Going to Wacken Alone (as a Woman)

[Tuvya]

Greetings,

I am hoping to attend Wacken this year, but am not certain that I will be able to make it happen.

That said, I have a question.

People around me seem to react in a similar way: "Alone? Traveling? FESTIVAL? You're a girl! You're going to get mugged! You're going to get raped! You're going to get killed!"
The above is very overblown on their part, quite demeaning, and typically garners a laugh and reassurance from myself. The majority of metalheads that I have encountered have all been such good-natured, helpful people.

I do, however, want to know if truth, in any form, stands genuine. What should I anticipate? I would be a foreigner (U.S. American), near doubtlessly alone, with little (but growing) knowledge of the German language, and with little festival experience attending something of such magnitude as Wacken.
If I camped, would I have to worry about being targeted for theft? Would I have to worry about unwanted attention, harassment, or-- another of their concerns-- awaking to a drunk passed out beside me in my tent?

I am not distressed, merely curious.

If this is the wrong board for such an inquiry, I apologize.

Take care,
- Tuvya​

 

[Quark]

Greetings,

I am hoping to attend Wacken this year, but am not certain that I will be able to make it happen.

That said, I have a question.

People around me seem to react in a similar way: "Alone? Traveling? FESTIVAL? You're a girl! You're going to get mugged! You're going to get raped! You're going to get killed!"
The above is very overblown on their part, quite demeaning, and typically garners a laugh and reassurance from myself. The majority of metalheads that I have encountered have all been such good-natured, helpful people.

I do, however, want to know if truth, in any form, stands genuine. What should I anticipate? I would be a foreigner (U.S. American), near doubtlessly alone, with little (but growing) knowledge of the German language, and with little festival experience attending something of such magnitude as Wacken.
If I camped, would I have to worry about being targeted for theft? Would I have to worry about unwanted attention, harassment, or-- another of their concerns-- awaking to a drunk passed out beside me in my tent?

I am not distressed, merely curious.

If this is the wrong board for such an inquiry, I apologize.

Take care,
- Tuvya

I don't see any problems of travelling alone as a woman to Wacken. Theft however is another issue, that bothers everyone who's going. (there are however big attempts of the organisation and local police to put a stop to this theft!)
My advice here: take as little (valuable) as possible, and carry it on your person AT ALL TIMES!!

For the other parts, er, I don't think so actually. Especially if you have the chance to have great neighbours at the camping! And most of us speak English as well, so I wouldn't worry about that either.
I also went alone (as a sighted person) and I never had any problems. Only time I had a stranger going in my tent, while I was sleeping. Took me 20min. to get him out of my tent.

And there are people 24/7, someone will be awake, regardless what time it is.

 

[Alix]

I don't see any problems of travelling alone as a woman to Wacken. Theft however is another issue, that bothers everyone who's going. (there are however big attempts of the organisation and local police to put a stop to this theft!)
My advice here: take as little (valuable) as possible, and carry it on your person AT ALL TIMES!!

For the other parts, er, I don't think so actually. Especially if you have the chance to have great neighbours at the camping! And most of us speak English as well, so I wouldn't worry about that either.
I also went alone (as a sighted person) and I never had any problems. Only time I had a stranger going in my tent, while I was sleeping. Took me 20min. to get him out of my tent.

And there are people 24/7, someone will be awake, regardless what time it is.

Quark pretty much covered it. I was pretty much in your shoes last year; I went to 4 festivals (3 in Germany) and never had a problem (far from it actually). It's kind of like you're "not allowed" to be alone. Whenever I was caught being alone at a festival for any amount of time (sometimes I wasn't ), I'd have random people inviting me around for beer/rum, or perhaps a game of Kings or Beer-Pong, or a 2-hour chat about the German education system and how much the Germans hate the Nazi's at 2am when we couldn't sleep.

