Wacken Open Air 2025: The World's Largest Metal Swamp - Guns N' Roses 3 hours 42 minutes, Dismantling 6 hours

Photo: Christian Charisius / dpa via AP © 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 

A thick fog-like vapor drifted in front of the stage, and the bass from the speakers shook the sea of mud—on the night of August 3rd, the 34th Wacken Open Air (hereafter W:O:A 2025) concluded with the chant "Rain or Shine." Over 85,000 metalheads unleashed 102 terabytes of mobile data over four days, creating a memorable "mud festival" with roaring sound, but the epilogue was a trial of massive traffic jams.

■ The Last Mosh Covered in Mud

Continuous rain turned the campsite into a rice paddy, and on the final day, 55 tractors were towing vehicles from early morning. Police cracked down on 140 illegal parking cases in just 24 hours, and on National Route 430, which was temporarily closed due to a fire, heads rushing home were stranded. According to an on-site report by SAT.1 REGIONAL, more than 30 tractors from local farmers were dispatched for free. The volunteer farmers laughed together, saying, "This is also part of metal culture," as they sank their tires into the mud and released participants from the "sacred ground."SAT.1 REGIONAL

■ Anger and Resignation Erupt on Social Media

Outside the venue, social media became the "second stage." On Reddit /r/wacken, threads criticizing the event dominated the top spots daily, with comments like "The dream festival was a complete nightmare. Tents sank, and I even felt my life was in danger" and "Complaints on Instagram were blocked by the organizers." One poster shared a photo covered in mud, expressing, "My feet feel like they're going to necrotize," while another user sarcastically described it as a "cocktail of water, mud, and cow dung."Reddit

On Facebook, a lengthy post titled "Nie wieder Wacken (Never Wacken Again)" spread widely. A camper who traveled about 800 km to attend listed complaints such as "No promised power supply, moved locations three times, and only got 'at your own risk' from staff," while the metal community countered with "Don't expect paved roads in a field," causing the comment section to become a battleground.fr.de

■ Legendary Stage and "Longest 3 Hours and 42 Minutes"

Still, fans who remained on-site proudly claim that Guns N' Roses set a festival record with a long set exceeding three hours, concluding the muddy night with a massive sing-along of "Paradise City." The lineup was luxurious, including Papa Roach, Machine Head, Saltatio Mortis, Apocalyptica, BAP, and guest appearances by "Metal Queen" Doro Pesch. During the final night's drone show, the organizers announced the 2026 lineup—Def Leppard, Powerwolf, In Flames, Savatage, Sepultura, and more—and sold out 10,000 venue-exclusive tickets immediately.

■ Infrastructure Challenges and Future Plans

According to Vodafone, this year's data traffic increased by 20% compared to the previous year. While communication held up, the weaknesses in drainage and traffic flow were exposed. On Reddit, a participant claiming to be a civil engineer suggested that shifting the event to June would be more realistic than ground improvement, while long-time repeaters argued that "the mud is Wacken's baptism," leading to a stalemate in the debate.Reddit

There is unofficial information that the organizers are considering new drainage work around the venue, but at present, no official improvement measures have been announced other than the ticket price increase from 333 to 349 euros. Fans are pressuring with the hashtag #DrainTheHolyGround, urging investment in drainage work with the increased ticket revenue.

■ A Place Where "Headbanging" and "Clay" Coexist

In the end, W:O:A is a festival where the "willingness to enjoy inconvenience" is tested. The screams of those who left and the joy of those who stayed. As if the depth of the mud and the thickness of the guitar riffs are proportional, the pros and cons are still not settled. In 2026, when Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me" mixes with the rain of mud, Wacken will once again become the world's largest "metal swamp."