Germany’s Wizard Promotions reports record year

German tour promoter Wizard Promotions has reported a record year, with half a million visitors in 2023.

The company’s historic year is buoyed by a summer of big-name concerts for the likes of Iron Maiden, Scorpions and KISS.

KISS bid farewell to Germany for good with a sold-out show in Cologne’s Lanxess Arena, marking the end of a chapter for Wizard founder Ossy Hoppe who has been working with the band since the ’80s.

During the summer season alone, the Frankfurt-based promoter sold more than 250,000 tickets for heavy rock shows.

In addition to the established rock and metal segment, Wizard’s portfolio also includes singer-songwriters and country artists.

“We can look back on two years at full throttle”

Highlights across those genres include sold-out concerts by US star Luke Combs and the sister duo Larkin Poe, as well as announced appearances by Tyler Childers, Charles Esten, Darius Rucker, Ferris & Sylvester and many others.

“We can look back on two years at full throttle and a successful Christmas season, which is not something to be taken for granted,” says Wizard MD Oliver Hoppe, son of Ossy. “People want to go ‘live’ again. That’s a great feeling and fills our work with a lot of joy.”

In 2024, Wizard’s 20th anniversary year, TOTO will play seven open-air shows in Germany and Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson will present his first solo album since 2005 with The Mandrake Project.

Plus, Scorpions will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their successful album Love At First Sting and Zucchero will go on another world tour and NENA recently confirmed well over 30 shows in Germany and Europe.

Looking to the future, Hoppe says: “Despite rising ticket sales, the industry is facing major challenges: The financial pressure on culture has become immense and young people, in particular, need subcultural freedom that is affordable. Otherwise, there is a risk of monoculture and thus a loss of diversity. And this is precisely what we want to protect and promote in the coming years.”

Hoppe adds that seven new employees under the age of 30 have joined the workforce in the last two years, “making the team not only younger but also more diverse”.

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