Nova Rock Sells Out

It’s known for consistently doing good business but this year’s Nova Rock Festival in Austria peaked by recording its first sellout since 2007.

The event started in 2005 and has sold out three times, making it one of the fastest-developing festivals on the European mainland.

It’s pulled crowds greater than 50,000 per day for the last four years, but this year there were 176,000 across three days at Nickelsdorf, a small town on the Hungarian border.

This year the weather was kinder, a big plus for a festival that’s also known for being wet.

In 2009 there were nearly 55,000 on site when Metallica headlined the opening night, only for a storm to turn the grounds into a mudbath in a matter of hours.

Last year a 20-minute storm stopped Joan Jett’s set and delayed the start of Green Day.

The acts basking in some Austrian sunshine June 11-13 included Iron Maiden, System Of A Down, Volbeat, Social Distortion, Pendulum and Linkin Park.