Faster, harder, louder: What to expect at Wacken

When Thomas Jensen and some of his buddies organized the first metal festival in Wacken in 1990, they couldn't have imagined what it would one day become.

They set up a stage in an old gravel pit near the tiny, 1,800-person village and equipped it with electric generators. Then they invited six German hard rock and metal bands.

Only a few hundred fans showed up for the two-day event - and tickets sold for the equivalent of just six euros (around $6.70). Still, the festival was successful, so they did it all over again the next year.

By 1992, the organizers were able to invite two internationally renowned bands to Wacken - Blind Guardian and Saxon. Some of the 26 acts taking part were from Sweden and the US.

The festival practically exploded - and so did the costs. Although the bands flocking to Wacken were paid little, the ever-growing number of visitors also didn't pay much for their tickets - but left behind huge amounts of trash that was expensive to clean up.

The festival was in the red, but the organizers nevertheless continued to host it. Concerts and events were planned outside the festival, but none of them were profitable. The Wacken Open Air 1993 was financial disaster; the organizer's parents had to back their children out of debt.

And then it turned into a huge success

Some of the founding members decided to quit, while others decided to stick it out - and they made it. For the first time, the fifth Wacken Open Air made some money.

The choice of bands, among them many internationally renowned bands and promising newcomers alike, drew countless metalheads. For the first time, fans were asked to pay to camp at Wacken, so that the cleaning costs could be covered.

Although Jensen and his colleagues still weren't earning anything, they didn't give up.

As the gravel pit was becoming too small, the festival was relocated to the cow pasture of a farmer in Wacken, Uwe Trede, who provided enough space and infrastructure to the quickly-growing festival. He is one of the key members of the W:O:A organizational team to this day.

What started out as an event attended by 10,000 visitors in 1997 grew into a major event within 10 years, with 62,000 fans in 2007. The organizers thought their festival had now reached its maximum size.

But they were wrong, as that incredible number continued to rise to 75,000 spectators, all greeting each other with the "metal greeting" (a fist with an outstretched forefinger and little finger), screaming "Wackeeeeeen!!!" - and swamping that tiny little village in northern Germany.

Rocking numbers

The festival's premises are 250 hectares big - enough space to host Munich's Oktoberfest six times.

The "Infield," the ground in front of the two gigantic main stages, encompasses 43,000 square meters, the size of four soccer fields. The area is surrounded by a 43-kilometer-long fence. The electricity used amounts to 12 megawatt, which would cover the needs of a town of 70,000 inhabitants.

There are 1,600 toilets and urinals, 100 food stands, and 300 more for drinks only. The organizers have never released how many beers are sold during the festival, though they have admitted that it's "a lot."

A total of 500,000 tons of trash is left behind.

It takes seven days to set up the eight stages, and five days to take them down.

Up to 5,000 workers are needed to manage everything, including 1,300 security people, 200 firemen, 750 paramedics and four emergency doctors.

Ear-deafening music

Almost 160 bands perform throughout the festival, doing everything they can to live up to Wacken's motto: "Faster, harder, louder."

All the different types of heavy metal are represented, including middle-age-folk-rock and jazz-metal. The W:O:A is traditionally opened by the Wacken Firefighters - the brass band of the local firemen of Wacken, who do covers of famous rock songs. It's a rather unique experience to witness how a traditional brass band gets a wild horde of heavy metal fans to bang their heads.

The next musical highlight can be expected on the first day of the festival: On Thursday, the metal icons Iron Maiden will be performing, ending their world tour through 36 countries. At the W:O:A, they are likely to make 75,000 fans scream the loudest, right after the concerts other hard rock big names such as Saxon, Foreigner and Whitesnake.

Bullett for my Valentine, Blind Guardian, Die Krupps are among the bands performing on Friday. The death metal band Overthrust, from Botswana, is also on the lineup that day - expect an upcoming portrait from DW on that band.

Metal Church, Steel Panther and Twisted Sister are set to play on Saturday.

The Wacken Metal Battle is also a potential springboard for 28 newcomers from all over the world. The final round of the contest takes place on August 3 and 4. DW's PopXport will present the five winners.