WACKEN OPEN AIR FIRST TIMER TIPS

When my chance to go to the Holy Land finally came, I found myself searching the wide web for some tips for some Wacken first timer tips. Today, my metal friends, I pass on some of these tips to you.

I may have only been to two Wackens so far, but one was 2023’s unprecedented mudfest, so I feel like that leaves me qualified enough to part wisdom. I won’t be going over the cashless system or bus shuttles, that can all be found easily enough on the Wacken website. Instead I’ll share some other tips to help you have the best Wacken experience. Some may be obvious, but maybe not to all, considering the amount of lost sneakers I found in the mud last year…

TAKE RAIN OR SHINE SERIOUSLY

VERY seriously. This is probably the most important of the Wacken first timer tips. There’s a reason “Rain or Shine” is a slogan for the festival. You’ll either be faced with the most mud you’ve ever seen in your life or the inside of your nostrils will be black from all the dry earth dust. You may even find yourself facing both in the same day! Be prepared of BOTH.

It is known amongst veteran Wackeners to ALWAYS have boots on standby. On the flip side, be prepared for epic sunny hot days with all the summer gear like sunglasses, hats, and sunscreen. You don’t want to be rocking a lobster look after day one.

Don’t forget some warm clothes! “But it’s summer?” you may be thinking to yourself. Sure, the days may be sweaty and sunny, but the evenings cool right down. The last night of my first Wacken I slept in basically everything I brought, including my leather jacket, and was STILL cold.

THERE ARE “INS AND OUTS” AND A TOWN NEARBY

Want to pop by your campsite for an afternoon power nap? Go for it. Need to swing into town for supplies? Sure thing. Just keep in mind depending on where your campsite is and the conditions, a walk to your campsite can take an hour. With that said, I do suggest going back to camp at least once later in the day to switch into “evening attire” as my crew calls it.

The town is also an awesome place that most Wackeners overlook. My partner, who has been to many more Wackens than me, has never been. But my very first year, on an especially hot day, me and a small group made the trek to the pool in town which remains one of my favourite festival memories. The town is also a great place to stock up on supplies, hit up the Wacken store, and have some drinks in the streets.

THERE’S MORE TO WACKEN THAN BANDS

I often see posts on Reddit from festival goers planning to only go one day to see a particular big band. Unless there’s valid reasons you can’t make it for the full festival, GO FOR THE FULL FESTIVAL. Even if you don’t like all the bands playing, there is so much more to Wacken.

From the Wackinger Village (a viking/medieval themed area where you may find knight battles in full armour), to the Wasteland area (which is something out of Mad Max), to the camping plaza (with a wackload of vendors and a farmers market) – there is so much to see and do!

BUT PACE YOURSELF!

With that said – you can only see and do so much! Don’t pack your schedule with every day back to back bands. You’ll be running around like a crazy person and burn yourself out so fast. Pick your must sees and then go with the flow

DON’T JUST GO TO THE MAIN STAGE

The main stages are great of course. That’s where all the headliners play with the two side by side stages and the fiaming Bull Horns. You’ll naturally end up there at least some of the festival. But don’t let that be the only stage you check out. I personally tend to spend a lot of time at the W.E.T, Headbangers and Wasteland stages, the first two hosting the Metal Battle, a giant battle of the bands with acts from all over the world. Worth checking out!

EARPLUGS/FIRST AID KIT

Blisters, scraps, burns. Don’t waste time searching and trekking for medical assistance for simple things a first aid kit can handle. Earplugs are also a necessity, and not just for the music. Wacken does not sleep, but you may want to. The earplugs will help when a giant German sing a long breaks out next to your tent at 5am.

STAY HYDRATED – AND NOT JUST WITH BEER

Anoter obvious but important point. Yes, water may be similarly priced as beer and sure, there may be water in beer, but let’s be smart. I’m guilty of not drinking enough water on a regular day and maybe you won’t get your 8 glasses of H20 while at Wacken (there’s only so much liquid one can hold) but try your best to at least drink some in between the beers.

WASHROOMS AND SHOWERS

Overall the washrooms are clean and stoked, but best have some tissues in your pockets just incase, especially towards the end of the festival. For the showers, expect them to get very busy in the morning, so may be best to have yours outside the prime times. Also note that they’re open locker room style showers, something to keep in mind if you’re shy about nudity. I would suggest packing some flip flops as well cause those floors can get pretty gross.

Another point on cleanliness – BRING BABY WIPES. A lot of them if you can. I’ve been to both a dust and mud Wacken and each time the baby wipes were a blessing for quick cleaning.

BRING SOME FOOD/BOOZE

Though you don’t have to! There is some pretty amazing food at Wacken, especially near the Wackinger stage. From fancy mac and cheese to everyone’s favourite fleish am stuck (meat on a stick), there are loads of options for all dietary needs whether it vegetarian or gluten free. However, eating three meals a day on the festival grounds (and the late night drunk munchies) will definitely hurt your wallet. So it’s best to have some snacks or meals at your campsite. The same goes for booze, though readily available, it’s definitely much more affordable to throw back a couple at your camp.

BRING A BATTERY PACK

This will provide you with at least one solid charge or more depending on how good your pack is. Some lockers/vendors have spots where you can charge your pack up as well for a fee. You likely won’t be doing much doom scrolling at Wacken but it’s nice to be able to take photos of bands and meetup with your friends.

HAVE A DOUBLE TENT PER PERSON

Two people? Four person tent. Four people? Eight person tent. You’ll want that extra space for your stuff, or to have a designated corner for all the muddy clothing. Travelling from abroad? Hit up a Decathlon in Germany for affordable camping gear. My first Wacken I found out my partner had a single person tent for the two of us. He won’t make that mistake again.

You want to make sure your tent is very secure as well. I’ve seen tents being blown away and experienced our own gazebo collapsed as pictured above.

SET UP CAMP AWAY FROM FENCES

Because people, especially drunk ones, will piss there. You don’t want to wake up to the sounds of urine hitting the tent next to your face. You’ve been warned.

HAVE A FUCKING BLAST!

Headbang loads, make friends, drink beer, and enjoy all the beauty that is Wacken Open Air!

For more tips and information be sure to go through the Wacken Official Site. Lots of important information on there to help you have the best Wacken experience.

Also be sure to check out the Wacken Metal Battle! And not just at the festival as well, every year there are a shit ton of shows all over the world where bands compete to play at WOA.

More blog posts to come with Wacken content, including coverage of Wacken 2024!