(W:O:A) es el festival más grande exclusivamente de heavy metal en el mundo. Se realiza anualmente en la pequeña ciudad de Wacken en el norte de Alemania. Con 60.000 visitantes, atrae a fans de casi todo subgénero del metal.
El festival se realizó por primera vez en 1990 como un pequeño acontecimiento para bandas alemanas locales. Por el año 1998, el acontecimiento ya se había convertido en el mayor festival de metal en Europa y uno de los más importantes en todo el mundo, incluyendo más de 70 bandas de Norteamérica, Australia y Europa. W:O:A se celebra normalmente a inicios del mes de agosto y dura tres días. Los más de 70 artistas tocan en 4 escenarios separados en todo el curso del festival.
Grupos participantes en el Wacken Open Air
Relación de grupos de música que han participado en el Wacken Open Air de Alemania:
1990 24 de agosto - 25 de agosto 1990: 5th Avenue, Ax'n Sex, Motoslug, Sacret Season, Skyline, Wizzard.
1991 21 de agosto- 22 de agosto 1991: Bon Scott (HH), Gypsy Kyss, Kilgore, Life Artist, Ruby Red, Shanghai'd Guts, Skyline.
1992
22 de agosto - 23 de agosto 1992: 5th Avenue, Asmodis, Ax'n Sex, Bad Sister, Bai Bang, Blind Guardian, De La Cruz, Doc Eisenhauer, Dr. Hörp, Eddie E., Highlander, Ides of March, Incubator, Jolly Hangman, Mama's Boys, Morbid Mind, Motoslug, Pagan Spell, Paradise, Play'n'Bleed, Saitensprünge, Saxon, Störspatzen of Des, STS 8 Mission, The Waltons, Vivian.
1993
20 de agosto - 22 de agosto 1993: 5th Avenue, Abi Wallenstein, Ax'n Sex, Blue Velvet, Bon Scott (HH), Buddy Lackey, Châlice, Doro, Fast Lover, Fates Warning, Gary Hughes, Gorefest, Häwi Mädels, Heavenward, Highlander, Holocaust, Jacks Hammer, Jingo de Lunch, Michael Dickes, Noisy Act of Protest, Plan B, Railway, RAX, Riverdogs, Samael , Sahara, Skek Siskin, Torment, Toy, Trespass, Vivian, Warpath.
1994 19 de agosto - 20 de agosto 1994: Ace Öf Spades, Atrocity, Chemical Breath, Deceased, Decision D, Dixi Gunworks, Easy Livin' (Uriah Heep feat. Markus Grosskopf de Helloween), Gamma Ray, Hannes Bauer & Orchester, Gnadenlos, Ken Templin, Many Acts Of Maniacs, Moray, Pagandom, Paul Di'anno's Killers, Prollhead, Rausch, Riff Raff, Riverdogs, Roan, Saintcatee, Skyclad, Stoney Rudolph & The Happy Mc Cardies, Suiciety, Tears for Beers, The Tea Party, The Waltons, Torment, U.K. Subs.
1995
19 de agosto - 20 de agosto 1995: 5th Avenue, Amentia, Angra, Bad Sister, Châlice, Creep, D.A.D, Dark At Down, Das Auge Gottes, Depressive Age, Dixie Gunworks, Ghosts of Dawn, Graue Zellen, Hate Squad, Laberinto, More About Dogs, Morgoth, Paragon, Phantoms of Future, Pothead, Power of Expression, Pretty Maids, Prime, Rape, Revelation, Schweisser, Solitude Aeturnus, Temple of the Absurd, Tiamat, Trauma, Trieb, Vanden Plas, Vocation.
1996
9 de agosto - 10 de agosto 1996: Asylum, Atrocity, Bad Sister, Big Nothing, Böhse Onkelz, Crematory, Desert Storm, Dice, Dimple Minds, Dritte Wahl, Gorefest, Gorn, Grave Digger, Grind Machine, Kingdom Come, Kreator, Manos, Oomph!, Pyogenesis, Ramones Mania, Randalica, Ricochet, Schweisser, Secret Discovery, Sieges Even, Temple of the Absurd, Theatre of Tragedy, The Exploited, The Gathering, Tom Angelripper, Vicki Vomit, Whils.
1997 8 de agosto - 9 de agosto 1997: Aion, Alastis, Amorphis, Birth Control, Dimmu Borgir, Dismember, Dissection, Don Bosco, Entrust, Fox Force Five, Gainsay, Grave Digger, Grinning Sinner, Hammerfall, Hassmütz, In Flames, Iron Savior, Late September Dogs, Lake Of Tears, Love Gun, Motörhead, Mummlox, Overkill, Paunch, Rage & Lingua Mortis Orchester, Raven, Rock Bitch, Samael, Saviour Machine, Scanner, Sceptic Acceptance, Sinner, Sodom, Steiger, Subway to Sally, Tank, Theatre Of Tragedy, The Automanic, Therion, Tom Angelripper, Torment, Totenmond, U.D.O., Umbra Et Imago, Undish, Virgin Steele, Waltari, Zed Yago.
