Wacken takes its metal culture to new market

The team behind Wacken Open Air are exporting their expertise to the Saxony region of Germany by launching a new three-day festival in May.

Chemnitz Metal Culture (CMC) was originally scheduled as a winter event, but the December 2023 event had to be shelved because of illness. However, Wacken, together with congress and event hall Kraftverkehr Chemnitz, have revealed plans for a 24-26 May festival, bringing metal fans to the former industrial venue.

With Chemnitz set to inherit the European City of Culture crown in 2025, the festival will be part of an impressive programme of events over the next couple of years, with festival organisers taking the opportunity to stage the semi-finals of the Wacken Metal Battle in the CMC line-up.

“Wacken and the Capital of Culture 2025: they fit together wonderfully. Especially in a hall that today shows all the technical refinements and that was once a real ‘metal’ hotspot as a historic bus repair facility,” comments Andreas Wöllenstein, owner of Kraftverkehr Chemnitz.

The final day of the event, the Wacken Foundation Family Day, will offer free admission to fans

The line-up for the warm-up show on Friday, 24 May, includes Destruction, Insanity Alert and, as openers, local act One Step Back, with organisers explaining that the event is intended to offer emerging artists from Chemnitz and Saxony an opportunity to showcase their talent.

The German semi-finals of the Wacken Metal Battle will take place on 25 May, pitting five bands against each other to secure a place at Wacken Open Air. The line-up includes Hamburg trio Messticator, death metal group Deserted Fear, and metalcore outfit Caliban. Early bird tickets for Chemnitz Metal Culture start at €50.

The final day of the event, the Wacken Foundation Family Day, will offer free admission to fans, who will be entertained by the likes of Mutz, Kool Katz, and Horst Adler Kapelle.

The 2024 edition of Wacken Open Air sold out within hours of going on sale, back in August. With an additional day announced for the festival, the 31 July to 3 August festival has confirmed acts such as Scorpions, Amon Amarth, Blind Guardian, In Extremo, Korn, and many more.

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