward to a diverse supporting program throughout the festival. Highlights include readings such as the one by Kreator frontman Mille Petrozza, live podcast recordings from bands including Saltatio Mortis, and panel discussions such as “Witches of Wacken” featuring Alissa White-Gluz (Blue Medusa), Sabina Classen (Temple of the Absurd), and Johanna Platow (Lucifer). Visitors can also attend church concerts, services, and even weddings in Wacken. Meanwhile, the Movie Nights will screen a variety of films, including “Wacken – Hearts Full of Metal,” which will also be available to stream free of charge on MagentaTV (Channel 18) for one week starting today.
“A very special festival lies ahead of us, and we’re excited to celebrate with this incredible community for the 35th time,”says festival co-founder Holger Hübner. “We’re deeply grateful for the loyalty our fans have shown us over the years. Their continued support is the reason we’ve been able to do what we love for more than three decades. We have the best fans in the world!”
Festival co-founder Thomas Jensen adds: “Once again, our team has put together a festival and a program we’re incredibly proud of—one that truly does justice to this anniversary. Party on!”
For unique insights into the world of W:O:A, alongside all the latest festival information, fans can now pick up the latest edition of The Bullhead, the official festival magazine. The magazine is available on-site in print, as an insert in SHZ newspapers throughout Schleswig-Holstein, and digitally in both German and English for readers around the world. This year’s edition features exclusive interviews with headline artists, including Rob Halford of Judas Priest (talking about cats on his head) and Derrick Green of Sepultura (reflecting on the band’s farewell after 40 years), as well as in-depth features, background stories, and practical information such as the complete running order.
The Bullhead is, as always, available free of charge in both German and English here.
(The Bullhead Cover)
The mailing list for Wacken Open Air 2027 is now open. Anyone who doesn’t want to miss updates on the start of advance ticket sales and the first band announcements can sign up here now.
PARTY ON!
WACKEN OPEN AIR 2026
More information via
wacken.com and metaltix.com
About Wacken Open Air:
Wacken Open Air is the largest heavy metal festival in the world. Starting with 800 visitors in 1990, nowadays up to 85,000 fans from all over the world travel to Wacken every year, turning the small village in Schleswig-Holstein into the center of the festival scene for several days. The organizing WOA Festival GmbH is connected to a broad network including band management, the Wacken Foundation, tour booking, music publishing, Travel & Stay, merchandising distribution and ticketing. In cooperation with partners, this results in creative solutions and ideas that revolutionize the festival experience, enable technical innovations and produce extraordinary event concepts. Wacken Open Air 2026 will take place from July 29 to August 1, 2026.
