Party on — the legendary slogan from Wayne’s World (‘Party time! Excellent!’) was chosen as the motto for the sold‑out Wacken Open Air 2026.

Wacken’s 35th anniversary delivered what we all deserved; sun, heat, and zero mud. The north of Germany may usually be cooler, but even here temperatures climbed above 30°C. The free W:O:A drinking pouches, water stations, and sunscreen were really practical. More shine than rain and the glorious feeling of leaving the rubber boots untouched.

Wacken welcome and photo spot on the street to Wacken

Wacken news and upgrades

Wacken improves every year, and 2026 was no exception. The Welcome to the Jungle stage, famous for its legendary Mambo Kurt preparties and aftershow DJs, moved closer to the entrance. A huge tent now covers the area, offering shade, shelter, and actual seating. Smart move: less walking from the Infield, more comfort, and more space to dance (headbang, obviously). The old location kept its pavilion and transformed into a shaded food court. The Wasteland Warriors moved entirely to the right of Wackinger, finally reducing walkway congestion and giving their performances more room.

New Welcome to the Jungle Stage with tent featuring mascot Mambo Kurt

New roads, improved emergency access, 65 km of temporary fencing, and the legendary 1.2 km beer pipeline kept everything running smoothly. Both Residenz Evil Glamping, Moshtel container and the Wacken United Camp area appeared bigger, attracting an elderly crowd matching the 80s bands by providing more comfort. New LED string lights made navigating the camps easier at night.

The sun was shining everywhere!

Music Time — Let’s Go!

This year’s headliners were far from ordinary as 2026 featured several specialty shows. With more than 200 bands on nine stages, it’s impossible to see everything. But here’s what stood out:

Infield Opening

Wednesday Highlights

Lovebites? “Love Bites” is also a famous 1987 song from Def Leppard (note from aptgo: “Hysteria”, baby!). However, these Japanese females opened the infield shows on the “Faster” stage. Dressed in elegant white gowns, the five power‑metal musicians from Tokyo create a striking visual identity in a market dominated by black. Don’t be fooled by the fancy outfits: the riffs are razor sharp, the sound crystal clear, and the show absolutely professional.

Then there was the controversy regarding Electric Bassboy: Is Techno Metal suitable for the main stage, or not Metal enough for Wacken? But then again, with 9 stages, if you don’t like a band, chances are that you will find an alternative on any of the other stages.  Electric Bassboy delivered pure chaos: techno beats, metalcore breakdowns, German comedy, pyro, and nonstop jumping. The crowd loved it. Moshpits didn’t care about genre purity — they cared about fun. In 2027, it will be taken to the next level when they return as their alter ego, Electric Callboy.

Electric Bassboy crowdsurfing

Featuring former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans, Rose Tattoo brought 50 years of rock history to Wacken. As close as Wacken has ever gotten to AC/DC — since AC/DC still haven’t played the Holy Ground. Neither has Metallica, and yes, the promoters have tried. This was “One last Ride”.

Rose Tattoo

Thursday Highlights

Skyline — the reason Wacken exists — played the Faster stage as tradition demands. No Doro this year, which surprised everyone, but Alissa White‑Gluz stepped in and delivered a powerful guest appearance alongside Danish singer Dan Hougesen.

Skyline featuring Alissa White-Gluz

With his prominent sideburns and passive stage presence, Yngwie Malmsteen (Sweden)was almost unrecognizable. He had technical issues and the LED backdrop failed. His four‑man setup looked small and a bit cramped on the massive stage between the Marshall towers. And while his brilliance is something guitar players appreciate most, the show felt visually lost.

Yngwie Malmsteen

Joey Tempest of Europe (Sweden) still has charisma and vocal strength at 62. The crowd loved every second of the 80s nostalgia — especially “The Final Countdown”.

Europe

Savatage (USA) were last seen in Wacken with TSO in 2015 during the legendary dual‑stage performance in pouring rain. This time, Jon Oliva wasn’t present due to health issues, but appeared on screen playing “Believe” before the band took over live. Other classic hits included “Hall of the Mountain King”, “Gutter Ballet” and “Edge of Thorns”.

Savatage

As the mighty Def Leppard (UK) had never played Wacken, it was about time! The five Brits enjoyed their gig despite a bit of rain at the beginning of their set. But for trained Wackeners, it was just a passing sprinkle, so the infield remained packed.

Def Leppard

Set list: Remember their hits? Animal, Let’s Get Rocked, Bringin’ On the Heartbreak, Rocket, Armageddon It, Rock of Ages, Photograph, Hysteria, the famous Love Bites as well as the encore “Pour Some Sugar on Me”.

The famous Wacken bullhead burning for the headliners and the LED on main stages

Friday Highlights

If you saw masses dressed in paper hazmat suits carrying toilet brushes, plungers and toilet paper to the infield: That was Gutalax (Czech Republic). Goregrind, pig‑scream vocals, R‑rated toilet humor, and absurd moshpits. Comedy or chaos? Both. Definitely not for the faint hearted!