1998
7 de agosto - 8 de agosto 1998: Am I Blood, Angel Dust, Anvil, Arch Enemy, Atrocity, Benediction, Blind Guardian, Blind Passenger, Blitzkrieg, Bonfire, Borknagar, Children of Bodom, Covenant, Crack Up, Cradle of Filth, Crematory, Darkseed, Dew-Scented, isbelief, Doro, Dritte Wahl, Edguy, Gamma Ray, Goddess Of Desire, Gorgoroth, Hades Almighty, Haggard, Heavenwood, Hollow, Holy Mother, Hypocrisy, Iced Earth, Iron Savior, In Extremo, J.B.O., Krabathor, Kreator, Lacuna Coil, Manos, Nevermore, Night In Gales, Nocturnal Rites, Old Man's Child, Pegazus, Postmortem, Primal Fear, Raise Hell, Rough Silk, Ryker's, Sacred Steel, Sadist, Savatage, Sentenced, kyclad, Soulburn, Sons Of Damnation, Stahlhammer, Stigmata IV, Stratovarius, Sundown, Sweet Noise, Sweet Savage, Tom Angelripper, Tankard, Temple Of The Absurd, Devin Townsend, Unrest, Vader, Virgin Steele, Voivod, Warrior.
1999
6 de agosto - 7 de agosto 1999: Amon Amarth, Angra, Agent Steel, Atrocity, Axel Rudi Pell, Axxis, Blind Passenger, Bewitched, Brainstorm , Cannibal Corpse, Crematory, The Cult, Death SS, Destiny's End, Dimmu Borgir, Destruction, Eisregen, Eläkeläiset, Enslaved, Edguy, Europe, Fates Warning, God Dethroned, Graveworm, HammerFall, Immortal, In Aeternum, In Extremo, Jaguar, Jag Panzer, Killers, Leatherwolf, Labyrinth, Lefay, Marduk, Marshall Law, Mayhem, Memory Garden, Metal Church, Metalium , Mindfeed, Mystic Circle, Napalm Death, Nevermore, Paradox, Paragon, Pariah, Powergod, Pretty Maids, Primal Fear, Rage, Razor, Reverend Jürgen & Igor, Richthofen, Roland Grapow & Band, Saxon, Sinner, Six Feet Under, Solitude Aeturnus, Spock's Beard, Steel Prophet, Subway to Sally, The Crown, Temple of the Absurd, Therion, Threshold, Torment, Totenmond, Tristania, Tygers of Pan Tang, The Gathering, The Sygnet, Tom Angelripper, U.D.O., Uli Jon Roth, Umbra et Imago, Warrant, Wardog, Warhammer, Witchery, Whiplash.
2000
4 de agosto - 5 de agosto 2000: Agathodaimon, Ancient, Angel Witch, Annihilator, Artillery, Black Sweden, Black Label Society, Blaze Bayley, Breaker, Chantal Chevalier, Dark At Dawn, Dark Age, Dark Funeral, Dee Snider, Demon, Doro, Deranged, Desperados, Engine, Entombed, Freedom Call, Gamma Ray, Gaskin, Grim Reaper, Hades, Heir Apparent, Hypocrisy, Iced Earth, Immolation, Jacob's Dream, Knorkator, Labyrinth, Late Nite Romeo, Liege Lord, Lizzy Borden, Lock Up, Marduk, Molly Hatchet, Morbid Angel, Mob Rules, Nightmare, Nightwish, 31 de Octubre, Overkill, Pain, Pink Cream 69, Praying Mantis, Raise Hell, Rhapsody, Rose Tattoo Royal Hunt, Samson, Savage, Sentenced, Six Feet Under, Skew Siskin, Solstice, Spiritual
Beggars, Squealer, Steel Attack, Stratovarius, Testament, Tom Angelripper, Twisted Tower Dire, Umbra Et Imago, Vader, Vanishing Point, Vaxination, Venom, Zakk Wylde.
