| Rock Hard Festival | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Heavy metal |
| Dates | weekend of Pentecost |
| Locations | Gelsenkirchen, Germany |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Website | www.rockhardfestival.de |
Rock Hard Festival is a heavy metal festival organized and sponsored by the Rock Hard magazine. First established in Lichtenfels, Bavaria, Germany, in 1990 on an irregular basis, [1] mostly for magazine anniversaries, it is held annually in Gelsenkirchen, since 2003. Its 2016 edition was taken place on 13–15 May 2016.
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The 2003 festival was also initially planned for the 20th anniversary of the magazine as a single event. But the fans voted it as the best metal open-air in Germany and so they continued. The festival is still held at the amphitheater which is located directly at the Rhein-Herne-Kanal in the Nordsternpark in Gelsenkirchen. The amphitheater has a maximum capacity of 7,000 people. The festival was the only festival with international metal bands in the Ruhrgebiet area [2] until the Rock am Ring offshoot Rock im Revier, which was organized by the Nürburgring operating company Deutsche Entertainment AG (DEAG), took place in Gelsenkirchen in 2015. [3] Kreator canceled the show at Rock im Revier for their headlining appearance at the smaller Rock Hard Festival. [3]
