Summer of Festivals - Where to go!!!

DenMan

Please can somebody help me out here? Been looking at gigs for the upcoming summer, festivals specifically and seem to be at a complete loss.........as to where I want to go. There are so many awesome gigs coming up. In an ideal world I would love to go to all of them. Alas I don’t think that is possible.

Had been really looking forward to Wacken and had set my mind on going this year. The festival itself sounds brilliant and with so many of my favourite bands playing it was a priority for me as I have never been there before. With bands like Amon Amarth, DragonForce, Epica, In Flames, Hammerfall, Motorhead, Bullet for My Valentine and Tristania all on board it seems an obvious winner.

Also Download is another option as Metallica, Slipknot, Biffy Clyro, God Forbid, Spineshank and Lamb of God are all rumoured to hit the stage.

Now I am in a dilemma. Over the hols I bought the new album from Battlelore and right now I love this band. Just went to their website and found that they will take to the stage in August at the Summer Breeze Open Air Festival in Germany along with Opeth, Firewind and Backyard Babies (who I saw very recently). I honestly do not what to do. Is anybody else having this dilemma or have they decided what to do for their metal fix this coming summer. What are your plans?

http://www.wacken.com/en/woa2009/main-bands/billing-2009/

http://www.summer-breeze.de/site.php

http://efestivals.com/festivals/lineups.php?FestID=2904

Thanks in advance.

Den

- bo -

Me and my mate did Download in '07, great weekend, we got cheap flights (about €40-45) and the ticket was around the €230 mark. The festival site is right nextdoor to the airport so a couple of quid for a taxi and youre sorted, some people even walk it. Expensive ticket and of course you have to change your money but cheap and easy to get to.
We didnt do it last year because the line-up was complete rubbish, so we decided to do...

Rock am Ring in Germany. Opposite to Download in that the ticket is dirt cheap but its a lot longer and harder to get to. 6 of the best days of my life though. The tickets are dirt cheap (€125 or so we paid) and our flights were around €140 to Frankfurt Main. When you get there theres a fair bit of travelling to get to the site and back (2 hours train followed by 1 hour shuttle bus and vice versa) but it was well worth it, the lineup was fantastic and the campsites are madness.
The first few bands for this year have been announced including Slipknot, Placebo and The Killers.

Any questions about either then send me a PM and if I can help I will

spiritcrusher

I'm looking at Hellfest, Headbangers Open Air and Metalcamp as my European festivals this year. However judging from the bands you listed Headbangers Open Air probably wouldn't be your thing.
Still, there's a chance Hellfest might interest you (pretty big festival, Motorhead and about 30/40 bands already confirmed with 100+ in total playing).
Also mmaaybe Metalcamp might interest you, not too many bands announced yet (Nightwish, Dimmu Borgir, Edguy, Blind Guardian are the biggest ones so far). It's beside a lake in Slovenia, spectacular scenery, runs for five days and usually has a great spread of bands.

DenMan

If Nightwish and Dimmu Borgir are headlining I am totally up for it. Have some mates from Slovakia who say Slovenia is great for metal festivals. My choices have now hit an all time high. Which normally would be a good thing, but in this case has made it all the more difficult to decide on where to go.

DenMan

Lowlands is also another brilliant option, several hundred performances. Has anybody heard anything regarding who might be performing this year? Did a bit of searching and nothing yet. Anybody go last year?

Léan

Hellfest and Headbangers open air come highly recommended.

Stay away from Bloodstock in Birmmingham, gone for the last two years and it's getting consistantly worse and it's a rip off.

Hellfest is excellent, really well run, great bands, really international feel.

HeadBangers Open Air is probably the best festival i've ever been at, but if you don't like Thrash or obsure old skool metal you could hate it.

Graspop is supposed to be excellent also, extremely well run from what i hear.



Hitting Hellfest, Graspop and Headbangers Open Air this year myself, might hit Wacken as i'l be in the neighbourhood, Metalcamp too. :pac::pac:

Oral Slang

Léan wrote: »

Stay away from Bloodstock in Birmmingham, gone for the last two years and it's getting consistantly worse and it's a rip off.

I've been to Bloodstock the last 2 years and would say quite the opposite - it's getting progressively better, would definitely recommend it. However, it's not going to ever compete with the Wackens, Graspops & Hellfests of this world, as it's a much smaller festival & is hoping to

I've been to Wacken & Graspop loads of times. Wacken has sold out, so mightn't even be an option. I stopped going in 2003 as the line-up started going downhill & it was just getting too packed.

Hoping to head to Graspop this year for the 7th time, line-up depending. A good aul festival, good set up, decent food & drink at good prices. Had been hoping to try out Hellfest for a change this year, but my exams clash with it. I'd love to try Metalcamp either but not sure whether I could wangle a week off around then. It's supposed to be a nice little festival, really chilled!

Here's a handy link for the metal festivals: http://www.metaltravelguide.com/php/festivals.php

DenMan

Cheers Oral Slang.

Has anyone been to Desert Rock in Dubai. Was reading about the 2008 festival over the summer in Hammer. It attracts a lot of European fans. A festival in the desert....f'n awesome.

Civilian_Target

We did Hurricane 2005 (Germany), Pukkelpop 2006 (Belguim) and Electric Weekend 2008 (Spain)
Hurricane was awesome. Superb. One of the best weekends I've ever had.
Pukkelpop was very good, well organised but the crowd wasn't quite as lively.
Electric Weekend was very badly organised, and definitely we should have picked a different festival (of course, it was still lots of fun)

DenMan

Went to the Hellfest website and line up looks brilliant. Epica will be performing as well as Amon Amarth, Whitechapel, Stratovarious, Enslaved and Entombed. Looks very good.