2001
3 de agosto - 4 de agosto 2001: 16 Hell Ventiler, Annihilator, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Arch Enemy, Artch, Behemoth, Bionix, Blackshine, Brainstorm, Cage, Carnal Forge, Chinchilla, Circle Of Grief, Crematory, Cryptopsy, Crystal Shark, Culprit, Dark Tranquillity, Death SS, Deceased, Disaster, Dimmu Borgir, Exciter, Exhumed, Exumer, Finntroll, Grave Digger, HammerFall, Helloween, Holy Moses, In Flames, Jag Panzer, Kamelot, Kju, Knight Errant, Krisiun, Lacun Coil, Lost Horizon, Metalium, Mortician, Motörhead, Mago de Oz, Naglfar, Napalm Death, Nasum, Nevermore, Night in Gales, Nightfall, Nightwish, Nostradameus, Opeth, Overkill, Paragon, Paul Dianno & Killers, Primal Fear, Rage, Rawhead Rexx, Sacraphyx, Saxon, Silent Force, Sins Of Thy Beloved, Smoke Blow, Sodom, Soilwork, Sonata Arctica, Soul Doctor, Stigma IV, Subway to Sally, Tad Morose, Tankard, Therion, Deströyer 666, The Haunted, Impotent Sea Snakes, The Traceelords, Therion mit Chor, Trail of Tears, Vintersorg, Warhammer, W.A.S.P..
20021 de agosto - 3 de agosto 2002: Alabama Thunderpussy, Amon Amarth, Angel Dust, Angra, Avalanch, Blaze, Blind Guardian, Blitzkrieg, Borknagar, Bruce Dickinson, Candlemass (Reunión), Cannibal Corpse, Children of Bodom, Criminal, Debris Inc., Destruction, Dimple Minds, Dómine, Dornenreich, Doro, Dream Evil, Dying Fetus, Edguy, Eisregen, Evergrey, Exodus, Falconer, Fleshcrawl, Green Carnation, Haggard, Heathen, Heavenly, Hollenthon, Hypocrisy, Immortal, In Extremo, Iron Savior, J.B.O., Justice, Kalmah, Kotipelto, Kreator, Lock Up, Macabre, Metalucifer, Mezarkabul, Mob Rules, Mörk Gryning, My Dying Bride, Necrophobic, Nightmare, Nocturnal Rites, Nuclear Assault (Reunión), Onkel Tom, Pretty Maids, Primordial, Pungent Stench, Raven, Rebellion, Red Aim, Rose Tattoo, Rottweiler Sabbat, Savatage, Shakra, Sinergy, Stormwarrior, Stormwitch, Suidakra, Thunderstone, Torfrock, U.D.O., Unleashed, Vanden Plas, Vicious Rumors, Vision Divine, Vomitory, Warlord, Wizard, Wolf, Elimno, Slipknot.
200331 de julio - 2 de agosto 2003: Ancient Rites, Annihilator, Assassin, Bai Bang, Callenish Circle, Carpathian Forest, Circle II Circle, Dark Age, Dark Angel, Dark Funeral, Darkane, Dew-Scented, Diamond Head, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Dismember, Eidolon, Evidence One, Extreme Noise Terror, Freedom Call, Gamma Ray, Graveworm, Heavenshallburn, Human Fortress, In Flames, Kataklysm, Lordi, Lotto King Karl, Malevolent Creation, Masterplan, Metalium, Nile, Obscenity, Onkel Tom, Oratory, Primal Fear, Psychopunch, Rage, Raise Hell, Raunchy, Rotting Christ, Running Wild, Sentenced, Seventh One, Sinister, Sinner, Slayer, Soilwork, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Subway to Sally, Symphorce, Testament, The Almighty Punchdrunk, The Crown, Thyrfing, Twisted Sister, Twisted Tower Dire, V8 Wankers, Vader, Victims Of Madness, Victory.
20045 de agosto - 7 de agosto 2004:
Accept, Apocalyptica, Axel Rudi Pell, Bloodbath, Candlemass, Cataract, Contradiction, Corvus Corax, Count Raven, Dissection, Doomfoxx, DragonForce, Edguy, Eisregen, EmKay, Endhammer, Endstille, Ensiferum, Equilibrium, Finntroll, Goddess of Desire, Gorefest, HammerFall, Hard Time, Hatesphere, Holy Moses, Illdisposed, Kreator, Machine Head, Machine Men, Mambo Kurt, Marduk, Markey Ramone, Mercenary, Metal Church, Metalium, Mob Rules, Morgana Lefay, Mucc, Naglfar, Nightwish, Noise Forest, Obituary, Oomph!, Overkill, Panic Cell, Potentia Animi, Primordial, Reckless Tide, Regicide, Saeko, Samael, Sentenced, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Suffocation, Suidakra, Teräsbetoni, Torfrock, Tristania, Turisas, Unleash the Fury, Vanguard, W:O:A Firefighters, Within Temptation, Zyklon.
La primera noche de festival más pudo considerarse una fiesta de bienvenida en la que actuaron: Metakilla, Mambo Kurt.