Heavy rain transforms a bog into a murky, muddy area
Wacken Open Air Festival Faces Unsettled Weather
The Wacken Open Air Festival, currently underway in northern Germany, is facing an unsettled weather forecast for the remainder of the event, with a mix of sunshine, clouds, and intermittent downpours expected.
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), persistent rain has stopped, but isolated showers and thunderstorms are still possible in the coming days. Between 5 to 10 liters of water per square meter could still fall on the already saturated festival grounds, potentially resulting in cool, wet, muddy weather conditions. Heavy rain events, such as thunderstorms, occurred at the start of the festival and may continue with volumes around 20 liters per square meter or more on some days.
Despite the challenging weather conditions, festival-goers are braving the mud as part of the typical Wacken experience. Early safety measures included temporary evacuations during severe thunderstorms, demonstrating the staff's responsiveness to ensure attendee safety. The festival infrastructure likely includes drainage and ground management practices typical for large events, although specific operational details were not outlined in the sources. The festival team also provides continuous live updates on weather and conditions for attendees to stay informed.
Large areas of the festival site are muddy or have turned into sludge, but the festival crew is working hard to make the performance areas playable. The weather has presented a "real stress test" for the experimental mats made of sedges, moor grasses, jute yarn, and coconut fibers, which were introduced as part of a project at the festival. Elena Zydek, the project leader of "Klimafarm" at the Foundation for Nature Conservation, stated that the rain was a test for the mats' effectiveness in managing the festival's environmental impact.
The Wacken Open Air festival continues until Saturday, August 2nd, with Guns N' Roses headlining on Thursday evening, marking the conclusion of their Europe and Middle East tour. Other expected bands include Gojira, Papa Roach, Machine Head, Saltatio Mortis, Apocalyptica, and Michael Schenker.
Despite the challenging weather conditions, the visitors of the Wacken Open Air are not letting the weather dampen their spirits. However, there have been incidents of harassment, with two unknown men reportedly harassing a woman in an indecent manner, resulting in a complaint for sexual harassment. Additionally, a security staff member sustained minor injuries during an altercation with a festival attendee on late Wednesday evening, leading to a criminal investigation for bodily harm.
Despite these incidents, the mood remains mostly peaceful, with the police having little to do in the night. Furthermore, more than 3,000 cubic meters of wood chips are being used instead of the planned 800, and there is plenty of beer available at the festival. Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) and his Kiel counterpart Tobias Goldschmidt (Greens) also visited the Wacken Open Air festival.
Festival attendees are adapting their outdoor-living and home-and-garden lifestyle to cope with the cool, wet, muddy weather conditions due to the unsettled weather forecast at the Wacken Open Air Festival. The German Weather Service predicts the possibility of isolated showers, thunderstorms, and up to 10 liters of rain per square meter in the coming days, potentially making the festival grounds even more challenging.
