Recommendations of the Editorial team
After heavy rainfall and difficult weather conditions, the organizers have taken extensive measures inside the Wacken Open Air to keep the festival site playable and minimize the mud chaos. Instead of the originally planned 800 cubic meters, around 3,000 cubic meters of wood chips were distributed on the mushy areas. The journey with your own vehicle remains restricted. The organizer recommends visitors: inside, switching to public transport. Shuttlebusse regularly run from the train station in Itzehoe directly to the festival site.
The organizer points out to travel by public transport:
There is now a new parking lot for visitors who arrive by car.
Wacken: New natural fiber mats in the hardest test against mudchaos
At the same time, a new project is being tested on the site: floor mats made of natural fibers such as rushes and moor grass are intended to help stabilize the nature of the soil. They should decompose independently after the festival. The idea was developed by a farmer from the region. The project management is located at the Nature Conservation Foundation. When visiting Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) and Schleswig-Holstein’s Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt (Greens), project manager Elena Zydek was pleased with the effect of the mats.
In the night of Thursday, visitors had to be temporarily left the tent site due to a severe weather warning. They were asked to look for protection in their vehicles via a push message. According to the police, the night remained calm. A person missing in the meantime was found again, and advertisements were also accepted due to assault and sexual harassment. Despite the precipitation, the access routes to the festival are still passable.
40 liters of rain per square meter
According to the German Weather Service, around 40 liters of rain per square meter – about as much as in two average July weeks. Wacken co-founder Thomas Jensen spoke of a critical load limit, co-founder Holger Hübner called “luck in misfortune” that the announced storm was only roaming the festival. Further rain will be expected for the coming days.
Festival start with wind rose and guns n ‘roses
The Italian Power Metal band Wind Rose opened the festival program on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday evening, fans await a three and a half hour appearance of Guns N ‘Roses. A total of around 85,000 visitors are expected: on the site on the site in Schleswig-Holstein.
The Wacken Open Air (W: O: A) has been taking place annually in the small community in Schleswig-Holstein since 1990 in early August. Today it is one of the world’s largest heavy metal festivals. This year’s line-up includes internationally known acts such as Guns N´ Roses (first appearance at W: O: A), the French band Gojira, Papa Roach, Machine Head and also Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker with band. The fans have had the 85,000 tickets in their pockets since autumn last year, and the mega event has been sold out since September last year.