Wacken Open Air 2003 / Germany

[metal71]

Hello-

l am making my first trip to the Wacken Open Air festival this summer and could use some advice from anyone who's been to the show in the past or who is familiar with the area. I have my tickets and airfare already, but would like to know about area hotels close to the festival site, and what to expect for transportation- train/rental car/bus, etc.... Any useful information would be appreciated! I'd like to learn some of the nearby towns that have hotels so I can find something close. Itzehoe appears to be all booked up already.

Thanks!

PS- This years lineup will include Gamma Ray, Iced Earth, Stratovarius, Nile, etc.... more to be added.

www.wacken.com

 

[Uprisen]

Hotels..?

Noo man you got it all wrong.

What you need is a shitty tent alot of booze and then you´re set.
The camping ground is the place to be.

 

[~UlvedaL~]

Uprisen is right... There are busses from all over the country going to wacken too...

Nile & Malevolent Creation!!! YES!!!
Its gonna rock!

 

[Natasha]

did Wacken this year and they're right!

You have to camp to soak up the complete atmosphere! There's plently of showers and apart from the extreme weather this year camping is fine.

If you don't want to, it's not really worth getting a hire car unless you intend to bring all your food and cook it but good luck trying to find ice to keep your food fresh

They don't believe in ice in Germany

and the local supermarket was a nightmare - I didn't even go in the only time I went past but that was before any bands started.

We bought a small bbq and ended up only using it once during 4 days.

I didn't have time when the bands started - too many great bands to see.
I relied on festival food. The food was freshly cooked and nutritious and most of it was under 5 Euro a meal. Which balances out car hire, equipment, food supplies, etc...

The only annoying thing was the shuttle bus (or lack there of) between Itzehoe and Wacken, but there's plenty of people and things to keep you amused while you wait. But if you get desparate the taxi ride was 25 Euro which can be split between 4 people

Just pray they don't have the heatwave we experienced this year.

Come and join the English Wacken forum (I'm Brat) - there's heaps of information available in past posts.

 

[Kristal]

I went to wacken this year, it was a fucking nightmare, first off
we spent £100 a night in a hotel in Itzehoe, that gave me Food poisoning and that meant i had to spent the friday in hospital on IV, the weather was really shitty, we only seen Immortal because the mud was so bad (we had small children in our group) and couldnt get the buggy through the mud, they changed the band times so we missed loads of bands we wanted to see(they do this every year), even "Rock Hard" magazine said they cannot sponsor Wacken any longer because the way it was so badly organised, if you are a huge power metal fan you will probably like it(Germans dig power metal), but remember Dynamo
festival is back on this year, so Wacken have competition that they havent had the past few years, im not going back this year
we spent about £2000 on that trip alone (having to return home early due to illness and major fuck ups)
before you pay for wacken check out other festivals
Open Hell Fest
PartySan
Dynamo
Summer Breeze
Under A Black Sun(Black Metal)
Euro Rock(??) is that the correct name
thats just some, but there are loads of great Festivals on every year.

 

[Wandrail]

I intend to go overseas sometime in the next year or so...probably or so...but I must decide..Dynamo or Wacken, or Ireland...=/

 

[Natasha]

The playing times changes are always going to happen. Bands are inevitably late and I can't really see people being happy with an empty stage just because the scheduled band hasn't arrived yet

One thing a lot of people at Wacken weren't aware of - the storm that came through Wacken was mild compared to how it Hamburg. Apparently Hamburg airport was closed because of the weather stuffing up all flight schedules.

A major annoucement was made during the festival apologising for time changes, asking for patience and for everyone to check the changed band times at one of many information booths. I didn't miss anyone.

I'm sorry you had such a bad time Krystal! 100 pounds a night at Itzehoe - must have been a 4-5 star? OUCH! But seriously - babies and prams on farm land and a metal festival? Hope your kids were wearing earplugs. I really think had you not been sick, you would have had an awesome time.

I would have loved to go to Summer Breeze this year, but I was already in Europe when Paradise Lost was announced and I couldn't change my travel arrangements. I was in Vienna at the time for Vienna metalfest. Plus before Wacken I went to Pitea dansar o ler (festival in far northern Sweden).

My friend went to both and said that Summer Breeze was awesome but the lack of facilities made it look like a poor man's Wacken.

I was really impressed with the organisation and I really think nobody would be able to do something on that scale any better.

