Sepultura Says ‘Goodbye Germany’ At 35th Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air celebrated a 35th birthday anniversary “one could only wish for,” July 31 – Aug. 2, according to promoters, thanks to stellar weather conditions and a lineup worthy of the occasion.
Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Savatage, Hämatom, In Flames, Powerwolf, Sabaton, and many more played to 85,000 metal heads from all over the world. Running Wild played their very final show ever, and for Sepultura it was the last-ever concert in Germany.
In total, more than 200 acts provided the best metal vibes on the twin stages Harder and Faster, as well as on Wacken Open Air’s other seven stages. Aside from a few showers, the weather offered nothing but sunshine – a special birthday present for a festival that has deal with its fair share of downpours and tempests over the years.
The festival’s own newcomer contest, the Metal Battle, celebrated its biggest edition year, with 31 international bands taking the stage in Wacken for the first time. More than 10,000 bands from 102 countries had applied for this extraordinary opportunity in 2026. In the end, Force from Chile prevailed in both the jury vote and the vote of the metal heads on site. For the first time this year, fans around the world were also able to vote online, giving Sentient Void from the Philippines the win in this category, causing Wacken co-founder Thomas Jensen to say that he was “not worried about the next generation of metal.”
Arrivals to Wacken experienced no major disruptions, partly due to the revised arrival concept introduced in 2026, which allowed fans to pitch their tents on the campsites as early as the Sunday before the festival. Many took advantage of this, and by Wednesday, two thirds of guests had arrived, making the final arrivals over the course of Thursday very relaxed.
Ground panels and coverings laid across more than 100,000 square meters optimized walkways for guests. A 850-meter-long reinforced emergency route which established in cooperation with local authorities, landowners and the festival’s organizers, will become a permanent part of Wacken Open Air.
They all drew an entirely positive conclusion at their joint final press conference: “The weather played along this year, we saw some fantastic and emotional performances, including Judas Priest and Saxon, as well as Sepultura, who played their farewell show in Germany. I even shed a tear or two,” Thomas Jensen admitted.
Holger Hübner added, “Good weather, all good – that is what we say here. In any case, we are incredibly happy – and not only because of the many big performances. There was also plenty happening on the smaller stages, such as the LGH Clubstage at the Landgasthof Wacken. Once again, the booking team had the right instinct at every level.”
André Jürgens, the third Managing Director at WOA Festival GmbH, said, “The atmosphere across the festival grounds over the past few days was consistently positive. The fans really enjoyed celebrating with us! The improvements to the site were also praised throughout, which made us very happy!”
The emergency services were able to report that, despite midsummer temperatures, the situation remained calm. “Our thanks for this go above all to the considerate fans throughout the entire festival,” a promoter statement reads.
At the time of the closing press conference, the number of patient transports to Itzehoe Hospital was around 200 – a similar level to the average in previous years. The fire brigade was also thoroughly satisfied considering such a calm and sunny festival. The number of callouts remained comparatively low. This left enough time to rescue a roe deer that had become lost in the woods.
The responsible for maintaining public order during the event highlighted the consistently well-functioning cooperation with W:O:A and thanked fans and everyone involved for a great anniversary.
Tickets for Wacken Open Air 2027 are on sale. As usual, the Faster Ticket for Wacken Open Air is available as a bundle with a T-shirt for €349 ($402). This offer is limited to 10,000 units. After that, the Harder Ticket will be available for €349 for 14 days or while supplies last, before the final ticket category, Louder, becomes available for €364 ($419).
For the first time, there will be a limited Younger Ticket for 2027 at €279 ($321), reserved for all music and festival fans aged 25 and under. Next year’s dates are July 28-31, 2027.
Electric Callboy will celebrate their Wacken debut after already tearing it up this year with their side project Electric Bassboy. Also joining the line-up are Five Finger Death Punch from the USA, German metal heroes Helloween, Wacken regulars Heaven Shall Burn and power metal band DragonForce, who will play their only European festival appearance of the summer of 2027 at Wacken. The siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale will come with their band Halestorm, while Alissa White-Gluz will bring Blue Medusa. Napalm Death will also return to Wacken, while Belphegor will bring their Sanctus Bestiam Procession to the stage.
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