Welcome to the Metalacker Open Air Festival 2025! The atmosphere is electric, even though the festival grounds are still drenched from heavy rain throughout the week. Many festival-goers have to get dragged onto the campsite by tractors upon arrival. Between acts, the air is filled with a bittersweet memory, as songs by Ozzy and Black Sabbath play, and the crowd mourns and celebrates him in unison. This festival is known for being extremely family-friendly, with many metal scene outsiders and even kids – of course, wearing hearing protection – joining their parents. It’s a strongly locally entangled event, with people from all around. The comparison to Wacken that many make when they are here is not that far off, with a top-notch lineup performing once a year on acres near a small village in the middle of nowhere.

Day 0

Vex

The party starts with a surprise opener on the campsite stage for early arrivals on Thursday, the local band Vex. Despite a late start, because of a power outage, they waste no time. Only a few songs in, the singer jumps into the crowd, performing in the middle of the mosh pit to get the party crowd going. Though the weather is bad all day, there is no rain during their show, making for an awesome start to a long festival weekend.