Wacken Open Air

Wacken Open Air
Location(s)	Wacken, Germany
Years active	1990–present
Founded by	Thomas Jensen and Holger Hübner[1]
Date(s)	July, August
Genre	Metal
Website	www.wacken.com

Wacken Open Air (W:O:A) is one of the leading summer open air heavy metal music festivals. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. With 70,000 festival visitors, and including personnel a total of over 72,000 attendees in 2007,^[2] it attracts all kinds of metal music fans, such as fans of black metal, death metal, power metal, thrash metal, gothic metal and folk metal, from around the world.

The festival was first held in 1990 as a small event for local German bands. By 1998 the event had become the major festival on the European metal calendar and has included over 70 bands from all over Europe, North America and Australia. W:O:A is usually held at the beginning of August and lasts three days, during which the festival-goers camp on several large camping grounds surrounding the actual festival area. The 70 or more bands perform across four separate stages over the course of the event.

The 2009 edition set a sales record; it sold out on December 30, 2008. All 70,000 tickets were sold over 200 days before the opening of the festival.

Wacken Open Air

1990

• Friday, August 24
  • Skyline
• Saturday, August 25
  • 5th Avenue, Ax'n Sex, Motoslug, Sacret Season, Wizzard

1991

• Friday, August 23 – Saturday, August 24
  • Bon Scott, Gypsy Kyss, Kilgore, Life Artist, Ruby Red, Shanghai'd Guts, Skyline

1992

• Friday, August 21 – Saturday, August 22
  • 5th Avenue, Asmodis, Ax'n Sex, Bad Sister, Bai Bang, Blind Guardian, De La Cruz, Doc Eisenhauer, Dr. Hörp, Eddie E., Highlander, Ides of March, Incubator, Jolly Hangman, Mama's Boys, Morbid Mind, Motoslug, Pagan Spell, Paradise, Play'n'Bleed, Saitensprünge, Saxon, Störspatzen of Des, STS 8 Mission, The Waltons, Vivian

1993

• Friday, August 20
  • Bai Bang, Ballroom Bones, Blue Velvet, Bon Scott, Doro, Fast Lover, Gary Hughes, Gorefest, Piracee, Railway, Riverdogs, Sahara, Samael, Skew Siskin, Stoney Rudolph
• Saturday, August 21
  • 5th Avenue, Buddy Lackey, Fates Warning, Grinning Sinner, Häwi Mädels, Heavenward, Highlander, Holocaust, Jack's Hammer, Jingo de Lunch, Michael Dickes, Noisy Act of Protest, Plan B, Restless Blondes, Riverdogs, Sahara, Saintcatee, Torment, Trespass, Warpath
• Sunday, August 22
  • Abi Wallenstein, Ax'n Sex, Bad Sister, Châlice, RAX, Toy, Vivian

1994

• Friday, August 19
  • Deceased, Hannes Bauer & Orchester, Many Acts Of Maniacs, Moray, Pagandom, Skyclad, Stoney Rudolph & The Happy McCardies, Suiciety, The Tea Party, Tears for Beers, The Waltons
• Saturday, August 20
  • Ace Öf Spades, Atrocity, Chemical Breath, Decision D, Dixie Gunworks, Easy Livin' (Uriah Heep feat. Markus Grosskopf from Helloween), Gamma Ray, Ken Templin, Paul Di'Anno's Killers, Prollhead, Rausch, Riff Raff, Roan, Saintcatee, Torment, U.K. Subs

1995

• Saturday, August 19 – Sunday, August 20
  • 5th Avenue, Amentia, Angra, Bad Sister, Châlice, Creep, D:A:D, Dark At Down, Das Auge Gottes, Depressive Age, Dixie Gunworks, Ghosts of Dawn, Graue Zellen, Hate Squad, Laberinto, More About Dogs, Morgoth, Paragon, Phantoms of Future, Pothead, Power of Expression, Pretty Maids, Prime, Rape, Revelation, Schweisser, Solitude Aeturnus, Temple of the Absurd, Tiamat, Trauma, Trieb, Vanden Plas, Vocation

