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Parookaville at Weeze Airport will take place from July 19th to 21st this year
Photo: Christoph Reichwein / dpa
Live music is still very popular in Germany. According to a recent study, almost 4.8 million people in this country attend a concert or festival once a month - and spend a lot of money doing so.
Interest has recently decreased somewhat due to increased ticket prices. Nevertheless, many organizers are expecting tens of thousands of visitors again this summer. So that you don't lose track, SPIEGEL has summarized the biggest and most spectacular festivals of the year.
May
Sputnik Springbreak – Party on Pentecost
The Sputnik Springbreak in Bitterfeld-Wolfen has been attracting music fans since 2008. The 15th edition is likely to be a very special one: In addition to the hip-hop greats Cro and Sido, Scooter and frontman HP Baxxter have also confirmed their participation. Tickets cost 159 euros, camping on site costs 40 euros extra ( click
here
to go to the festival homepage.)
Special features:
The event in Saxony-Anhalt is considered the starting signal for the festival season. If you want to get in the mood early, this is the place for you. The date is no coincidence; the Sputnik spring break visitors traditionally come together on Pentecost.
Date:
May 17th to 20th
Number of guests 2023:
25,000
Line-up:
Cro, Sido, Nina Chuba, Scooter and many more m.
Location:
Pouch/Goitzsche Peninsula
Ticket price for the entire festival:
159 euros
June
Rock am Ring – the classic
Germany's most famous festival takes place at the Nürburgring. Since 1985, tens of thousands from all over the world have come to the legendary race track every year. Whether Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden or Pearl Jam - almost all of the big bands of the past and present have played at the "Ring". This year the line-up is also impressive: Die Ärzte and Green Day will be performing, among others. However, the pleasure is not cheap: a weekend ticket (excluding camping/parking) costs 229 euros ( click
here
for the festival homepage).
Special features:
Rock am Ring is the festival of superlatives. Both the park and tent areas are around 100 hectares in size, the festival has its own app, and the festival stages are huge. If you are looking for small and cozy festivals, you should look for an alternative.
Date:
June 7th to 9th
Number of guests in 2023:
70,000
Line-up:
Die Ärzte, Green Day, Måneskin, Queens of the Stone Age and many more. m.
Location:
Nürburgring
Ticket price for the entire festival:
229 euros
Rock im Park – sister festival for 25 years
A similar spectacle awaits fans at the sister festival in Nuremberg. Rock im Park has offered an almost identical line-up there since 1997 - in the Frankenstadion until 2003 and then on the Zeppelinfeld
(click here for the festival homepage).
Special features
: The same applies to Rock im Park: If you like it small and intimate, you should prefer other festivals. In order to get good campsites, many visitors arrive on Wednesday - two days before the festival begins. In 2018 they left behind an impressive 260 tons of waste.
Date:
June 7th to 9th
Number of guests in 2023:
70,000
Line-up:
Die Ärzte, Green Day, Måneskin, Queens of the Stone Age and many more
Location:
Nuremberg
Ticket price for the entire festival:
279 euros (including parking and camping)
Hurricane Festival – big city feeling in the provinces
Scheeßel has around 13,000 residents. Around six times as many came to the Hurricane Festival in the small town in Lower Saxony in 2023. Since the open-air event first took place here in 1997, it has become an integral part of the community. It has long been attracting top international bands, including Ed Sheeran and Avril Lavigne this year. This is also noticeable in the ticket prices. While a three-day ticket cost the equivalent of 30 euros in 1997, the price is now 259 euros ( click
here
for the festival homepage).
Special features:
Whether punk, hip-hop or electro – everyone will find a style on the Hurricane. Ferris wheel, giant slide and bungee jumping entertain you during breaks. Also practical: the walk from the camping site to the festival site is short and shuttle buses are not necessary.
Date:
June 21st to 23rd
Number of guests in 2023:
78,000
Line-up:
Ed Sheeran, Avril Lavigne, Deichkind and many more
Location:
Scheeßel (Lower Saxony)
Ticket price for the entire festival:
259 euros
Southside Festival – Avril Lavigne as a star guest
Hurricane's sister festival, which is held at the same time in the south of Baden-Württemberg, also attracts tens of thousands. The Southside has been held annually since 1999 and has long since established itself as one of the largest German festivals. Here too, Avril Lavigne's performance is one of the highlights this year (
click
here for the festival homepage).
Special features:
Visitors who prefer luxury can make use of the so-called Platinum Lounge. Just a few meters away from the large stages, more comfort is offered in a demarcated area. Among other things, there is high-quality food and drinks, a spacious terrace with a view of the main stage and free internet.
Date:
June 21st to 23rd
Number of guests 2023:
60,000
Line-up:
Ed Sheeran, Avril Lavigne, Deichkind and many more. m.