At Wacken last year, I was meant to camp with a friend but plans didn't work out for many reasons. Before I even stepped foot into the gate, I already had 3 other (groups of) people offering for me to stay with them (2 from a previous festival to which I travelled alone, and another while lining up to get my wrist band). In the end I bumped into a group of guys I met in 2010 who invited me to drink and see bands with them many times that year, and ended up camping with them.

As far as unwanted attention, it may well happen, but get harrassed? Probably not. I got WAY more attention from guys there than I ever would at home (why? I don't know...probably for being foreign? ), but if I felt uncomfortable, all I had to say was "no" just once and they left me alone each time, no questions asked.

If you make it painfully obvious that you're travelling alone or have never been before, things will work out Anyways, if you don't want to wing it, you could look for/start a thread looking for people from your area, or look out for an American flag while you're there.

 

[xforeverxmetalx]

As an American woman who went to five metal festivals (alone largely but met up with friends from this forum at some), straight out of high school, I got pretty much the same reaction.

On top of the others, I'll add that even if you do end up alone, being raped/killed should be the least of your worries. Like, about as likely as goats raining down on top of you. Seriously. Maybe in second or third world countries, but Germany especially is very safe - maybe even more so than the US. I slept at a train station alone once (I'm just a bit frugal ) and didn't feel threatened at all.

Biggest issue is theft and pickpockets. Again, Germany's pretty safe, but at festivals it is known to happen, though rare. I'd recommend buying a money belt or something similar where you can hide all your most important stuff (cash, credit/debit cards, passport, flight/train tickets, and so on) out of sight and out of reach - and out of your tent.

Targeted for theft? Not more than anyone else. The theft that does occur at Wacken is usually people breaking into tents. I've never heard of anyone actually being attacked directly.

Unwanted attention/harassment: Not any more often than you'll experience at a local concert.

Drunk passed out beside you in your tent: Not likely. You might find some outside your tent, or one in your tent as you're coming in because they thought it was theirs. Still not very likely though, and almost guaranteed to be harmless.

Oh and don't worry about the lack of German. I only knew a bit my first time too and got by just fine. Wacken in particular attracts foreigners from all around the world, so you might find that you hear more English than German.

 

[Quark]

Thanks Alix/Kris!
The "woman part" is difficult to answer for me!

One thing about the theft I wanted to add.
The biggest target is empty beer cans. They're deposited (25cts/can) so that's easy money! (next to the usual stuff like money e.g.)

So.. make sure you have a good (international) travel insurance that covers theft of money, CC etc. as well!

 

[agresionpower]

about theft, there are lockers available at wacken.
at least time I was there.

Never used them though, they only thing ever to get stolen was a camping chair.
considering I've been there 8 times that's not to bad right?

About the rape and murder and all that, I've never heard about anything like that in wacken, or any other metal festival for that matter.

Of course like any other country it does happen in germany, but definitely not as much as in the USA. and I personally feel very safe in germany, maybe even safer than here in the netherlands.

 

[gabi.pit]

don't worry

You really don’t have to worry about going to Wacken alone. Although I always travel there with three other people, I’m not 24/7 with them. We all go to different concerts or events, but nothing bad ever happened to me there. I can honestly say that it’s a safe place; the police is everywhere and there is a lot of security on the concert area too.
I’m also a foreigner, with a little knowledge of English and German – there will be no problem for you to communicate. As far as I can say, 95% German people in Wacken speak English well.
I never heard or saw anyone being harassed there. Well, in 2011 a guy loudly and insolently commented on my boobs as soon as I got out of the car, but that was it. Seeing foreign license plates he probably thought that no one could understand him. Stupid but true.
About theft – a few missing beer cups, a small metal grill and things like that. In 2009 someone went into my tent and ripped my sleeping bag apart. He or she was obviously searching for something to take, because the whole tent was a mess. But I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you – just remember to not to leave anything valuable in the tent when you’re not around. Just like all the others already suggested – carry it with you in a money belt or something.
I really love being there. Great people and even better music. Wacken is my vacation spot since 2007. It’s magical, smelly and fun. I’m sure you are going to have a great time there as I do every year.
…Oh, if you do decide to go there, as soon as you’re on the camping ground just take a deep breath and scream as loud as you can: Wacken!!! You’ll see what happens

 

[Quark]

about theft, there are lockers available at wacken.
at least time I was there.

