agresionpower
W:O:A Metalgod
And maybe, we're just that good at answering questionsHowever, it's always nice to be thanked for a job well done
haha, yeah
Q & A about Wacken Open Air
- Ersteller gnoff
- Erstellt am
-
- Schlagworte
- all you need to know! important question
-
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haha, yeah
Quark
Der Beste
xforeverxmetalx
W:O:A Metalgod
- 29 Dez. 2007
- 97.363
- 7
- 123
For people who don't read
I'm bored so I figured I'd compile all the info from everywhere into here because people keep asking the same questions because they don't try to find the answers themselves before posting.
First some links.
Festival ABC
Check here before going any further. It's got tons of info gathered together. You'll find most (if not all) of the answers you're looking for here.
There's even more info on the left side of the page, and on the top, including an entire section detailing tons of travel options. The Wacken site is loaded with info in other sections too.
Because people aren't going to bother with all that, here's a FAQ.
Q: How do I get to Wacken?
A: Oh boy.
First, we have a sticky devoted to that. Second, see the travel link I posted above, because I couldn't begin to detail every way you can get to Wacken. There are probably millions, from the more common - driving, taxi, train, etc - to the not so common - biking, walking, skipping, crawling, hitchhiking, kayaking, skydiving. Note that I am in no way responsible if you choose to use any of the aforementioned options.
Q: This is my first Wacken. What should I know?
A: Everything. Start here. Also, at the end of this post, I put together a bunch of tips and tricks.
Q: I ordered my ticket forever ago and it still hasn't arrived.
A: Sometimes it just takes awhile. If you're really worried, contact Metaltix. But it's common to take several weeks.
Q: What do I need to bring?
A: Your ticket.
I also recommend bringing things like clothes, a tent, etc. Whatever you usually bring for camping/travelling.
Q: Tickets are sold out. What now?
A: Check out the ticket exchange section of the forum. That's the safest and easiest way to get them.
Q: How safe is Wacken? What can I do to protect myself and my stuff?
A: Pretty safe overall. The main concern is theft - people going through tents, and pickpockets. Never heard of anyone actually being attacked.
As far as protecting yourself: keep the most important stuff on you at all times, out of sight, and out of reach. Cash/cards, passports, tickets, documents, that sort of thing. There are pouches you can wear under your clothes designed for this. Basically, if you can't be without it, keep it with you.
Also, there are lockers you can use.
Q: I'm going alone. Will I be bored?
A: Definitely not. Make friends with your neighbors. You'll be fine. People are pretty friendly, especially if you give them beer.
Q: I don't speak German, is that going to be a problem?
A: Not really. Most people there speak English. You'll be able to get around Wacken and most of Germany as well easily with only English.
Q: What should I not do in Wacken/Germany?
A: Anything illegal or forbidden, obviously. Also don't bring a Nazi flag etc. Other than that, you should be fine.
Q: How early can I arrive at Wacken?
A: The camping area officially opens Wednesday at noon. You can arrive as early as Monday, but you'll pay 20€. Arrive Tuesday and you'll pay 10€.
Q: Do the food/merch stands take credit/debit card?
A: Not that I'm aware of. Some might. Don't expect it; bring cash.
Q: How much does food and beer cost?
A: Last I checked, drinks are 5€ (1€ of that you get back as deposit) and food ranges from 1€ up. Expect 3-5€ for stuff like burgers.
I recommend making use of the supermarket in the village of Wacken. It's a bit of a walk from the campsite, but it's far cheaper.
Q: How noisy are the campgrounds?
A: The campgrounds closest to the festival area are noisier than the ones further back. Bring earplugs if you think you'll have trouble sleeping.
Q: I'm coming from outside Germany and want to use a cell phone.
A: If your phone is GSM, it'll work in Germany. But it can get expensive to use your current carrier. So you'll want to buy a SIM card for a German carrier. I got one off Ebay, and I hear you can get them at airports. Your phone needs to be carrier unlocked for this to work (most are; in the US, usually they're locked to US carriers but often are unlocked to international carriers).
Alternatively, you can rent phones for a week or two from different services.
Q: I'm awesome and I read through the festival ABC, all the stickies, this post, and searched the forum. But I still have a couple questions.