1996

• Friday, August 9
  • Asylum, Bad Sister, Big Nothing, Crematory, Desert Storm, Dice, The Exploited, The Gathering, Gorefest, Grave Digger, Grind Machine, Kreator, Pyogenesis, Tom Angelripper
• Saturday, August 10
  • Atrocity, Böhse Onkelz, Dimple Minds, Dritte Wahl, Gorn, Kingdom Come, Manos, Oomph!, Ramones Mania, Randalica, Ricochet, Schweisser, Secret Discovery, Sieges Even, Temple of the Absurd, Tom Angelripper, Vicki Vomit, Whils

1997

• Friday, August 8
  • Aion, Dimmu Borgir, Dismember, Dissection, Don Bosco, In Flames, Lake of Tears, Late September Dogs, Love Gun, Mummlox, Paunch, Rage & Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Samael, Saviour Machine, Sceptic Acceptance, Sodom, Steiger, Theatre Of Tragedy, Therion, Undish, Virgin Steele
• Saturday, August 9
  • Amorphis, The Automanic, Birth Control, Entrust, Fox Force Five, Gainsay, Grave Digger, Grinning Sinner, HammerFall, Hassmütz, Headcase, Iron Savior, Motörhead, Overkill, Raven, Rock Bitch, Scanner, Sinner, Soilent Green, Subway to Sally, Tank, Tom Angelripper, Torment, Totenmond, U.D.O., Umbra et Imago, Waltari, Zed Yago

1998

• Friday, August 7
  • Am I Blood, Angel Dust, Anvil, Arch Enemy, Benediction, Blitzkrieg, Children of Bodom, Cradle of Filth, Crematory, Custard, Darkseed, Dew-Scented, Doro, Fair Warning, Goddess Of Desire, God Dethroned, Haggard, Incubator, Iron Savior, J.B.O., Krabathor, Manos, Metal Worx, Skyclad, Soulburn, Stigmata IV, Stratovarius, Sweet Savage, Tankard, Telltalehard, Temple Of The Absurd, Third Teeth, Unrest, Warrior
• Saturday, August 8
  • Agathodaimon, Atrocity, Blind Guardian, Bonfire, Borknagar, Covenant, Crack Up, Disbelief, Dritte Wahl, Exciter, Gamma Ray, Gorgoroth, Grober Spass, Hades Almighty, Heavenwood, Hollow, Holy Mother, Hypocrisy, Iced Earth, In Extremo, Lacuna Coil, Lost Resistance, Murder One, Night In Gales, Old Man's Child, Pegazus, Postmortem, Primal Fear, Primordial, Raise Hell, Riot, Rough Silk, Sacred Steel, Sadist, Savatage, Sentenced, Silent Scream, Skyclad, Stahlhammer, Sweet Noise, Tom Angelripper, Vader, Virgin Steele, Voivod

1999

• Thursday, August 5
  • Death SS, Fates Warning, Skyclad, Spock's Beard, Tankwort
• Friday, August 6
  • Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Bewitched, Blind Passenger, Brainstorm, Crematory, Destruction, Dokken, Edguy, Eisregen, Eläkeläiset, Enslaved, Freedom Call, Girlschool, Graveworm, God Dethroned, HammerFall, House of Spirits, Immortal, In Aeternum, In Extremo, Jag Panzer, Killers, Leatherwolf, Mayhem, Mercyful Fate, Mystic Circle, Napalm Death, Paragon, Pariah, Powergod, Rage, Reverend Jürgen & Igor, Richthofen, Roland Grapow & Band, Saxon, Sinister, Sinner, Temple of the Absurd, The Sygnet, Totenmond, Tygers of Pan Tang, U.D.O., Vicki Vomit, The Waltons, Warhammer, Witchery
• Saturday, August 7
  • Agent Steel, Amon Amarth, Angra, Axxis, Atrocity, Axel Rudi Pell, The Bullheadz, Cannibal Corpse, Dark Tranquillity, Dee Snider, Destiny's End, Dimmu Borgir, Dr. Death, The Gathering, In Flames, Jaguar, Labyrinth, Lefay, Marduk, Marshall Law, Memory Garden, Metal Church, Metalium, Mindfeed, Nevermore, Onkel Tom, Paradox, Pretty Maids, Primal Fear, Razor, Six Feet Under, Solitude Aeturnus, Steel Prophet, Subway to Sally, The Crown, Therion & Orchestra, Threshold, Torment, Tristania, Umbra et Imago, Wardog, Warrant, Whiplash