Location:
Neuhausen ob Eck
Ticket price for the entire festival:
279 euros
July
Splash! – Hip-hop greats in Gräfenhainichen
July starts with a highlight for hip-hop fans: Ferropolis in Gräfenhainichen is the venue for the largest hip-hop festival in Germany. Whether Casper, Cro or Dendemann – they have all already demonstrated their rap skills here. For three days, fans flock to the small town in Saxony-Anhalt (
click
here for the festival homepage).
Special features:
The Splash! lives not only from the music, but above all from its scenery. There are five old bucket wheel and bucket chain excavators on the festival site, each up to 130 meters long. These monuments of industrial history give the festival a special charm.
Date:
July 4th to 6th
Number of guests 2023:
30,000
Line-up:
Shirin David, AK Ausserkontrolle and much more. m.
Location:
Ferropolis – Gräfenhainichen
Ticket price for the entire festival:
204.95 euros
Bochum Total – Free and outside
It is one of the largest free festivals in Europe: Bochum Total is a permanent fixture on the festival calendar of many music fans. Since 1986, artists from various disciplines have been performing on six stages in the so-called Bermuda Triangle, the city's pub and party district. We are heroes, Seeed and Die Happy have already come to the Ruhr area. This year it starts on July 4th ( click
here
for the festival homepage).
Special features:
Festival fans who don't like camping much are in the right place at Bochum Total. During the day you can enjoy the diverse food and music offerings, and at night the party continues in the Bermuda Triangle. Then you go back to your own apartment or hotel.
Date:
July 4th to 7th
Number of guests in 2023:
600,000
Line-up:
still open
Location:
Bermuda Triangle in Bochum
Ticket price for the entire festival:
free
Summerjam – Reggae in Cologne
A treat for every reggae fan: At the beginning of July, around 25,000 people gather at the Summerjam to listen to Bob Marley's favorite music. It has become an integral part of the scene, it has been taking place annually since 1986 - and Ziggy Marley, the son of the reggae icon, has also appeared at the festival several times (
click
here for the festival homepage).
Special features:
In addition to the music, the terrain is particularly impressive. The festival site is located on an island directly on Lake Fühlinger, which can be reached via three access bridges. The organizers are primarily thinking about family well-being: parents who arrive with their children can use their own separate area with the help of the Comfort Camp ticket.
Date:
July 5th to 7th
Number of guests 2023:
25,000
Line-up:
Burna Boy, Sido, Marsimoto and many more m.
Location:
Fühlinger See in Cologne
Ticket price for the entire festival:
175 euros
Melt – electric highlight in Saxony-Anhalt
Since 1997, Melt has developed into one of the largest electronic and indie festivals in Germany. Bands like Phoenix, The Streets and Maximo Park have already played in Gräfenhainichen, and this year the performance of the British cult band Sugababes is one of the highlights of the three-day open-air event ( click
here
for the festival homepage).
Special features:
Although the route from the camping site to the festival site is long, visitors can even lie on a beach and go swimming. The festival is more intimate compared to Hurricane and Rock am Ring. If you never get enough, you can dance to techno sounds around the clock on the Sleepless Floor.
Date:
July 11th to 13th
Number of guests 2023:
25,000
Line-up:
Sugababes, James Blake, Slayyyter and many more m.
Location:
Ferropolis – Gräfenhainichen
Ticket price for the entire festival:
184.95 euros
Deichbrand Festival – crowd surfing? Forbidden!
Kings of Leon, The Prodigy, Peter Fox: The open-air festival near Cuxhaven traditionally has a top-class cast. Recently, up to 60,000 fans flocked to the sea airport near Cuxhaven - despite a crowd surfing ban. Anyone who does so risks being expelled (
click here
to go to the festival homepage).
Special features:
Music is the focus of the dike fire. But music fans can also try out other things: whether beer yoga, slackline, Ferris wheel or beach volleyball – a lot is possible in Cuxhaven. “Green camping” is also becoming increasingly popular: peace, no rubbish and consideration (especially) for other people.
Date:
July 18th to 21st
Number of guests in 2023:
60,000
Line-up:
Kings of Leon, The Prodigy, Peter Fox, Cro, Scooter, Clueso and many more. m.
Location:
Sea airport near Cuxhaven
Ticket price for the entire festival:
199 euros
Parookaville – HP Baxxter is coming to Weeze
Since 2015, electro fans have been gathering at the former military airport in Weeze, North Rhine-Westphalia, under the motto “Madness, love and pure happiness”. Dozens of DJs perform on one of the largest stages in Europe. This year Armin van Buuren takes on the role of headliner. The »King of Trance« will appear on the main stage, as will Paul Kalkbrenner and Timmy Trumpet (
click
here for the festival homepage).
