Wacken Open Air starts this week

Pack your bags and your neck braces. The Wacken Open Air metal festival will be starting soon.
The festival has been an annual event since it started in 1990 and has become a highlight of the year for fans of metal, heavy rock, and all of the different sub-genres within the greater metal-related family.
This year the festival will feature performances by over 160 bands, including appearances by Alice Cooper, Megadeath, and Trivium.
One of the best parts of the festival is the world-class community of metal fans that come from all around the world to share in their love of music. Whereas other festivals can quickly devolve into free-for-all chaos, you can always find friendly faces at the open air event. Remember everyone, you will always have a friend in Satan.
Food options this year also include vegan and gluten-free alternatives for all those coeliac and health-conscious metal fans.
If you do not already have tickets, you are out of luck. The 75,000 tickets for the festival typically sell out within the day of release. Fans can still catch some of the action thanks to the live stream.
Many of the attendees have already started to arrive at the grounds to claim their spots and set up their tents.
You can check back to Hot Press throughout the week to hear about all the highlights as the festival gets underway.