With a couple of false starts this year, summer is finally upon us, bring with it the much anticipated Metal festival season, which is now in full-swing. As regular tourers of the European circuit will already know, Rockharz Open Air is one of the most beloved festivals in Germany, providing an unparalleled view to the scenic Blocksberg. In just over a month, this increasingly popular festival will open its gates to tens of thousands of fans, and will take place in Ballenstedt in Germany over the weekend from Wednesday 5th to Saturday 8th July 2017.

Although there are dozens of festivals happening each year, Rockharz Open Air is probably one of the most recommendable. The festival is small enough that it still has a familiar feel to it, but still large enough that top-notch bands play each year. So if the gaggling mass of people seen at the larger festivals is something you'd like to avoid, but you still want your star-studded line-up, then look no further than Rockharz Open Air!

Opening up the festivities for the weekend is the famous warm-up party on Wednesday 5th July, which is definitely not something to be missed. But more than that, Rockharz Open Air has always had a reputation for bringing out the big guns, and this year is no exception. Rockharz Open Air festival has organised a tantalising line-up that has something for everyone, regardless of your particular predilection. For some folksy fun, be sure to catch bands like MR HURLEY UND DIE PULVERAFFEN, FEUERSCHWANZ, ELUVEITE, IN EXTREMO, and the incomparable KORPIKLANI. WOLFHEART will also be sure to deliver a fantastic show; I recently got to see them play, and their show was completely phenomenal. I personally can't wait to catch them again! And while we're on the topic of bands that always put on an astounding show, PAIN is always nothing short of brilliant. Peter Tägtgren is one of the best musicians in the Metal scene these days, and always delivers an unforgettable show. Who knows, he might even be on tour with the Joachim Boden's puppet again… And for Black Metal fans, Rockharz has everything from the mellow Post-Black sounds of ALCEST all the way to the brutal onslaught of BELPHEGOR. For fans of the more classic Heavy Metal sound, prepare to have your festival made by not only CIVIL WAR, but BLIND GUARDIAN, GRAVE DIGGER, and ICED EARTH to boot. Thrashers can look forward to DEATH ANGEL and DESERTED FEAR, whilst those more Core inclined can prepare to go all out to HEAVEN SHALL BURN. Other big names to not miss out on are DARK TRANQUILITY, ARCH ENEMY, RAGE, LACUNA COIL, and MOONSPELL. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. For a look at the full line-up, click here.

Other highlights include a beer garden where you can kick back with your friends and enjoy a spot of sun, and enjoying some food from the variety of stalls available. And for those of you who prefer your comforts a bit closer to home, the camping grounds will also have sales points where you can buy your breakfast each day. A supermarket is also available in close proximity, so you don't have to lug all your food and drinks from home. Be sure to collect your rubbish too: not only will presenting your garbage bag at the end of the festival earn you your garbage deposit back, but you'll also receive a special present for doing so, namely a festival poster featuring a photo taken on the Thursday. There will also be pre-set up tents available for rent (check out this site). If you can't stand the thought of the portaloos which are so ubiquitous at festivals, the good news is you can even rent your own portaloo too, making your festival experience that much more comfortable.

To make getting to the festival as easy as possible using public transport, it's possible to use a bus to get to the festival grounds from Quedlinburg, the nearest train station. The festival is also accessible through other forms of public transport, as well as obviously also being reachable by car. So no excuses! Metal Temple looks forward to seeing you there!