Heavy rain transforms a marshy area into a mucky meadow
The Wacken Open Air festival, a renowned heavy metal event in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, is currently grappling with heavy rain and muddy conditions. Despite these adversities, the festival crew is managing remarkably well, thanks to a combination of infrastructure improvements, local support, and resilience.
To combat the muddy conditions, the festival crew has been laying tons of wood chips to create a solid base, installing a drainage system, and enlisting the help of local farmers who assist with tractors to pull stuck vehicles out of the mud. These measures have helped keep the festival grounds operational, even under challenging weather.
However, extreme conditions have strongly affected attendees at times. In 2023, heavy rain and mud rendered large parts of the grounds inaccessible, leading to the event nearly being canceled and about 235,000 fans being turned away. In 2025, nearly 40 liters of rain per square meter caused extreme muddy conditions again. An improved traffic management concept helped preserve the ground better than in 2023, but some campground exits became difficult to navigate, requiring cooperative efforts among attendees to push vehicles out manually to avoid further damage from tractors. Attendees were advised to drive slowly when leaving and to clean mud from their brakes and engines to prevent vehicle damage.
Despite these challenges, the spirit of the festival remains high. Visitors are not letting the weather dampen their spirits, with one festival-goer reporting that everything is fine under his pavilion, despite the tent being partly wet. Another festival-goer reported that the atmosphere is good and the beer is plentiful.
The festival will continue until Saturday, August 2nd, with Guns N' Roses serving as the headliners for Thursday evening and marking the finale of their European and Middle Eastern tour at the festival.
The German Weather Service (DWD) has stated that the persistent rain at the Wacken Open Air has subsided, but there could still be scattered showers and thunderstorms in the coming days. The DWD expert also mentioned that there could be an additional 5 to 10 liters of water per square meter on the already saturated festival grounds.
The festival organisers are also exploring innovative solutions to tackle the muddy conditions. They have inquired about a project involving mats made of sedges and other moor grasses on a 200-meter-long test stretch in a forest section of the festival. These mats, which consist of sedges and other moor grasses, jute yarn, and coconut fibers for stability on the underside, are intended to generate economic gain from moor and peat protection.
The festival's co-founder, Holger Hübner, has said that they have been lucky in their misfortune, as it could have been worse. Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) and Kiel counterpart Tobias Goldschmidt (Greens) visited the festival to show their support.
Despite the ongoing challenges, the festival teams are working hard to make the playing fields playable, using more than 3,000 cubic meters of wood chips instead of the originally planned 800. Unfortunately, an altercation between a security staff member and a festival attendee resulted in minor injuries to the staff member, prompting a criminal investigation. Another unfortunate incident involved two unknown men reportedly harassing a woman inappropriately, for which the responding officers filed a complaint for sexual harassment.
Despite these incidents, the festival continues to be a testament to the resilience and spirit of heavy metal fans. Tom, a festival-goer, is very optimistic, stating that it can only get better. His friend, Dennis, wants to continue moving from stage to stage, despite the now shining sun. The Wacken Open Air festival remains a unique and unforgettable experience for its attendees, come rain or shine.
- The festival crew has implemented innovative solutions to counteract the muddy conditions, such as laying wood chips, installing drainage systems, and even considering the use of mats made of sedges and other moor grasses for better ground protection in the future.
- The heavy metal event, despite the ongoing challenges, continues to provide an immersive and memorable experience for its attendees, with the spirit of the festival remaining high amidst difficult weather conditions.
- Beyond the music and entertainment, the Wacken Open Air festival also delves into other aspects of lifestyle, with festival organizers exploring sustainable home-and-garden practices, like the use of moor grass and peat protection mats, to improve the festival grounds and minimize environmental impact.
