Wacken Open Air 2023 made history, before the festival even began. Due to extreme weather conditions, festival organisers have announced a total admission stop. Shortly before the festival was set to begin on August 2nd tens of thousands of metal fans were told they won't be admitted to the festival grounds and to stop any travel towards the festival grounds due to reaching "reasonable capacity" in current weather conditions. Only around one third of the 85,000 ticket holders made it onto the festival grounds before the admission stop.


How did Wacken turn from a modest festival with 800 visitors into one of the biggest metal festivals in the world? On this episode of Arts Unveiled, we'll take you on an enthralling adventure through the origins, growth, and enduring legacy of one of the world's most legendary metal festivals.

We take a look back at Wacken's humble beginnings,when it was just a small gathering of metal enthusiasts in a quaint German village. This shared passion for heavy metal would go on give birth to the global phenomenon as we know it today.

The metal gathering has grown quite the reputation despite hurdles over the year and the sense of camaraderie and belonging that has become the festival's hallmark. On this episode of Arts Unveiled, we'll take you to the mecca of metal!

00:00 intro
00:53 Early history of Wacken
02:38 Wacken's rocky road to success
04:50 The music of Wacken
06:46 The Wacken community - A big Heavy metal family
08:22 The infrastructure of Wacken
09:23 The special connection between Wacken, the village and it's residents
11:34 Conclusion


#dwhistoryandculture #wackenopenair #woa2023
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