{"id":561793,"date":"2026-07-27T12:04:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/561793\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T12:04:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:04:12","slug":"how-did-wacken-start-the-story-behind-the-worlds-biggest-metal-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/561793\/","title":{"rendered":"How did Wacken start? The story behind the world’s biggest metal festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, Wacken Open Air, the world’s biggest dedicated metal festival, will descend upon the Schleswig-Holstein region of Northern Germany for four days of heavy metal<\/a> heaven, celebrating its 35th anniversary with a lineup boasting over 150 bands. With headliners Def Leppard, Judas Priest and Sabaton overseeing a stacked bill, the festival announced a total sell-out last week, meaning 85,000+ metalheads will be let loose on the fesitval’s (un)holy grounds. Last year, Metal Hammer spoke to Wacken co-founder Thomas Jensen about how the idea for a fun local festival for friends ended up becoming one of the biggest annual events in the metal calendar. <\/p>\n

When Thomas Jensen co-founded Wacken Festival in 1990, the idea was simple. Book a few bands, get some beers in, and invite some mates to have the time of their lives. Thirty-five years later, the idea is still the same, except those \u2018mates\u2019 have ballooned to 85,000 metal fans.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s pretty crazy,\u201d he admits, bristling with pride. \u201cI can\u2019t believe how much it\u2019s grown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Latest Videos From Louder<\/p>\n

Growing up, Thomas became obsessed with legendary performances. Queen<\/a> at Wembley Stadium; Led Zeppelin<\/a> at Knebworth; Mot\u00f6rhead<\/a> at Hammersmith. But the chances of anything like that coming to his hometown \u2013 Wacken, a small village about an hour\u2019s drive north of Hamburg \u2013 were slim to none.<\/p>\n

So, in 1988, Thomas flew out to Donington to attend Monsters Of Rock. Headlined by Iron Maiden<\/a> and Kiss<\/a>, the iconic festival only cemented Thomas\u2019s ambitions to bring the music he loved to his hometown.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was incredible,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cDuring [David Lee] Roth\u2019s set, you could see Maiden building their set and it looked amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t believe how much it\u2019s grown<\/p>\n

Thomas Jensen<\/p>\n

A year later, Thomas and co-founder Holger H\u00fcbner started making plans to host an event. The inaugural Wacken, held on August 24-25, 1990, had just six bands \u2013 mostly local \u2013 and attracted 800 people. This year\u2019s four-day bill in July\/August will be headlined by Guns N\u2019 Roses<\/a>, Machine Head<\/a>, Gojira<\/a> and Papa Roach<\/a>, with a crowd of 85,000.<\/p>\n

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The festival might attract seasoned headliners, but Thomas also wants to give established bands a chance to step up. Last year, they showed they were ahead of the curve by getting Korn to headline<\/a> (they close Download and top the bill at Hellfest this year). Now, Papa Roach will be the next nu metal<\/a> stars to get the bump up to headliner status in the 2020s.<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa Roach is a great one for us,\u201d Thomas says. \u201cThe team have been wanting them for a long time, so we\u2019re really happy that they\u2019re finally confirmed. We also got Gojira before they\u2019d even got the invite for the Olympics. I had no idea they were doing it; I\u2019d been doing interviews, and had the TV on with a cup of tea and the sound off. All of a sudden I saw this strange thing \u2013 \u2018Hey, that looks like a metal band\u2026 Holy shit, Gojira at the Olympics!\u2019 I had to crank up the volume. I think it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Jinjer\n<\/p>\n

Wacken has helped bands like Jinjer grow their audiences across Europe (Image credit: Gina Wetzler\/Redferns via Getty)<\/p>\n

Over the last three decades, many bands have risen through Wacken\u2019s ranks. Amon Amarth first played the festival in 1999 on one of the small stages. Last year, they headlined to the sight of 85,000 fans rowing in a field. When Jinjer played in 2019, their early morning slot opening the Louder stage attracted an enormous crowd that confirmed the colossal buzz around the Ukrainian band. They returned in 2023 to an even bigger crowd on one of the festival\u2019s two main stages.<\/p>\n

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In 2004, Wacken established the Metal Battle, which invites bands from around the world to compete and earn a chance to play at the festival. And with eight stages plus sideshow entertainment, there are many other international acts in the mix \u2013 Indian nu metallers Bloodywood planned their first overseas tour around a set there in 2019.<\/p>\n

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\"Fans\n<\/p>\n

Fans come from all over the world for Europe’s biggest metal fest (Image credit: Didier Messens\/Redferns via Getty)<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s our duty; to push the boundaries a bit,\u201d Thomas says. \u201cThis year we\u2019ve got Hanabie coming from Japan, Skynd coming from Australia. If you\u2019d told me we would get these kinds of bands in 1990\u2026 It\u2019s great just how diverse the scene is now. The beauty of a festival is being able to put all those kinds of bands together and have people discover new things as they walk by a stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wacken site is now so large, it also takes over the neighbouring villages of Gribbohm, Bokelrehm and Holstenniendorf. It includes a post-apocalyptic-themed area called the Wasteland \u2013 complete with performers in Mad Max-style gear called the Wasteland Warriors \u2013 and a medieval village called Wackinger. There\u2019s a farmer\u2019s market, an outdoor swimming pool and a full metal church.<\/p>\n

As Wacken\u2019s profile has grown, multiple documentaries have been made \u2013 and screened \u2013 at the festival. Meanwhile, the 2024 metal comedy Heavier Trip is all about the protagonists\u2019 journey to play there.<\/p>\n

Thomas has seen the scene weather ups and downs, with interest in metal rising and falling \u2013 but he\u2019s excited about the state it\u2019s in at the moment. With bands such as Sleep Token and Ghost landing No.1 albums, there\u2019s an influx of fans.<\/p>\n

Things are so much healthier now for the metal scene<\/p>\n

Thomas Jensen<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of great festivals out there now, and I\u2019m glad to see the development of places like Bloodstock or even some of the smaller independent festivals,\u201d he says. \u201cI remember when I managed Saxon [Thomas looked after the NWOBHM legends from 2000- 2016], we\u2019d only be able to put on shows in Wolverhampton and London, that\u2019d pretty much be it. Things are so much healthier now for the metal scene than at the beginning of the century, let\u2019s put it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next summer, Wacken celebrates its 35th birthday, having missed a couple of years to Covid. According to Thomas, it\u2019ll be the biggest one yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be great,\u201d Thomas says with a smile. \u201cThe whole point of the festival was to put on a party with our mates and listen to the music we love \u2013 and we\u2019re still doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wacken Open Air 2026 takes place from July 29 to August 1. For the full line-up, visit the official Wacken Open Air Website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wacken 2015 | Metal Hammer – YouTube
\n\"Wacken<\/p>\n

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