Special features:
Each guest is considered a "citizen" of the town of Parookaville, which is home to, among other things, a supermarket, a church, a prison and a swimming pool. The concept of a “temporary city” is reminiscent of the US festival Burning Man, which took place in the Nevada desert.
Date:
July 19th to 21st
Visitors 2023:
75,000
Line-up:
Armin van Buuren, Paul Kalkbrenner, Timmy Trumpet and many more m.
Location:
Weeze Airport (NRW)
Ticket price for the entire festival:
249 euros
Juicy Beats – Festival in Westfalenpark
Juicy Beats is one of the younger festivals in Germany. In 2009, fans flocked to Dortmund's Westfalenpark for the first time to listen to the sounds of electronic, rock and hip-hop bands. Back then, an entry ticket cost around 30 euros. Since then, the number of guests has more than doubled and ticket prices have more than quadrupled. This year the rappers Alligatoah and Cro are headlining in the Ruhr area
(click here for the festival homepage).
Special features:
The festival area in Westfalenpark is large. The so-called fruit guidance system is intended to give guests a rough orientation. In the late evening, paths, trees and lakes are illuminated with bright colors to guide everyone to the desired location. If that doesn't help, the Juicy Beats app can help.
Date:
July 26th to 27th
Number of guests in 2023:
44,000
Line-up:
Cro, Alligatoah, Querbeat and much more. m.
Location:
Dortmund (Westfalenpark)
Ticket price for the entire festival:
125 euros
Wacken – madness in the north
The mother of all heavy metal festivals: Since 1990, the 1,900-inhabitant community of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein has been in a state of emergency for one weekend a year. This year again, pioneers of rock music have confirmed their attendance: The performance of the Scorpions, who had to announce the death of their former drummer James Kottak in January, is particularly eagerly awaited (
click
here for the festival homepage).
Special features:
“I feel at home here” – that’s what Alice Cooper said in the ZDF documentary “Wacken – The Film”. In fact, things in Wacken are going exactly according to the old rocker's taste. It gets loud and often muddy. Last year the festival was even close to being canceled due to heavy rain.
Date:
July 31st to August 3rd
Guest numbers 2023:
75,000
Line-up:
Scorpions, In Extremo, Blind Guardian and many more m.
Location:
Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein
Ticket price for the entire festival:
sold out
Nature One – superlative electronic festival
Techno, trance and hardcore fans have come to the right place at Nature One. Every year up to 65,000 visitors make the pilgrimage to one of Europe's largest electronic festivals in Rhineland-Palatinate. Over 350 DJs will be playing on a total of 22 floors
(click here for the festival homepage)
.
Special features:
The organizers describe the festival site, a former NATO missile base, as a place of peace, freedom and tolerance. Not far from the small town of Kastellaun, the many electric fans are particularly looking forward to a venue that is historically and architecturally interesting. However, that wasn't always the case: the first edition of Nature One in 1995 was celebrated on the grounds of Frankfurt-Hahn Airport.
Date:
August 1st to 4th
Number of guests 2023:
65,000
Line-up:
Paul van Dyk, Alle Farben, Aka Aka and many more. m.
Location:
Pydna – rocket base near Kastellaun (Rhineland-Palatinate)
Ticket price for the entire festival:
119 euros
Highfield Festival – Colorful music mix right by the lake
A colorful mix awaits indie rock fans at Störmthaler See near Leipzig. Hip-hop and rock greats alike perform at the Highfield Festival. This year these include Peter Fox, Rise Against and US rapper Macklemore. Since the festival started in 1998 (then still in Thuringia), the number of guests has more than tripled (
click
here for the festival homepage).
Special features:
At Störmthaler See, visitors can test their skills in tube riding, windsurfing and stand-up paddling, among other things. Not only is the large festival area convenient, but also traveling by car: the municipality of Großpösna is located on the A38 near Leipzig.
Date:
August 16th to 18th
Guest numbers 2023:
35,000
Line-up:
Peter Fox, Rise Against, Macklemore and many more m.
Location:
Magdeborn Peninsula on Lake Störmthal in Großpösna near Leipzig
Ticket price for the entire festival:
199 euros
September
Lollapalooza Festival – The classic from the USA
In 2015, Lollapalooza moved from the USA to Germany, more precisely to the Olympic site in Berlin. Important for those arriving: There is no campsite, so visitors should find somewhere cheap to sleep early ( click
here
for the Berlin festival homepage).
Special features:
At some festivals, fans are advised not to bring small children with them. This doesn't apply to Lollapalooza: "Kidzapalooza" welcomes children aged zero to eleven away from the hustle and bustle, where they can do crafts, play and dance. There are changing options and you can even buy noise-reducing headphones for the little ones.
Date:
September 7th to 8th
Number of guests in 2023:
60,000
Line-up:
not yet known
Location:
Olympic grounds Berlin
Ticket price for the entire festival:
189 euros