The organizers of the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany have issued the following announcement, proving that heavy metal is truly alive and flourishing!

"Metalheads! We absolutely cannnot believe what just happened: The Wacken Open Air 2023 is completely sold out after a record time of 5 hours - all 80,000 tickets are sold out! Thanks for your incredible loyalty, support and the trust you give us!"

WOA organizers commented further: "You are the best fans in the world! So we can't wait to celebrate another superlative metal party with you next year. Look forward to many more great bands and a festival with which we will take you back to the age of the Vikings - officially on four days instead of three!"

"We ask you not to buy tickets from third parties. Our waiting list is already available. As always, we will raffle all tickets from canceled orders. You can find the waiting list here. Registration is of course free of charge and without obligation."

"A sold out festival in that amount of time – unbelievable," says promoter Thomas Jensen. "And especially in these times, the backing of the community is enormously important. We are still knocking off the dust of this year's Open Air and now, thanks to the trust of our fans, we can continue to fully concentrate on the program in 2023 under the motto 'Vikings', which will have one or two highlights in the bag in addition to the great Iron Maiden!"

"This is an enormous proof of confidence from our fans and we appreciate it very much," adds promoter Holger Hübner. "This allows us to push Wacken Open Air forward and develop various projects and themes alongside the billing, which we will announce during the year."

The gates of hell were about to open at Wacken Open Air 2022 when a bold company of vikings charged the forces of evil. Watch an epic battle and the first 12 bands of Wacken Open Air 2023 being announced to the huge crowd in front of the festival's main stages. Music by Masters of Ceremony.

The 2023 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival will run from August 2nd - 5th in the small German town of Wacken.

Bands confirmed for Wacken Open Air 2023: Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Dropkick Murphys, Wardruna, Beartooth, Ensiferum, Pentagram (50th Anniversary Show), Jinjer, Nervosa, Deicide (Special Legion Show), Burning Witches, Two Steps From Hell (exclusive Wacken Show)

Headlining the event will be the mighty Iron Maiden: There is not a single metalhead that doesn’t know them. And it’s hard to think of a band that has defined classic heavy metal as much as they have. So consequently, there might very well be no band that is a better fit for the 'Holy ground of metal.' So in 2023, Iron Maiden will return to headline at the Wacken Open Air for the fourth time! So get ready for impressive production, a passionate performance, amazing music and of course Eddie! It has been seven long years since those iconic words have been heard: 'Scream for me, Wacken!'