From Vainstream 2017 to this year's edition of the festival

Not sure whether you should add Vainstream to your festival tour or road trip this year? Well, let's travel back in time. Back to the Vainstream 2017 moshpit. Let's see what the Vainstream festival was like in 2017.

Rock, metal and punk(rock) fans have many options when it comes to awesome rock/metal festivals in Europe. There are many reasons to go to a particular festival, mainly the line-up. But there are other factors as well that will turn a regular festival into an amazing festival. An amazing festival that'll make the trip to Europe worth your while.

Why Vainstream in 2017?

For me, there was only one reason to buy a ticket for Vainstream Rockfest. It was the only place that summer where I would be able to see German band Broilers live. I recently “discovered” them by listening to online radio station Rock Antenne Hard & Heavy (can you believe that it was the ad for their upcoming tour that got me hooked?).

After purchasing and listening to their live album “Santa Muerte Live Tapes” I knew I wanted to experience them live and shout out the lyrics to "Meine Sache, mein Problem" (My thing, my problem). Yeah I know, it was about time I started listening to this band as the Broilers have been active since 1994. Better late than never aye.

So, Vainstream 2017 it was. The rest of the line-up wasn't too shabby either. To mention some of the other favourites.

• Dave Hause
• Architects
• Dropkick Murphys
• A Day To Remember
• Broilers
• ... and many more awesome bands performed that year

Arriving at Vainstream 2017

Münster is easy to reach by car. You can get very close to the festival area (the parking lot of a trade fair venue). Close to the railroad station and close to the train tracks there are heaps of parking spaces where you can park the whole day for just €4 (bring coins as the machine doesn't accept cards). Around the Hafenstrasse, if I remember correctly.

From there it's a 5 to 10 minutes walk to the festival venue. In 2017 it wasn't a beautiful summer day. It started out rainy but got better in the evening. Always bring a poncho or garbage bag, just in case.

Getting ready to party

The weather didn't ruin the festival at all. It was a great day. You'll get used to the weird layout soon enough. As you enter you'll have to walk through an area with market stalls and food & drink stalls. After that, you'll be approaching the stages (two main stages and some smaller stages).

As heaps of people stay near the last rows of beer stalls it can get quite busy there. Make your way through the drinking crowd to get closer to the main stages. Or veer to the side for the smaller stages. Just make sure you're close enough to the main stage where your all-time favourite will play to get super close to the action. The Broilers' mosh pit in my case.

Photos of Vainstream 2017