"Wacken - rain or shine." It's a good catchphrase, though there was definitely more of one than the other at this year's event as Wacken Open Air returned for its 34th edition, boasting a host of massive metal names including Guns N' Roses, Papa Roach, Machine Head and Gojira, plus literally hundreds of other acts across its many stages.
But what was it actually like at the festival? Having spent the last week in a field in Germany, I've cleaned off (some of) the mud and come up with a list of things I learned at Wacken Open Air 2025.
I've never been to a muddier festival
Wacken's capacity might be comparable to a Download or Rock Am Ring/Rock Im Park, but in terms of sheer festival size it's more like the mini-cities of Glastonbury Festival or Boomtown.
That also means there's a hell of a lot of exploring to be done, which can be fantastic but also exhausting - particularly if the whole site has turned into a swampy bog. Rain pretty much every day ensured the ground never really firmed up, making the trek between stages something worthy of a Lord Of The Rings novel. One doesn’t simply walk to the Louder Stage.
...but that didn't stop bands (and fans) from going wild
While it wasn't uncommon to find myself being sucked into the mud watching a band, it's testament to just how much everybody at Wacken loves metal that they had a fantastic time in spite of it.
Despite the Wasteland stage turning into a literal mudpool worthy of its name, the likes of Lake Malice and 3 Inches Of Blood absolutely conquered their sets in pouring rain, getting fans moshing and even doing wall-of-deaths. Machine Head's headline set on Sunday had one of the biggest circle pits I've seen at any festival, and I even saw videos of fans doing push-ups in the mud for Party Cannon.
It's a truly global phenomenon
Like many a modern metal festival, Wacken pulls its line-up from around the world. But the most impressive example of Wacken's global reach is its Metal Battle.
Effectively a massive battle of the bands that sees musicians travel from across the world to play the festival, the Metal Battle means I could set up shop at the double-stage set-up of the W.E.T. and Headbanger stages and discover bands from around the world with only short changeovers. I spent a few hours there Friday and saw bands from Ireland (Aesect), Uruguay (Alpha) and Kyrgyzstan (My Own Shiva) all in quick succession.
The nu metal revival is in full swing
The fact that Papa Roach pulled easily the biggest crowd of the weekend is a good indicator of just how much Wacken has changed over the last 35 years. Old guard bands like Guns N' Roses, W.A.S.P. and Krokus were still present and correct, but there was a decided swing towards turn-of-the-millennium in Wacken 2025's programming with the likes of Helmet, Prong, Ministry and even Clawfinger pulling massive crowds all weekend.
A bit of theatricality goes a long way
Who doesn't love a good production? Wacken's unique set-up seems to allow its bands a lot more freedom to go Big when it comes to performances, and the sight of pyro for everyone from Dominum to Beast In Black, Machine Head and Papa Roach added an extra level of excitement (and warmth against the rain) to some performances.
More than that though, the inclusion of bands like Dogma, Skynd, Brothers Of Metal and Wind Rose illustrates just how colourful metal can be in 2025, with nuns, zombies and dwarves running amok across the weekend. You love to see it.
...and it doesn't stop at the bands
Even before the bands properly start, Wacken is putting on a show. An epic opening ceremony for the in-field saw thousands of fans dash into the field as ghoulish figures waved colourful flares and fireworks went off at main stage.
That's nothing on the closing ceremony, however: a pyro-enhanced announcement for next year's event which had full drone displays in the skies making shapes including rockets, phones and space ships. Epic.
Wacken is one of the friendliest festivals around
How's your German? Even if, like me, you're still getting disdainful looks from the Duolingo owl, you needn't fret too much: Wacken is set up very much as a global community event and has loads of pop-ups and set-ups around the site to help metal fans meet and mingle.
There's late-night karaoke, entertainment sets after bands finish and even a Wacken United tent which allows fans from around the world to just hang out, have a beer and listen to music together. Even amidst the mud and rain, it contributes a sense of comfort and friendliness that makes Wacken feel truly special, the kind of experience that'll bring me back time and again.
Wacken Open Air returns in 2026 with bands including Def Leppard, Lamb Of God, Nevermore, Powerwolf and more. To see the full line-up, head over to the official festival website to learn more.
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