Highlights from Wacken 2013

From August 1 to August 3, the world's largest heavy music festival, Wacken Open Air, took place in the small German town of Wacken. It is considered the main event of the year among metalheads. This year it gathered more than 80,000 people.

The frontmen of this year's festival were such bands and performers: Motörhead, Anthrax, Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Amorphis, Nightwish, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Manowar, Rammstein and many other bands and performers.

The festival was first held in 1990 with the participation of local bands, but every year the popularity of Wacken grew, and by 1998 it had become a European and then a world-class festival.

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1. Wacken Open Air (W:O:A) is the world's largest festival of heavy music, held annually on the outskirts of the town of Wacken, in northern Germany.

2. WOA, or more commonly simply "Wacken", is the largest and unofficially considered the main metal event in the world.

3. Metalist at the Wacken Open Air-2013 festival. Wacken, Germany, August 1, 2013.

4. In 2006, the number of visitors to this event exceeded 60 thousand.

5. Currently, Wacken receives more than 75 thousand visitors annually.

6. Tent town of metalworkers on the territory of the Wacken Open Air-2013 festival. Wacken, Germany, August 1, 2013.

7. A figurine made from beer cans at the Wacken Open Air-2013 festival.

8. Metalworkers at the Wacken Open Air-2013 festival. Wacken, Germany, August 1, 2013.

9. 90-year-old metalheads at the Wacken Open Air-2013 festival.

10. Ian Gillan performs at the Wacken Open Air-2013 festival.

11. Metalworkers frolic in the pool installed on the territory of the Wacken Open Air-2013 festival. Wacken, Germany, August 2, 2013.

12. Concert venue of the festival.

13. The modern Wacken Open Air is held on the first weekend of August each year and officially lasts three days (in fact - four). Seven (sometimes eight) stages are set up, where over 80 musical groups from all over the world perform.

14. Cyber-punks at the Wacken Open Air-2013 festival.

15. Cyberpunk at the Wacken Open Air-2013 festival. Wacken, Germany, August 2, 2013.

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18. Metalworkers at the Wacken Open Air-2013 festival.

19. During the preparation of W:O:A 2012, a record was set: all 75 thousand tickets for the festival were sold out on November 29, 2011, 247 days before its opening.

20. This record was broken during the preparation of W:O:A 2013 on September 21, 2012 - all tickets were sold out in two days.

21. Lemmy (Ian Fraser Kilmister) performs at the Wacken Open Air 2013 metal festival. Wacken, Germany, August 2, 2013.