A: Ask right here in this thread. Also thank you.
General tips and tricks:
1. Bring toilet paper. Lots of it. Never expect the porter-potties to have any.
2. Also bring boots. If it rains, it gets muddy, and the mud can get deep. Look into steel-toe boots too; I find them helpful in the crowd where people step on your feet a lot.
3. As previously mentioned, buying food/drinks from the supermarket in the village saves you money over buying it in the festival area.
4. Camp at Wacken. No matter how much you hate tents, or camping, or love being clean. For one, no one cares if you're dirty ("Duschen ist kein Metal"/"Showering is not metal"), and camping is one of the best parts of the Wacken experience. It's like a huge metal party rather than just a show with a lot of bands.
5. It gets hot during the day and cold at night. Be prepared for both.
6. If you opt to avoid the showers but enjoy being clean, bring baby wipes. I never bring enough.
7. If you're coming from a country that doesn't use euros, the best method I've found to exchange currencies is to just use your bank card to withdraw euros from an ATM. Avoid airport exchange desks at all costs.
That's all I can think of for now. Did I miss anything important?
I'm bored so I figured I'd compile all the info from everywhere into here because people keep asking the same questions because they don't try to find the answers themselves before posting.
First some links.
Festival ABC
Check here before going any further. It's got tons of info gathered together. You'll find most (if not all) of the answers you're looking for here.
There's even more info on the left side of the page, and on the top, including an entire section detailing tons of travel options. The Wacken site is loaded with info in other sections too.
Because people aren't going to bother with all that, here's a FAQ.
Q: How do I get to Wacken?
A: Oh boy.
First, we have a sticky devoted to that. Second, see the travel link I posted above, because I couldn't begin to detail every way you can get to Wacken. There are probably millions, from the more common - driving, taxi, train, etc - to the not so common - biking, walking, skipping, crawling, hitchhiking, kayaking, skydiving. Note that I am in no way responsible if you choose to use any of the aforementioned options.
Q: This is my first Wacken. What should I know?
A: Everything. Start here. Also, at the end of this post, I put together a bunch of tips and tricks.
Q: I ordered my ticket forever ago and it still hasn't arrived.
A: Sometimes it just takes awhile. If you're really worried, contact Metaltix. But it's common to take several weeks.
Q: What do I need to bring?
A: Your ticket.
I also recommend bringing things like clothes, a tent, etc. Whatever you usually bring for camping/travelling.
Q: Tickets are sold out. What now?
A: Check out the ticket exchange section of the forum. That's the safest and easiest way to get them.
Q: How safe is Wacken? What can I do to protect myself and my stuff?
A: Pretty safe overall. The main concern is theft - people going through tents, and pickpockets. Never heard of anyone actually being attacked.
As far as protecting yourself: keep the most important stuff on you at all times, out of sight, and out of reach. Cash/cards, passports, tickets, documents, that sort of thing. There are pouches you can wear under your clothes designed for this. Basically, if you can't be without it, keep it with you.
Also, there are lockers you can use.
Q: I'm going alone. Will I be bored?
A: Definitely not. Make friends with your neighbors. You'll be fine. People are pretty friendly, especially if you give them beer.
Q: I don't speak German, is that going to be a problem?
A: Not really. Most people there speak English. You'll be able to get around Wacken and most of Germany as well easily with only English.
Q: What should I not do in Wacken/Germany?
A: Anything illegal or forbidden, obviously. Also don't bring a Nazi flag etc. Other than that, you should be fine.
Q: How early can I arrive at Wacken?
A: The camping area officially opens Wednesday at noon. You can arrive as early as Monday, but you'll pay 20€. Arrive Tuesday and you'll pay 10€.
Q: Do the food/merch stands take credit/debit card?
A: Not that I'm aware of. Some might. Don't expect it; bring cash.
Q: How much does food and beer cost?
A: Last I checked, drinks are 5€ (1€ of that you get back as deposit) and food ranges from 1€ up. Expect 3-5€ for stuff like burgers.
I recommend making use of the supermarket in the village of Wacken. It's a bit of a walk from the campsite, but it's far cheaper.
Q: How noisy are the campgrounds?
A: The campgrounds closest to the festival area are noisier than the ones further back. Bring earplugs if you think you'll have trouble sleeping.