2000

• Thursday, August 3
  • The Company of Snakes, Krokus, Molly Hatchet
• Friday, August 4
  • Angel Witch, Artillery, Black Sweden, Breaker, Dark at Dawn, Dark Funeral, Deranged, Desperados, Gamma Ray, Gaskin, Grim Reaper, Hypocrisy, Iced Earth, Immortal, Liege Lord, Lock Up, Marduk, October 31, Overkill, Pink Cream 69, Praying Mantis, Rhapsody, Royal Hunt, Samson, Savage, Six Feet Under, Stratovarius, Umbra et Imago, Vader
• Saturday, August 5
  • Agathodaimon, Ancient, Blaze, Chantal Chevalier, Dark Age, Demon, Doro, Engine, Entombed, Freedom Call, Hades, Heir Apparent, Immolation, Jacob's Dream, Knorkator, Labyrinth, Late Nite Romeo, Lizzy Borden, Mob Rules, Morbid Angel, Nightmare, Nightwish, Onkel Tom, Pain, Raise Hell, Rose Tattoo, Sentenced, SHARD, Skew Siskin, Solstice, Spiritual Beggars, Squealer, Steel Attack, Thin Lizzy, Twisted Tower Dire, Vanishing Point, Venom, Zakk Wylde

2001

• Thursday, August 2
  • Crematory, Finntroll, Knight Errant, W.A.S.P.
• Friday, August 3
  • 16 Hell Ventiler, Behemoth, Bionix, Blackshine, Carnal Forge, Cage, Circle Of Grief, Crystal Shark, Deceased, Desaster, Dimmu Borgir, Exciter, Exhumed, Exumer, The Haunted, Helloween, Holy Moses, Kamelot, Lacuna Coil, Mortician, Napalm Death, Nasum, Nevermore, Nightfall, Nostradameus, Overkill, Paul Dianno & Killers, Primal Fear, Rawhead Rexx, Sacraphyx, Saxon, Silent Force, Smoke Blow, Soilwork, Sonata Arctica, Stigma IV, Therion (with choir), Wizard
• Saturday, August 4
  • Annihilator, Artch, Deströyer 666, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Arch Enemy, Brainstorm, Centre of Gravity, Chinchilla, Cryptopsy, Culprit, Dark Tranquillity, Death SS, Grave Digger, HammerFall, In Flames, Jag Panzer, Kju, Krisiun, Lost Horizon, Mägo de Oz, Metalium, Motörhead, Naglfar, Night in Gales, Nightwish, Opeth, Paragon, Rage, Sodom, Soul Doctor, Subway to Sally, Tad Morose, Tankard, The Traceelords, Trail of Tears, Vintersorg, Warhammer