Gutalax Moshpit

On to real music: Chaosbay (Germany)! Finest uprising prog Metalcore/Djent from Berlin playing on the Wasteland Stage. Melodies, growls, sometimes poppy with electronic elements, but very heavy altogether. A mix of clean vocals and modem metal screams. Very unique — absolutely worth checking out.

Chaosbay

Watching a heavily bearded Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society (USA) and his tower of human skulls (this idea is clearly stolen from the Aghori tradition in India) on the microphone stand, one would not expect him to make the Christian sign of the cross several times. As Germans are particularly sensitive when you shove your religion down someone else’s throat: Dude, metal is for everyone, better leave your religion at home! It was frustrating to watch, and it overshadowed what was otherwise a powerful show.

Zakk Wylde

It was In Flames’ fourth prime‑time 90‑minute show on the Faster stage. High energy, tight performance. Still unclear why Sepultura didn’t get this slot.

In Flames

The first headliner of the night was no other than the Metal God himself: Rob Halford and Judas Priest (UK) were rocking the “Harder” stage. After being blown away by KK’s Priest in 2025—especially Tim “Ripper” Owens and his absolutely wild vocal range hitting every note—their gig ended up being my personal Wacken highlight that year. At 74, Rob Halford simply can’t deliver at that level anymore. Still, it’s not an either/or situation. His 2026 performance was solid, and we can enjoy our favorite Priest classics like “Painkiller” and “Breaking the Law” in both versions. What stood out most was that Rob seemed noticeably more motivated than at the last few shows I’ve attended. And just as I wrote in my 2022 article, I’ll once again highly recommend his brutally honest autobiography “Confess”, where he shares his life story as a gay man in the world of Heavy Metal with remarkable openness.

Rob Halford

Judas Priest

After releasing 17 studio albums during their career that started in 1979, Running Wild (Germany) played their last ever show. Referring to their music as Pirate Metal, singer Rolf Kasparek presented their successful tune “Under Jolly Roger” one last time.

Running Wild

And yet another goodbye: Sepultura from Brasil played their last ever German show. Late after midnight slot, cool night, tired legs — but the crowd stayed for a show full of Brazilian drumming. After 42 years, guitar player Andreas Kisser mentioned that in their entire career, Sepultura had been playing more shows in Germany than their home country.

Derrick Green

Andreas Kisser

Andreas Kisser

Sepultura

Saturday Highlights

Crimson Glory (USA) have been around since the 80s — and that legacy was unmistakable at Wacken. The guitarists, bassist, and drummer are still founding members, and you can feel that classic 80s prog‑metal DNA in every riff. After the departure and death of Midnight, Todd La Torre stepped in for a while before moving on to Queensrÿche. In late 2023, Travis Wills was announced as the new vocalist, and he fits the band’s signature high‑pitched prog style perfectly. For the Wacken show, Stian Kristofferson of Pagan’s Mind (still waiting for the day for them to play Wacken!) filled in for Dana Burnell on drums. Their latest album, “Chasing the Hydra”(released April 2026), is absolutely worth checking out — unmistakably Crimson Glory, but with modern production and fresh energy.

Crimson Glory

Travis Willis

After Warrel Dane passed away from a heart attack in 2017, many fans thought Nevermore (USA)was gone for good. But founding members Jeff Loomis (lead guitar) and Van Williams (drums) rebuilt the band with new musicians — and the result is surprisingly strong. They added Turkish vocalist Berzan Oenen, 23‑year‑old guitarist Jack Cattoi, and bassist Semir Oezerkan, also originally from Turkey, who somehow ended up playing in his all‑time favorite band. And it definitely showed! The vocals were fierce, the band tight, and the energy on stage felt like a rebirth rather than a nostalgia act.

Nevermore

Shortly after, Hardline (USA) took over the W.E.T. stage. Johnny Gioeli is the only original member left, but his voice still carries the entire AOR vibe effortlessly. Keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio— known from Vanden Plas, Jorn, Jeff Scott Soto, Edge of Forever and more — added his usual professional touch. Musically, it was pure 80s‑style AOR: melodic, warm, and a nice contrast to the heavier acts of the day.

Hardline with keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio and singer Johnny Gioeli

Australians Airborne played their fourth show on the main stage. High‑energy rock’n’roll, beer‑fueled riffs, and exactly the kind of sweaty, loud fun you expect from them.

Airborne

We don’t know if Alissa White-Gluz had departed after her cameo with Skyline and Bear McCreary on Friday to make room for Arch Enemy (Sweden) with the new singer Lauren Hart. Competing with Alissa’s stage presence is nearly impossible — she’s a visual powerhouse — but vocally, the growling style is similar enough that the transition felt natural. The band was tight, the production polished, and the crowd accepted the new lineup.

Lauren Hart of Arch Enemy

As part of their “Wake Up the Wicked” tour, Powerwolf (Transylvania? Ha, almost! — They are actually from Germany) returned to Wacken for the seventh time. Romanian opera singer Attila Dorn knows exactly how to command his followers, turning the entire infield into a theatrical mass full of werewolf and vampire horror stories. Big choirs, gothic drama, pyro, organ sounds — classic Powerwolf, and the dedicated fanbase loved every second.

