2023-08-01 18:51:00
Rain, mud and traffic jams have hampered the journey of thousands to the heavy metal open air Wacken (W:O:A) in northern Germany and in some cases even stopped it Campsites are not passable. On Tuesday evening they then declared a complete “final arrival stop” for festival visitors with vehicles.
“We are very sad to have to make this difficult decision – for the first time in the history of the W:O:A”, they said. Due to the heavy rain of the past 24 hours and the poor condition of the camping and event areas and the access routes, no more vehicles might be allowed onto the site.
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Legend: A metal fan rides his e-mountain bike on the muddy festival site. KEYSTONE/DPA/Christian Charisius
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Caption: A view of the festival grounds: mud as far as the eye can see. Citynewsv/dpa
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Legend: A tractor pulls a visitor’s car in the direction of the campsite. KEYSTONE/DPA/Christian Charisius
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Legend: They don’t let their spirits spoil: metal fans with their vehicles stuck in traffic. KEYSTONE/DPA/Christian Charisius
“That’s why all metalheads in motor vehicles of all kinds are required to break off their journey to Wacken or not to start at all. This applies until the end of the festival.» However, attempts are being made to bring vehicles that are already in the immediate vicinity of the festival site onto the site. The night before, some had moved to the square at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.
The organizers did not initially announce how many of the 85,000 expected visitors were already there. According to the organizer, information on how to deal with the tickets, which cost almost 300 euros, should follow as soon as possible.
40 liters per square meter of rain
Tuesday is considered one of the main arrival days, and the festival officially begins on Wednesday. Nevertheless, several campsites around the festival were already well occupied by Tuesday followingnoon.
Legend: The Wacken Open-Air from August 2nd to 5th is considered the largest heavy metal festival in the world and is sold out this year. KEYSTONE/DPA/Christian Charisius
The paths in between consisted partly of deep mud. According to the police, long traffic jams formed on the access roads, especially from Autobahn 23.
The organizers announced at noon that the areas might not have been occupied quickly enough due to the “persistently difficult weather conditions with rainfall of around 40 liters per square meter in the last 24 hours” and the resulting condition of the camping and event areas as well as the access roads. “Unfortunately, according to the meteorologists present on site, massive rain and possible thunderstorms can be expected at any time and continuously.”
With a beer on the side of the road
Cars with W:O:A signs on the rear windows stood in lines stretching for kilometers. It was also jammed on many dirt roads. Some metal fans got camping chairs out of their stuck cars and sat down on the side of the road in a good mood and armed with beer. Other fans vented their displeasure on the festival’s Instagram page and demanded planning updates from the organizer.
A total of more than 200 concerts on nine stages are planned. The British band Iron Maiden is at Wacken for the fourth time. Acts like Megadeth, Helloween and Doro Pesch are also expected.
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