Full Force Festival

Full Force — Metal Festival at an Industrial Monument

Ferropolis near Gräfenhainichen in the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district is one of Germany's most unusual venues. On a peninsula in Gremminer See – created from the former Golpa-Nord open-cast lignite mine – five giant bucket-wheel excavators and spreaders from GDR mining industry have stood since the 1990s. An open-air museum that also serves as a concert arena. Few places in Europe create a comparable image: stark industry as a backdrop, in front of it a festival audience that appreciates such a spectacle.

Full Force has been around since 1994 and is considered one of Germany's most important metal, hardcore, and punk festivals. The organizer is Goodlive Festival GmbH, which also organized Splash! or Melt!. Over the years, acts such as Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Architects, Bullet For My Valentine, Dropkick Murphys, Electric Callboy, Five Finger Death Punch, Gojira, Heaven Shall Burn, Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, and Parkway Drive have played here.

Return in 2026 After a Year's Break

The 2025 edition was cancelled. The Goodlive crew used the year for a reorientation and announced the festival's return in spring 2026. Exact dates and the lineup are traditionally announced first via the newsletter and social media channels. Initial booking trends suggest a weekend in mid-June 2026, in the usual three-day format.

Ferropolis — The Venue as an Argument

Those who visit Full Force don't just come for the music. The Ferropolis site is an industrial monument that can also be visited outside of the festival. The five excavators have names – Big Wheel, Medusa, Mosquito, Gemini, Mad Max – and have stood here on the peninsula since 1995. The site belongs to the Saxon-Anhalt 'Industrial Garden Kingdom' region around Dessau and Bitterfeld-Wolfen. Visitors traveling to the festival should also plan to visit the Bauhaus Dessau and Wörlitz Park, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.