2002

• Thursday, August 1
  • Blaze, Doro, Kotipelto, Messiah Kiss, Rose Tattoo
• Friday, August 2
  • Alabama Thunderpussy, Angra, Antagonist, Avalanch, Borknagar, Bruce Dickinson, Candlemass (reunion), Children of Bodom, Debris Inc., Destruction, Dimple Minds, Domine, Dornenreich, Dragonlord, Dying Fetus, Eisregen, Fleshcrawl, Heavenly, In Extremo, Iron Savior, J.B.O., Justice, Lock Up, Megaherz, Metalucifer, Mob Rules, My Dying Bride, Necrophobic, Nocturnal Rites, Pretty Maids, Primordial, Pungent Stench, Rebellion, Red Aim, Savatage, Stormwarrior, Torfrock, Vomitory, Warlord, Withering Surface, Wolf
• Saturday, August 3
  • Amon Amarth, Angel Dust, Blind Guardian, Blitzkrieg, Cannibal Corpse, Centre of Gravity, Criminal, Dream Evil, Edguy, Evergrey, Exodus, Falconer, Green Carnation, Haggard, Heathen, Hollenthon, Hypocrisy, Immortal, Kalmah, Kreator, Macabre, Mezarkabul, Mörk Gryning, Nightmare, Nuclear Assault (reunion), Onkel Tom, Rottweiler, Sabbat, Shakra, Sinergy, Stormwitch, Suidakra, Thunderstone, U.D.O., Unleashed, Vanden Plas, Vicious Rumors, Victims of Madness, Vision Divine, Wizard

2003

• Thursday, July 31
  • Annihilator, Circle II Circle, Running Wild, Victory
• Friday, August 1
  • Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Assassin, The Crown, Dark Age, Dew-Scented, Diamond Head, Dismember, Extreme Noise Terror, Freedom Call, Gamma Ray, In Flames, Lordi, Lotto King Karl, Obscenity, Oratory, Primal Fear, Psychopunch, The Quill, Raise Hell, Rotting Christ, Sentenced, Seventh One, Subway to Sally, Symphorce, Testament, Twisted Sister, V8 Wankers
• Saturday, August 2
  • Ancient Rites, Bai Bang, Breed 77, Callenish Circle, Carpathian Forest, Cryptic Wintermoon, Darkane, Dark Funeral, Eidolon, Evidence One, Graveworm, Heaven Shall Burn, Human Fortress, Kataklysm, Malevolent Creation, Masterplan, Metalium, Nile, Sinner, Onkel Tom, Rage, Raunchy, Sinister, Slayer, Soilwork, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Thyrfing, Twisted Tower Dire, Vader

2004

• Thursday, August 5
  • Böhse Onkelz, Motörhead, Zodiac Mindwarp
• Friday, August 6
  • Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Artefact, Astral Doors, Brainstorm, Cathedral, Destruction, Dio, Dionysus, Doro Pesch & Warlock, Eläkeläiset, Engine of Pain, Feinstein, Grave Digger, Gutbucket, Hobbs Angel of Death, Kotipelto, Mambo Kurt, Mayhem, Methedras, Misery Index, Mnemic, Orphanage, Paragon, Quireboys, Raunchy, The Rods, Satan, Sufferage, Vanguard, Weinhold
• Saturday, August 7
  • After Forever, Anthrax, Bal-Sagoth, Cannibal Corpse, Children of Bodom, Death Angel, Disbelief, Dr. Rock, Ektomorf, Everfest, Griffin, Gun Barrel, Helloween, Hypocrisy, J.B.O., Knorkator, Mystic Prophecy, Nevermore, Onkel Tom, Reckless Tide, Satyricon & Nocturno Culto, Saxon, Schandmaul, Supersoma, Thora, Thunderstone, Unleashed, Voodoma

2005

• Thursday, August 4
  • Candlemass, Doomfoxx, Hatesphere, Mambo Kurt, Oomph!, Nightwish, Tristania
• Friday, August 5
  • Apocalyptica, Bloodbath, Cataract, Contradiction, Corvus Corax, Edguy, Eisregen, Ensiferum, Gorefest, Hanoi Rocks, Illdisposed, Los Los, Machine Head, Marky Ramone, Mercenary, Metal Church, Metalium, Morgana Lefay, Mucc, Naglfar, Obituary, Potentia Animi, Reckless Tide, Saeko, Samael, Sonata Arctica, Suidakra, Teräsbetoni, Turisas, Vanguard, Within Temptation
• Saturday, August 6
  • Accept, Axel Rudi Pell, Count Raven, Dissection, DragonForce, EmKay, Endhammer, Endstille, Equilibrium, Finntroll, Goddess of Desire, HammerFall, Hard Time, Holy Moses, Kreator, Machine Men, Marduk, Mob Rules, Noise Forest, Overkill, Panic Cell, Primordial, Regicide, Sentenced, Stratovarius (surprise act), Suffocation, Torfrock, Unleash the Fury, W:O:A Firefighters, Zyklon