Q: I'm coming from outside Germany and want to use a cell phone.
A: If your phone is GSM, it'll work in Germany. But it can get expensive to use your current carrier. So you'll want to buy a SIM card for a German carrier. I got one off Ebay, and I hear you can get them at airports. Your phone needs to be carrier unlocked for this to work (most are; in the US, usually they're locked to US carriers but often are unlocked to international carriers).
Alternatively, you can rent phones for a week or two from different services.
Q: I'm awesome and I read through the festival ABC, all the stickies, this post, and searched the forum. But I still have a couple questions.
A: Ask right here in this thread. Also thank you.
General tips and tricks:
1. Bring toilet paper. Lots of it. Never expect the porter-potties to have any.
2. Also bring boots. If it rains, it gets muddy, and the mud can get deep. Look into steel-toe boots too; I find them helpful in the crowd where people step on your feet a lot.
3. As previously mentioned, buying food/drinks from the supermarket in the village saves you money over buying it in the festival area.
4. Camp at Wacken. No matter how much you hate tents, or camping, or love being clean. For one, no one cares if you're dirty ("Duschen ist kein Metal"/"Showering is not metal"), and camping is one of the best parts of the Wacken experience. It's like a huge metal party rather than just a show with a lot of bands.
5. It gets hot during the day and cold at night. Be prepared for both.
6. If you opt to avoid the showers but enjoy being clean, bring baby wipes. I never bring enough.
7. If you're coming from a country that doesn't use euros, the best method I've found to exchange currencies is to just use your bank card to withdraw euros from an ATM. Avoid airport exchange desks at all costs.
That's all I can think of for now.
Did I miss anything important?
Zuletzt bearbeitet:
Quark
Der Beste
xforeverxmetalx
W:O:A Metalgod
- 29 Dez. 2007
- 97.363
- 7
- 123
Quark
Der Beste
Q: There's a white thing on my ticket. What do I do with it?
A: This is the new "personalisation" measure. You need to fill in your (full) name, as it is written in your passport/ID.
Q: Why?
A: This is done to avoid black market trades on sites such as eBay etc.
Q: Will this be checked at the entrance?
A: Randomly. You might be picked out to show ID. As it is compulsory to carry ID in Germany AT ALL TIMES, they'll presume you'll carry it anyways.
Q: What if it isn't filled in?
A: You might end up with a "non valid" ticket. Just write your name.
A: This is the new "personalisation" measure. You need to fill in your (full) name, as it is written in your passport/ID.
Q: Why?
A: This is done to avoid black market trades on sites such as eBay etc.
Q: Will this be checked at the entrance?
A: Randomly. You might be picked out to show ID. As it is compulsory to carry ID in Germany AT ALL TIMES, they'll presume you'll carry it anyways.
Q: What if it isn't filled in?
A: You might end up with a "non valid" ticket. Just write your name.
Zuletzt bearbeitet:
Quark
Der Beste
ICS has sued eBay over it, for "illegal" sale. ICS is the ONLY organisation who's allowed to sell tickets.
As from this year, you need to personalise your ticket. (see above (Oldest 1st)/below (Newest 1st))
Quark
Der Beste
xforeverxmetalx schrieb:
Don't forget that German (beer) cans have deposit on them. (for US people, WAY more than back home!) 25cts per can!
Both Edekas will be opened on Sunday, to return the empty cans and to get a refund.
You CANNOT give them back at the camping supermarkets!!!!
GLASS (bottles etc) IS STRICKTLY FORBIDDEN! They do check your luggage when entering the camping! (except when you're by car)
Does the supermarket carry Esbit Solid Fuel Tablets or should I get them in Hamburg before the festival?
agresionpower
W:O:A Metalgod
I guess those are ment for lighting the bbq?
don't know if they have that brand, but they do have simular stuff.
Quark
Der Beste
Probably in the supermarkets in town. I do not know about those on the campsite.
agresionpower
W:O:A Metalgod
they have those throw away bbq's, not sure about the this stuff though, but I think they have it too.
in town they'll have it for sure.
Quark
Der Beste
How is then the situation with the strong alcohol?
Poor it over into a PET bottle / plastic bottle. Or drink it before entering!