Powerwolf

Closing out the festival were Sabaton (Sweden) with their power‑metal hymns about wars and battles. Huge production, massive fire effects, and a crowd that still had enough energy left to shout along after four days of heat and headbanging.

Sabaton

Safety and numbers

Wacken’s dimensions are just incredible. The entire festival is built on farmland — literally nothing exists until Wacken builds it, and everything is taken down again afterward. The village itself has about 2100 residents, but once the festival begins, it transforms into a temporary metal metropolis. With 85,000 fans, 5000 Wacken staff, 800 police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency doctors, plus 1800 security staff and countless vendors, the infrastructure is massive. For one week, around 100,000 people form the third‑largest city in Schleswig‑Holstein. All of it built from scratch. Every year!

Press Conference

At the press conference, police emphasized how peaceful Wacken is — fewer incidents than at any carnival or public event. A few illegal drones were confiscated, and the operators can expect hefty fines. The sweetest moment: everyone cheered when police announced that a deer lost in the nearby woods had been safely rescued.

Metal Battle

Home of Metal Battle: Bullhead City

Bullhead City, home of the W.E.T. and Headbanger’s stages, hosted the Metal Battle, Wacken’s way of ensuring the future of heavy metal. As our beloved bands and crowds get older, new talent needs a stage, and Wacken delivers.

This year, 31 bands from around the world performed 20‑minute sets, competing to reach the top five. More than 10,000 bands from 102 countries applied — an insane number that shows how global the metal community truly is. I See Red, a melodic death metal band from Athens, represented Greece with a strong performance.

I See Red, Metal Battle contestants for Greece.

The Metal Battle winners were Force from Chile who managed to win both the jury vote and the online vote. Promoter Thomas Jensen has “absolutely no worries about the future of metal.”

Force from Chile, Metal Battle Winners

Metalheads! A commercial break for Bangalore Open Air 😉

Fun fact: The Head of Wacken Metal Battle, Salman, also happens to be the promoter for Bangalore Open Air in India. Check out B:O:A’s official website for the 2026 edition coming up on October 10, featuring Carcass, Paradise Lost, 1349 and many more. And yes, powered by the mighty W:O:A! How about mixing a trip to Goa with a Heavy Metal vacation?

Click here to read about my last year’s exciting 5 star Heavy Metal trip to India!

Beer controversy a.k.a. Beergate 😉

Germans are famously proud of their beer purity law from 1516, which allows only barley, water, hops, and yeast. And yes, foreign beers often give you headaches — we all know it.

So when Wacken switched to Anheuser Busch (AB) as the main beer provider, fans were not amused. AB is known for the American Budweiser, but Thomas Jensen clarified that the Wacken beer is brewed in Belgium, not the US. Still, the change to a foreign beer caused protests before, during, and long after the festival.

Tasty German Wacken beer, in cans only outside the infield

The contract lasts five years, but since AB owns Beck’s, which used to be served at Wacken for many years and is currently sold in supermarkets all over Germany in fancy red collectible Wacken cans, maybe management will listen and bring back German beer….faster, harder, louder and tastier! The promoters claimed beer sales increased, but let’s be honest: with temperatures above 30°C, people were drinking more because they were thirsty, not because the beer tasted better.

Wacken 2026 Infield Main Stages

Wacken 2027: Rain or Shine!

The 36^th Wacken Open Air takes place from July 28 until July 31, 2027.

The following bands have been confirmed so far (in alphabetic order):
Avatar, Beast in Black, Belphegor, Between Two Worlds, Blue Medusa, Carnifex, Cavalera Conspiracy, Children of Bodom, Creeper, Crypta, Dark Tranquility, Dethklok, DragonForce, Edguy, Electric Callboy, Feuerschwanz, Five Finger Death Punch, Gaerea, Halestorm, Hammerfall, Heaven Shall Burn, Heavens Gate, Helloween, Hiraes, Imminence, Jinjer, John 5, John Bush (Anthrax Show), Kanonenfieber, Knocked Loose, Make Them Suffer, Malevolence, Metal Church, Mittel Alta, Napalm Death, Norther, Overkill, Primordial, Seven Blood, Shadow of Intent, Sylosis, Tailgunner, The Browning, The Narrator, The New Roses, Towards the Sinister, Tyketto, U.D.O., Victorious, Witch Club Satan.

Tickets are 349 € or 364 €, depending on how fast you are. Check out www.metaltix.com and www.wacken.com for your Faster, Harder and Louder experience! Hurry as the festival sells out every year!

Words & Photos by Äfa Angelhardt

Except photos of:

Force (Chile Metal Battle Winners), Electric Bassboy, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Rose Tattoo, Airborne, Arch Enemy, Powerwolf, Sabaton, Gutalax; photo courtesy of W:O:A Festival GmbH.

Bangalore Open Air banner: photo courtesy of Bangalore Open Air Pvt Ltd. 

I See Red from Greece: photo courtesy of I See Red via Wacken metal-battle.com.