2006

Carnivore performing live in 2006 at W:O:A

• Wednesday, August 2
  • Mambo Kurt
• Thursday, August 3
  • Faster Inferno, Gutlock, Michael Schenker Group, Mortal Sin, Scorpions, Transilvanian Beat Club, Victory
• Friday, August 4
  • Amon Amarth, Battlelore, Born From Pain, Carnivore, Celtic Frost, Children of Bodom, D'espairsRay, Danko Jones, Dezperadoz, Ektomorf, End of Green, Fleshgore, Hellfueled, In Extremo, Korpiklaani, Krypteria, Legion of the Damned, Metal Inquisitor, Ministry, Mystic Circle, Nevermore, Opeth, Primal Fear, Six Feet Under, Soilwork, Vreid, Wintersun
• Saturday, August 5
  • Aborted, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Arch Enemy, Atheist, Bloodthorn, Caliban, Emperor, Fear Factory, Finntroll, Forever Slave, Gamma Ray, Krieger, Lake of Tears, Metal Church, Morbid Angel, Motörhead, Orphaned Land, Rose Tattoo, Soulfly, Subway to Sally, Suidakra, The Dogma, Tourettes, WE, Whitesnake

2007

• Wednesday, August 1
  • Mambo Kurt
• Thursday, August 2
  • All That Remains, Animal Alpha, Blitzkrieg, Electric Eel Shock, Gutbucket, Hatesphere, Letzte Instanz, Maroon, Narziss, Neaera, Rose Tattoo, Overkill, Saxon, Sodom, The Sorrow, Týr
• Friday, August 3
  • Amorphis, The Answer, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Belphegor, The Black Dahlia Murder, Black Majesty, Blind Guardian, Chthonic, Communic, Dimmu Borgir, Drone, Enslaved, Falconer, Fastway, Grave Digger, Iced Earth, J.B.O., Kampfar, Lacuna Coil, Mennen, Napalm Death, Pharao, Possessed, Sabbat, Sahg, Samael, Schandmaul, Suidakra, Therion, Torture Squad, Turbonegro, Volbeat
• Saturday, August 4
  • 1349, Benedictum, Cannibal Corpse, Destruction, Dir en grey, Disillusion, Dimension Zero, Fair to Midland, Haggard, Heaven Shall Burn, Immortal, In Flames, Moonsorrow, Moonspell, Municipal Waste, Norther, Rage & Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Sacred Reich, Secrets of the Moon, Sonic Syndicate, Stormwarrior featuring Kai Hansen, Stratovarius, Subway to Sally, Swallow the Sun, Turisas, Type O Negative, Unheilig, The Vision Bleak, Vital Remains

2008

• Wednesday, July 30
  • Mambo Kurt, Metakilla, Sweet Savage
• Thursday, July 31
  • Airbourne, Alestorm, Avenged Sevenfold, Concept Insomnia, Girlschool, Iron Maiden, Lauren Harris, Leaves' Eyes, Mustasch, Nashville Pussy, Negură Bunget, Sturm und Drang
• Friday, August 1
  • Autumn, Avantasia, Children of Bodom, Corvus Corax, Crematory, Cynic, Destructor, Ensiferum, Excrementory Grindfuckers, Gaahl and King ov Hell (under the name Gorgoroth), Grave, Headhunter, Job For a Cowboy, Kamelot, Massacre, Mortal Sin, Nifelheim, Opeth, Primordial, Psychopunch, Sabaton, Saltatio Mortis, Soilwork, Sonata Arctica, Stam1na, The Fading, The Haunted, The Rotted, Unearth, van Canto
• Saturday, August 2
  • 3 Inches of Blood, As I Lay Dying, At the Gates, Axxis, Before the Dawn, Carcass, Dream of an Opium Eater, Enemy of the Sun, Evocation, Exodus, girugämesh, Hatebreed, Holy Moses, Killswitch Engage, Kreator, Krypteria, Lord Belial, Lordi, Machine Men, Mercenary, Nightwish, Obituary, Powerwolf, Sweet Savage, Stone Gods, The Bones, Torture Squad, Warbringer, Watain