Never used them though, they only thing ever to get stolen was a camping chair.
considering I've been there 8 times that's not to bad right?

About the rape and murder and all that, I've never heard about anything like that in wacken, or any other metal festival for that matter.

Of course like any other country it does happen in germany, but definitely not as much as in the USA. and I personally feel very safe in germany, maybe even safer than here in the netherlands.

En dat voor een HOLLANDER!!!

 

[agresionpower]

En dat voor een HOLLANDER!!!

ja, ik woon natuurlijk wel in de ghetto he

 

[Quark]

ja, ik woon natuurlijk wel in de ghetto he

 

[UltimoAviso]

I wouldnt worry, the worst that will happen is cat-calling, and half of that may very well be from the women themselves

i wouldnt worry too much about theft as long as you keep your essentials on yourself, and dont bother bringing entertainment items (laptops, etc) as I made that mistake the first time and never wound up using it. you could purchase a lock for your tent, but that usually lets any do-no-gooders know there are valueables inside.

Make friends with the surrounding camps, they can also keep an eye on your tent for suspicious activity etc, plus you meet some very nice and friendly people who will help you in any way you need.

Feel free to ask any other questions.

 

[Tri-6]

Theft is something I"ve worried about if I buy some stuff like LP's and CD"s from vendors, or bringing a tablet. This is part of a larger German vacation for me so I'll have some stuff that I'd be using after the festival.

 

[UltimoAviso]

Use a small luggage lock to latch both zippers of your tent together and tuck it inside your tent so it can't be seen if you have to lock your tent. Locks mean valuables to a theif so if they don't see it you should be OK. It has rained there the past 2 times, last year it rained a LOT. The first year not as much but heavy at times. You should be more concerned about getting valuables wet vs having them stolen actually. The first year I went I way overpacked, and it is not fun trying to haul all the stuff for 2 weeks through the festival grounds. Theft is not common though, way different from festivals over here. It's just one big party and most everyone respects eachothers boundaries and property.

 

[Quark]

Use a small luggage lock to latch both zippers of your tent together and tuck it inside your tent so it can't be seen if you have to lock your tent. Locks mean valuables to a theif so if they don't see it you should be OK. It has rained there the past 2 times, last year it rained a LOT. The first year not as much but heavy at times. You should be more concerned about getting valuables wet vs having them stolen actually. The first year I went I way overpacked, and it is not fun trying to haul all the stuff for 2 weeks through the festival grounds. Theft is not common though, way different from festivals over here. It's just one big party and most everyone respects eachothers boundaries and property.

True!
Nonetheless there are organised gangs cruising the camping area (though they shouldn't be allowed to get in, in the 1st place).

My tip: Take as less as possible, as less valuables as possible, so you can carry it ON YOUR PERSON 24/7.
There are ATM machines in the infield of the area, just before the festival area, so it shouldn't be hard to get fresh cash from then. (even with a credit card)
And if you buy beer outside the festival/camping area, try to do that outside fo Germany, those cans can be thrown away, and might even be "stolen" as well, so your mess will be gone! German cans have deposit on them. (25 €urocents)

 

[Quark]

True!
Nonetheless there are organised gangs cruising the camping area (though they shouldn't be allowed to get in, in the 1st place).

My tip: Take as less as possible, as less valuables as possible, so you can carry it ON YOUR PERSON 24/7.
There are ATM machines in the infield of the area, just before the festival area, so it shouldn't be hard to get fresh cash from then. (even with a credit card)
And if you buy beer outside the festival/camping area, try to do that outside fo Germany, those cans can be thrown away, and might even be "stolen" as well, so your mess will be gone! German cans have deposit on them. (25 €urocents)

To add to the above. The organisation tries hard to keep those gangs out of course.