Wacken Open Air | VIP Tickets & Info

The artists of the Wacken Open Air 2026

Wacken Open Air 2026 is celebrating its 35th anniversary - and the line-up is correspondingly impressive. Headliners Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Sabaton and Powerwolf are on the program, complemented by Airbourne, Black Label Society, In Flames, Lamb Of God, Saxon and Sepultura.

Sepultura's performance carries a special emotional significance - it is part of their final farewell tour. The festival also offers highlights away from the big stages: Jazz Sabbath, the project of Adam Wakeman, keyboardist of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne, will be presented exclusively as part of The Pit, transforming the greatest Sabbath classics into something completely unexpected.

The 2026 line-up reflects what has always characterized Wacken: the diversity of heavy metal in all its facets - from the catchy hooklines of Def Leppard to the icy symphonies of Emperor.

The history of the Wacken Open Air - from cow pasture to metal mecca

In August 1990, a few hundred visitors celebrated an open air festival in a field in the middle of nowhere in Schleswig-Holstein - the idea came from two twenty-somethings: Thomas Jensen and Holger Hübner, genuine heavy metal fans, who set up a festival in a village of 1,900 souls of all places. Six local bands performed in front of 800 visitors in a paddock belonging to Wacken farmer Uwe Trede - the ticket price: twelve marks.

The following years were not without hurdles - including financial bottlenecks and personal setbacks - but Jensen and Hübner persevered. Today, around 75,000 visitors from 80 countries make their way to the heavy metal pilgrimage site every year. In 2019, the two founders were awarded the Order of Merit of the State of Schleswig-Holstein - for their work in making Wacken the world capital of heavy metal.