Last weekend we visited Summer Breeze 2019. This year’s edition was held between 14-17 August in Dinkelsbühl, Germany. The festival is one of the last ones every festival season, and here we list everything why it is the perfect way for metalheads to end their summer.
Outstanding lineup
The lineup at Summer Breeze deserves attention every year, and 2019 was no different. Next to the headliners and bands who played most metal festivals this summer you could also see acts who you barely had a chance to catch anywhere else. With such a unique and interesting bill visitors better prepare themselves to start the party at noon and only call it a night at 3 in the morning!
Smart solutions
Such a brilliant lineup is hosted on a U-shaped festival ground and the bands play on four stages. On one end you find the Main Stage, in the other the T Stage, and in between the Wera Tool Stage. The last stage – Ficken Party Stage – is located in the campground, close to the infield entrance. Fortunately distances between the stages are big enough not to mix the concerts, but also short enough to catch your favourite acts in time.
However, the most distinct feature of the festival is the Main Stage. It is not just incredibly huge compared to all the other stages, it also has several smart ideas to make sure tens of thousands of fans have a fantastic concert experience. One of these features is the revolving stage. Just like in theatres, they revolve stage setups, which saves loads of time. While one band is already on stage, in the meantime they can build the stage for the upcoming one. When the first band finishes, they revolve the stage by 180 degrees and in 15-20 minutes the next band is already on!
There are also crowd control measures implemented in front of the Main Stage – as well as the T Stage. The area in front of the stage is broken down into smaller sections. Those who want to party hard can go to the golden circle, while calmer fans have a more chill area a bit further back. This division helps breaking the huge crowd, and is also useful when it comes to crowdsurfers. Behind every division line you find security guards who can take you off safely.
You never go thirsty or hungry
Summer Breeze is a German festival, so beer is something you do not have to worry about! Plenty of bars are located on the infield, including cocktail and spirit bars. When it comes to shots and long drinks, Ficken and the Summer Breeze signature spirits are the ones to go for. The signature gin and tonic definitely made a special place in our hearts! The beer reservation feature made travelling to site easy and light for festival visitors. Fans of craft beer were not forgotten either: in the festival supermarket you could pick up excellent brews from Camba Bavaria, something that IPA lovers should definitely try!
You would not go hungry at Summer Breeze either. The wide range of food options include Chinese noodles, döners, pizza, hot dogs, burgers, amazing roasts and fries. Of course German, especially Bavarian specialties could be found as well, and we all know that there is barely a better start of a day than a tactical bratwurst and a fine beer! Do not worry though, vegetarians and vegans were not left out, several veggie and vegan options were on site.
The most energetic and passionate crowd
Maybe it is Germany, maybe it is the fact that Summer Breeze is one of the last festivals we can go to, but one thing is for sure: the audience is insanely good! If we would need to describe the general atmosphere during concerts in two words, we would say: frisbees and crowdsurfers. Frisbees given out by Nuclear Blast were flying from every direction, and we could count on two hands all the concerts that did not have any crowdsurfers.
Passion of the fans could be seen on their dress as well. Of course you see people in black T-shirts, boots and battle vests with patches everywhere, but at Summer Breeze the crowd takes fancy dresses to a whole different level. We have seen an army of T-rexes during Heavysaurus, and we have spotted Jesus as well plenty of times in the pit! The most prepared crowd was most likely at the set of Czech goregrind band Gutalax. We have never seen this many inflatables, toilet brushes and loo rolls flying at a single concert!
Such an energetic crowd is always in to push the limits. When Chris McHanon from Thy Art is Murder asked to make a 50m diameter circle pit between the cordons, the audience has done it without hesitation! The crowd also made sure staff have fun as well. During In Flames some people picked up a girl selling cigarettes to crowdsurf! She did not have a choice at all, but at the end of the day she seemed to have tremendous fun! As we all did last weekend at Summer Breeze 2019.
Summer Breeze 2019 highlight: Parkway Drive
If there is one concert that definitely deserves to be highlighted from Summer Breeze 2019, it is the headlining show of Parkway Drive. There was not a single free spot in front of the Main Stage, everything was packed. Once the concert has started, absolute madness begin as well! The crowd was moving throughout the entire set, and crowdsurfers were flowing to the front in waves. Everyone jumped, and quite a lot of people set their energy free in the pit. This insanely energetic audience had an effect on the band as well. Parkway Drive loved the energy, and they gave in all they got to make their last European festival show this summer an unforgettable memory.
How did you enjoy Summer Breeze 2019?
Were you at Summer Breeze 2019 too? We would like to know how you experienced the festival. Below, you can rate the festival in seven different categories. In September, we conclude which festivals were the best during the Festileaks Festival Awards. Participation is voluntary and anonymous.
[awards poll=”festileaks-festival-awards-2019″ festival=”summer-breeze-open-air”]
Summer Breeze Open Air 2019
Summer Breeze Open Air is a German metal festival held annually in Dinkelsbühl since 1997. Around 40,000 metalheads attend the festival every year. Originally, it was held in Abtsgmünd until 2006, when they moved it to Dinkelsbühl. The festival has brought names from all over the word, like Korn, Sabaton, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Slayer, and many more.
For more information, visit the official website.