DenMan

Not festival related I know but.......

Dilemma time. Huge Nightwish fan and their gig in March in London that I wanted to go to has been hit by a beers in Dusseldorf in March.

Looking into seeing the band play in the Netherlands in Rotterdam at the Ahoy Arena. Has anybody ever been there before? Is it recommended?

Also looking at their Paris and Hungary gigs too!!

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Den

quoteunquote

I went to Wacken last year and had a brilliant time! A friend of mine told me that Summer Breeze was very badly organised and the place was filthy. Why not try Metal Camp in Slovenia? From what I heard it's brilliant!

DenMan

Am still at a complete loss as to where to go. Has anybody seen After Forever, Xandria or Namesea perform live? Really like those guys so much right now (thank you last.fm). I wonder are they scheduled for any summer festivals?

Wacken would be awesome but tickets are very hard to come by. Hellfest looks brill.

Tazz T

Helfest is easily the best line up this summer. Manowar making a rare appearance at a mainstream festival. Unbeatable.

Kennington

DenMan wrote: »

Lowlands is also another brilliant option, several hundred performances. Has anybody heard anything regarding who might be performing this year? Did a bit of searching and nothing yet. Anybody go last year?

I was at Lowlands last year and I must say its the best festival Ive ever been to, theres absolutely tons of things to do and it puts Irish festivals to shame. Theres also a nice mix of genres and youre guarenteed to hear some new band who youll fall in love with, its such a clean festival and everyone is great there, we didnt see one fight, everyone got along, cant recommend it enough.

g5fd6ow0hseima

Is there actually a festival called 'headbangers open air'?

Chaosangel

http://www.headbangers-open-air.de/en/index1.php

smackbunnybaby

Tazz T wrote: »

Helfest is easily the best line up this summer. Manowar making a rare appearance at a mainstream festival. Unbeatable.

Hellfest always pull the big names from i have seen over the last few years.
It's a good thing cus the festival itself and facilities were not good when i was there so you need something to take your mind away from it.

but done get me wrong, had a great time, saw some great bands. i am just a bit of a comforts person :-)

DenMan

Definitely looking in the direction of Hellfest that's for sure, I would also love to try and make it over for Lowlands too.

That would be awesome, some nice replies. Thanks guys.

RHRN

Not really a festival but is anyone going to Priest Feast?

Motley Crue

Im going to Graspop

MeetReality

Brutal Assault in Czech Republic always has a great lineup and this year is no different off the top of my head some bands announced so far

Opeth
Testament
Suffocation
Misery Index
Pestilence
Necrophagist
Beneath The Massacre
The Faceless
Dark Funeral
Hate Eternal
Krisiun
Madball
Marduk

Strongly considering this

subzero12

id go to brutal assault but seen in Opeth a few months ago same with suffocation in fibbers and Misery Index is playing fibbers soon too im just lazy really but i think hellfest for me this year!

DenMan

Been looking into seeing both Disturbed and Dragonforce and came across the following festival in Sweden:

http://www.metaltown.se/

Also Children of Bodom and Pain are also on the card. Has anybody ever been to Sweden or this gig in particular? Looks awesome and has got me seriously considering it.

GhostInTheRuins

Ah, now I'm almost contemplating Hellfest, excellent line up it has to be said.

c - 13

DenMan wrote: »

Cheers Oral Slang.

Has anyone been to Desert Rock in Dubai. Was reading about the 2008 festival over the summer in Hammer. It attracts a lot of European fans. A festival in the desert....f'n awesome.

I'm considering going to it, its about an hours flight from where I live.

Its been tailed back into a one day event this year and the venue has supposedly changed this year too bloody good line up though - Motorhead, Arch Enemy, Opeth, Chimaira, August Burns Red, Nervecell, Hatred ... theres one other band i cant remember at the moment too.

DenMan

http://www.last.fm/event/895245#lineup

Will definitely be attending this festival in Romainia. Amon Amarth, Sirenia, Theatre des Vampires and Ancient Rites.

Very pleased when I saw this link.

GhostInTheRuins

DenMan wrote: »

http://www.last.fm/event/895245#lineup

Will definitely be attending this festival in Romainia. Amon Amarth, Sirenia, Theatre des Vampires and Ancient Rites.

Very pleased when I saw this link.

You should check out Brainstorm who are playing that too, their album downburst was one of the best new albums I got last year, and their older stuff is even better imo.

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=WWbnGpdfp_I
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=o9LznJFQr5I
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=XXSJSLTHIYU

D.Q

only one place for me this year,the hallowed grounds of Donnington.

djScarey

Further additions to Hellfest include Deicide, Moonsorrow, Gojira, Dagoba, Kataklysm, Eyehategod, Nola, Orakle, Aborted, Pestilence, Black Dahlia, Vision of Disorder, Amebix etc. Still 40 more or so to be announced.

Those travelling to most German festivals and Hellfest can get coach returns to/ from the major German cities (and Metz/ Clisson for Hellfest) on:

http://www.dominanztravel.com

Costs-a bit pricey-are revealed about three months before the relevant festival.

OK-Cancel-Apply

ManOwaR headlining Hellfest - I'm there!