3-Days-Festival-Ticket: 148.50 Euro (incl. fees)
3-Days-Festival-Ticket plus Camping: 203 Euro (incl. fees)

Friday: 60.50 Euro
Saturday: 71.50 Euro
Sunday: 71.50 Euro

6/6 • Exodus - Geoff Tate - Death Angel - Municipal Waste - Attic - Sanhedrin

6/7 • Dismember - Crimson Glory - Nile - Threshold - Dool - The Gems - The Night Eternal - Amethyst

6/8 • W.A.S.P. - Dirkschneider - Myrath - Victory - Deserted Fear - The Crypt - Hiraes - Tailgunner

[Dajana] Finally. Pentecost! Time for our annual ritual. Once again, the NH crew celebrates the start of the metal summer festival season with the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL in the (sadly at this point no longer quite so) wonderful :: Gelsenkirchen Amphitheater ::.

[Sui] The annual family reunion is approaching! I’m also wondering how much the amphitheater has already suffered, hard to take any guess before arrival. There’s also the weather forecast as a reason to be anxious, as it suggests a cool and damp weekend. Who hasn't finished their beer again?
[Dajana] Yeah, the weather forecast is not really great. Fortunately, metalheads aren't made of sugar... And as for the site... there's already a lot of digging going on around it... The “former campsite” would make for an excellent paintball battle ground this year ;)

[BRT] The ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2025 is plagued by construction works (IGA), an uncertain future (not that that‘s much different in the last two years…) as well as the rampant inflation across the entire event sector (I'm already dreading the merch prices). Add to the list of problems the ongoing crisis in the print magazine sector, the aging scene and competition in form of the Battle Cry Festival (a small festival that would probably not have taken place if the ROCK HARD Team had been able to greenlight the RHF earlier) in and around the Turock just a few kilometers away. It all doesn't sound so rosy, but metalheads wouldn't be metalheads if they let things like this hold them down. Despite all that, were still looking forward to the relaxed atmosphere in this unique location and the company of the best people you could wish for. Let's go!

[Seb] In recent years, the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL has not exactly been under a good star for me as far as health is concerned - if I believed in higher powers and conspiracies, I'd might by now be convinced that something or someone is trying to keep me away from the festival, haha.
But no chance: not only must the “family reunion” not be missed, it is also unclear how/where the festival will continue from here and how often, if at all, we will be able to celebrate our traditional start of the festival season “as we always have”.
Although death metal is no longer my favorite genre, the announcements of NILE and DISMEMBER please me a lot: I've only ever seen the former in top form and it must be around two full decades that I’ve been at a DISMEMBER show...
Let's hope that the weather won't at least be any worse than the already grim forecast. Rain is mainly annoying, but strong and gusty winds are unfortunately almost always to the detriment of the sound, especially in this venue.

[Psycho] Unfortunately, I will only be able to visit the first day of this year's ROCK HARD FESTIVAL. On this particular day, the stylistic diversity that usually characterizes the festival for me is rather lacking. All Thrash Metal bands in the line up play the same day, leaving room for only a little bit of a supporting program (at least top-class in SANHEDRIN and GEOFF TATE). While Friday is traditionally regarded to be the “harder” day of the festival, the current edition deviates from that with NILE and DISMEMBER playing on Saturday. Maybe we can split the styles a bit more evenly across the three days going forward.
Otherwise, there's no question about it: I'll definitely be there for one day, if only because of the pack of friends meeting...

:: Friday :: Saturday :: Sunday :: Summary :: Impressions ::

[Dajana] There have been quite a few organizational changes, as the amphitheater and the entire Nordsternpark are currently being remodeled for serving a part in the International Garden Exhibition 2027 (IGA). Currently, it all looks still rather harmless and the campers certainly can’t complain about the new site, but it remains to be seen what happens next year and the year after...
The ticket prices increased significantly (both more than usually and more than expected) in 2025, especially the camping tickets (a big jump up from 167.80 Euros to 203 Euros). That will certainly not have pleased many people...
Also unexpected, but on a positive note: the ROCK HARD TEAM got the old (formerly CCS) “pit crew” back together under their own banner. Most people won’t care about that, but the photographers do, as do all the crowd surfing fans, who wish land safe in the pit. A lot of love goes out to them ♥♥♥♥

[Seb] 5.50 Euros for a 0.4 liter Veltins is a 10% increase on the previous year. An increase had of course to be expected, but 13.75 Euros for a liter is pretty steep and almost the same as the infamous “Oktoberfest prices”. The deposit for the reusable cups (this year printed with three or four quite pretty RHF motifs) also climbed from 2 to 3 Euros. If one were a cynic, one could think that the organizers hope for as many people as possible to collect the cups and end up “buying” them for 3 Euros each…

[Psycho] The merch prices have indeed gone up considerably (you won’t find an official band shirt for less than 30 Euros anymore), but overall, I’d say the increases in drinks and food was moderate. I had expected worse.

[Sui] Since everyone else has already commented on the increased prices, I'll save myself the trouble. I'll rather look forward to seeing all the familiar faces of our metal family, as per usual gathered right below the mixing desk. I can't always put names to all the faces (the age), but it's good to see that the number is relatively stable.

[Dajana] As every year, there’s not only good music (no cancellations or changes in the line-up this year), but also a variety of supporting programs. On offer are various readings (Kumpels in Kutten, Laut.Stark.Leben), a radio play (L.B. Steel Live), a local artwork exhibition by Thomas Ewerhard and Björn Gooßes, several signing sessions and of course the after-show parties. Of course, the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2025 was also streamed live by WDR. For all those who couldn't be there, take a look » HERE « :)

[Dajana] As always at the end of our introduction, our heartfelt thanks go to the ROCK HARD TEAM. The festival season would not be the same if we couldn't open it with the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL ;) It is always a very special pleasure for us to be part of this party. A big virtual smooch to everyone involved :) And of course a lot of love goes out to all the many helpers, toilet ladies and men, medics and (the new) :: Südwestfälischer Sicherheitsdienst :: who cared for us day and night ♥♥♥♥

Stories • BRT, Sui, Seb, Psycho, Dajana • Pics © Dajana & Dajana Winkel • Photography