Congrats to the last two posters who decided to go to Wacken for the first time this summer. A friend and I went to Wacken 2009 (on the recommendation from another metalhead who said "YOU MUST GO!" ;-) What can I say...it was one of the best experiences/trips ever! As soon as I could, I bought a ticket for Wacken 2010....the line-up is awesome, isn't it? As I've told people though, the experience is so much more than just the music - it is truly amazing....a metal marathon so to speak. All the people we met were so great - I speak some German but really didn't need to use it since virtually everyone we met spoke excellent English. I was actually surprised there weren't more Americans there. There were a few at our hotel and we met some guys from Minnesota and that was about it! Whenever I meet new people at metal shows here (Chicago), I try to convince them to go to Wacken since it is so fantastic. Most people seem to know about it, but think it will be too expensive, etc. My friend and I did spend a fair amount of money on the trip, but it was DEFINITELY worth every penny. We also stayed in a hotel near Wacken which was expensive, but we weren't into the camping idea.
If you can, definitely try to combine Wacken with other travel before or after. My friend and I went to Sweden afterward last summer and this summer will go to Norway the week before Wacken.