After the chaos before the start and an arrival stop for visitors to the heavy metal festival in Wacken, it’s supposed to officially start this Wednesday. At 11 a.m. the local fire brigade band wants to kick things off, and later metal queen Doro Pesch will be on stage. But before the festival started, a few things were still unclear – for example the question of how many metal fans are actually partying on Wacken’s fields.
Early on Wednesday morning, the festival announced on Instagram that the “reasonable visitor capacity” had been reached given the weather conditions. “Any further travel must be stopped and canceled with immediate effect.” This decision was made for the first time in the history of the festival. “We are very sad, but unfortunately the difficult weather situation leaves us no other choice,” it said. Fans reacted indignantly and criticized “underground communication”. Many had waited for hours in front of the site. Core of the criticism: The update from the organizers on the arrival stop imposed on Monday only came at noon, much later than initially announced. The admission end for cars followed hours later. Many visitors had been stuck in traffic for many hours.
Tractors were used to tow cars onto the festival grounds.
Photo: Steven Hutchings/dpa
On Tuesday evening, festival co-founder Thomas Jensen said: “I hope that we have half of it or more.” Safety is the top priority for the organizers. The conditions around the tranquil place and the announcements that fans with cars would no longer be allowed onto the sodden areas had already caused displeasure among some of the visitors. The organizers had justified the step with the heavy rain before the start of the festival. As a result, camping and event areas as well as paths are in poor condition. However, attempts are being made to bring vehicles that are already in the immediate vicinity of the festival site there. According to the organizer, information on how to deal with the tickets, which cost almost 300 euros, should follow as soon as possible.
There had been long traffic jams around Wacken because of the arrival stop.
Photo: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa
According to the police on Wednesday, around 50,000 visitors made it to the festival site. A police spokeswoman announced shortly before the official start of the festival that around 50 percent of the camping areas sodden by the rain were occupied.
On the first day of the festival, part of the ashes of the deceased frontman Lemmy Kilmister from the rock band Motörhead will find a resting place in Wacken. The musician, who died in 2015, is to be “honoured with an unforgettable act,” as the organizers announced. Motörhead members Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee are set to attend the celebrations.
For the first time, the festival will last four days this summer. More than 200 concerts are planned on nine stages during this time – including by Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Helloween.
+++ This article was updated on August 2nd at 10:45 am. +++
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