Wacken Open Air 2023
Complete ban on entry imposed
Massive rain has turned the grounds of the Wacken Open Air into a field of mud.
© imago/Dirk Jacobs
The Wacken organizers have brought about a complete ban on admission. It is not yet clear how many visitors are on the site.
Now there is certainty: The heavy metal festival in Wacken has imposed an immediate and complete admission ban for visitors due to the heavy rain and the associated masses of mud on site. The organizers announced this early Wednesday morning via Facebook, among other things. It states that the capacity limit has been reached. “Due to the weather, the acceptable number of visitors for the Wacken Open Air 2023 was reached,” it says there.
Any further arrival must be stopped and aborted. For the first time in the history of the cult festival, this decision had to be made: “We are very sad, but unfortunately the persistently difficult weather conditions leave us no other choice.” An arrival stop for cars was already imposed yesterday due to the condition of the access roads and the camping areas. How to deal with the purchased tickets is currently still being clarified, it says in a Q&A on the homepage.
Wacken Open Air 2023 starts on Wednesday morning
It is not yet known how many visitors are already on the site. Around 85,000 tickets were actually sold. The biggest heavy metal festival in the world starts on Wednesday afternoon. Among other things, concerts by cult bands such as Iron Maiden, Megadeth or Kreator are expected there.