These guys were so organised (this impressed me) the morning after the storm and all the rain, tractors were coming through the whole festival site and major walkways covering the mud with hay! Does that REALLY sound like someone's disorganised?

Funny thing, the organisers have has so much criticism this year, they got a "put your money where you mouth is" competition at the moment offering people an opportunity to become involved. I think RockHard were more annoyed with the fact that this year the organisers could not provide sponsors, media, etc with complimentary food and drinks.

I agree with Krystal make sure you check out all the other summer festivals before you finally decide on Wacken just to make sure you know exactly what you're getting and missing out on.

 

[manuelgv]

I have tried to go to Wacken for two years and I failed miserably so next year I am not even gonna try
I am sure that when I get to go Iced Earth will cancel in the last minute and so will do all my other favorite bands and I'll end up watching bands I hate

 

[Kristal]

Rock Hard were pissed off at the way some of the smaller bands
got treated, also the state of the toilets, the smell of urine was disgusting, also the hay was not a very good idea there is a risk of picking up paracites from hay(someone i know got bitten by "Something"ugh!) Wacken has never got that much bad press as it got this year, i hope they do a better job next year.

Yes it was a 4 star hotel, the hotel Mercure in Itzehoe, dont ever go there, the staff are rude(they pretended they couldnt speak english when we complained about the food poisoning), and the food sucks!

 

[Kristal]

One more point, Wacken has always portrayed themselves as a Festival for everyone including Children(kids under 12 get in free), but they dont provide proper changing areas, also if they did not want family they would not allow children at the festival, they sell childrens "wacken" T Shirts(for toddlers)
they go on sale next year, so i hope they get the priority's right
In the uk they wouldnt get away with half of what they did.

 

[Golden Dragon]

All I have to say was Wacken was incredible was again. 2002 was my third year in a row at Wacken and my first back stage. Yeah, it rained, but who cared the very next day the highly organized Wacken crew rolled out hey to cover the entire mud swamps in front of the stages. Camping is the only way to go, back stage or otherwise. So much fun rambling through the friendly debauchery that takes place between the main stage and your camp ground. I agree with Natasha; the food stands offer outstanding steak sandwiches with sauteed mushrooms and the beer is relatively cheep, cold, and good. I would recommend that you bring water for hang over control. Babies at Wacken do not seem to be a good idea. I will probably bring my son when he is five; he is one now. For now, he can watch Madien Live in Rio. So cheers and enjoy the spetacle that is Wacken!

 

[metal71]

Thanks to all who answered this thread with their bits of wisdom, etc...

As of now, I'm all booked up for the trip, and here's what I got:

- Roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles, CA
- 6 nights in a 4-star hotel in Hamburg
- 6 days rental car
- ticket to the concert

.... all for about $1300 total, thanks to Orbitz, Priceline, and a couple other cool sites with good deals. This way, I travel in style and guarantee a comfortable trip. If I want to stay at the campground instead, I'll do it. Now I have OPTIONS. Much better for an obsessive-compulsive type like myself who will probably want to iron my black concert t-shirts before going out in public... haha!

Thanks again.

 

[Uprisen]

Originally posted by metal71
Much better for an obsessive-compulsive type like myself who will probably want to iron my black concert t-shirts before going out in public... haha!

Thanks again.

lol..

ok man... I´m sure you´ll have a good time!

 

[Grotesque]

Take a look at this.

Bands that they want for wacken 2003

Cradle of Filth
Anthrax
Slayer
Annihilator
ManOwaR (aber schwierig)
Six Feet Under
Sentenced
Death Angel
Iron Maiden
In Flames
Axxis (evtl.)
Freedom Call
Schandmaul (evtl.)
Dark Funeral (evtl.)
Elvenking (evtl.)
Dark Moor (evtl.)
Lordi
Darkthrone !!!!
Soilwork
Black Symphony
Candlemass
Trouble
Malmsteen
TNT

Taken from the wacken forums at
http://www.wacken.com/vforum/showthread.php?threadid=101514

 

[Mocika]

confirmed bands so far:

ASSASSIN
CRADLE OF FILTH
DARK ANGEL
DIAMOND HEAD
DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER
EIDOLON
EXTREME NOISE TERROR
GAMMA RAY
HEAVENSHALLBURN
ICED EARTH
KATAKLYSM
KORDI
MALEVOLENT CREATION
NILE
PRIMAL FEAR
RAGE
RUNNING WILD
SENTENCED
SINNER
STRATOVARIUS
THE ALMIGHTY PUNCHDRUNK
VADER