2009

• Wednesday, July 29
  • Bai Bang, Bon Scott, Fejd, Mambo Kurt, Ragnaröek, Tom Angelripper, Victims of Madness
• Thursday, July 30
  • 5th Avenue, Bloodwork, BossHoss, D-A-D, Der W, Drone, Grand Magus, Heaven & Hell, J.B.O., Kingdom Of Sorrow, Lacuna Coil, Reincarnatus, Running Wild (band's last show due to split-up), Schandmaul, Skyline, The Waltons
• Friday, July 31
  • Airbourne, Amon Amarth, ASP, Bring Me the Horizon, Bullet for my Valentine, Coheed and Cambria, Callejón, Doro, DragonForce, Endstille, Epica, Eths, Gamma Ray, HammerFall, In Flames, Insidious Disease, Motörhead, Nervecell, Nevermore, Pentagram (Chilean Band), Retrospect, Sarke, Swashbuckle, Tristania, UFO, Vreid, Walls of Jericho, Whiplash
• Saturday, August 1
  • Axel Rudi Pell, Borknagar, Cathedral, Einherjer, Engel, Enslaved, The Fading, Feuerschwanz, GWAR, Heaven Shall Burn, In Extremo, Kampfar (cancelled), Korpiklaani, Machine Head, Napalm Death, Pain, Rabenschrey, Rage, Saxon, Subway to Sally, Suidakra, Testament, Tracedawn, Torment, Trouble, Turisas, Volbeat, U.K. Subs

2010 (confirmed so far)

• Wednesday, August 4 – Saturday, August 7

Wacken Rocks

2009

Wacken Rocks South

August 27 – August 29, 2009: 9mm, Agathodaimon, Age of Evil, Alestorm, AM/FM, Axxis, Bai Bang, Chrome Molly, Cripper, Debauchery, Der W, Dezperados, Doro, Drone, Edguy, Eisbrecher, Fatal Smile, Feuerschwanz, Five and the Ted One, Flotsam & Jetsam, Freiwild, Girlschool, Grave Digger, Hämatom, Hank III, Heaven Shall Burn, Herman Frank Band, In Extremo, Krypteria, The New Black, Parity Boot, SAHG, Secrets of the Moon, Slayer, Stainless Steel, Stratovarius, Suidakra, Tribe, U.D.O., Volbeat, Warpath

Wacken Rocks Seaside

August 28 – August 30, 2009: Age of Evil, Agathodaimon, Alestorm, Axxis, Bai Bang, Cripper, Debauchery, Der W, Dezperadoz, Dirty Deeds, Doro, Edguy, Eisbrecher, Fatal Smile, Five and the Red One, Flotsam & Jetsam, Freiwild, Girlschool, Hank III, Herman Frank Band, Heaven Shall Burn, In Extremo, J.B.O, Kneipenterroristen, Krypteria, Mob Rules, Ohrenfeindt, Parity Boot, SAHG, Secrets of the Moon, Slayer, Stratovarius, Suidakra, sexy Glitter, Torfrock, Tribe, U.D.O, Victims of Madness, Volbeat, Warpath

See also

• Full Metal Village, a 2007 documentary by Sung Hyung Cho about the village of Wacken and the influence of the festival on it.
• Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, and Global Metal, documentaries by anthropologist Sam Dunn which feature the festival.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wacken Open Air

• Official website
• Festival pictures and review of the festival
• Review of W:O:A 2008
• Review of the Dutch Wacken Metal Battle 2008
• The New Wacken Hymn - We are the metalheads 2 by Excalikurt

Coordinates: 54°01′42″N 9°21′22″E / 54.02833°N 9.35611°E / 54.02833; 9.35611