In 2025, we once again kicked off our festival season at METALFEST OPEN AIR,
taking place June 6–8 in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Following consistently excellent
experiences in previous years, METALFEST OPEN AIR has now secured a
permanent spot in our annual concert calendar. Unfortunately, the weather gods
apparently weren’t in favor of the festival this year. Thus, alongside beer mugs and
good spirits, rain capes and rain jackets became arguably the most essential items.
Only the truly die-hard metalheads did without any rain gear at all, simply letting the
rain showers have their way. Despite the weather, the amphitheater in Pilsen again
delivered three days of metal, partying, rain, mud, and beer.

FRIDAY
The first official day of the festival kicked off shortly after noon with HOUSE OF
DAWN, though many metalheads had already been waiting all morning outside the
“sacred gates” of the amphitheater for the doors to open. For the most part, most
bands were able to perform in the dry on the first day, though the cloud cover kept
rolling in, bringing light rain showers. That wasn’t enough to dampen a true
metalhead’s spirits, and the crowd went wild during the sets by MAJESTICA, ALL
FOR METAL, and BLOODBOUND.
LACUNA COIL’s performance was a special one, as it was singer Christina
Scabbia’s “birthday gig.” She was surprised on stage with a birthday cake by
EPICA’s singer and Friday headliner WITHIN TEMPTATION’s frontwoman Sharon
den Adel. The emotionally charged birthday girl delivered a killer show featuring
songs from her latest album as well as old classics. All good things come in
threes—three times the girl power, because LACUNA COIL was followed by an
“epic” show from EPICA and then a bombastic show from WITHIN TEMPTATION.

SATURDAY
The weather gods weren’t so kind after that, as the showers became more frequent
on Saturday, temperatures dropped, and the mud turned into a quagmire. Some
metalheads had to seek shelter after the shows because their clothes were soaked
through. The opening act, VANAHEIM, took the stage at a reasonable hour—10:15
a.m.—and woke up the last of the sleepers. The day’s lineup continued with
MIRACLE FLAIR, FROZEN CROWN, ELVENKING, DYNAZTY, LORD OF THE
LOST, AMARANTHE, and ALESTORM. Saturday’s headliner was KREATOR, who
were able to perform their set in the dry.

SUNDAY
The final day of the festival was quite mixed and soggy, as the showers became
more frequent, the dry spells grew shorter, and temperatures dropped dramatically. T-
shirts and shorts had to be stowed in the trunk and replaced with thick rain jackets,
since regular rain ponchos couldn’t withstand the weather. The first cars leaving had
to be pulled out of the campground because they got stuck in the mud. But a true
metalhead isn’t fazed by the lousy weather—they’ll still rock out to their bands even
in bad conditions. Even though there were changes to the lineup, no one let it get
them down.
HUMAN ZOO, AD INFINITUM, MUNICIPAL WASTE, DEATH ANGEL, and
STRATOVARIUS performed their shows as planned and turned the final day of the
festival into a celebration despite the rain. The final headliner was KING DIAMOND,
whose elaborate stage set was a real feast for the eyes, and “Mr. Diamond” treated
the audience to a theatrical show. Even though the weather wasn’t perfect for a
festival, the METAL FEST OPEN AIR 2025 was a fantastic metal party and will
remain in the memories of attendees for a long time to come.