| 3-days-Festivalpass incl. Program book: 163.90 Euro + fees |

Comfort-Pass: 82.50 Euro
Camper Van parking: 66 Euro
Camping: 16.50 Euro

Prophetic Overture • Simone Salvatori - Neun Welten - Nest - Opening Ceremony & Welcome Drink

9/4 • Tiamat - Arthur Brown - Empyrium - Dymna Lotva - Spiritual Front - Dold Vorde Ens Navn - Farsot // Neun Welten - Maunah

9/5 • Nergal+ Misþyrming - The 3rd & The Mortal - Secrets Of The Moon - Sleeping Pulse - Misþyrming - Sun Of The Sleepless - Dornenreich - Camerata Mediolanense - Aaron Stainthorpe+Mark Deeks+Jo Quail // Paragon Of Beauty (2 shows) - Hangover In Minsk - Maunah

For two years I had to skip the PROPHECY FEST at the legendary Balve Cave due to work commitments, missing out on great bands, shows, and that unique atmosphere. Dam it! But the silver lining was, that, as soon as the new date was announced during the festival, I was able to schedule my vacation and book the hotel for this year, while everybody in the cave was cheering the bands. And so, this year, I finally made it again. Yeah!

I was especially looking forward to the very last Antithesis anniversary show by SECRETS OF THE MOON - who had broken up in 2022 - and, of course, to the NERGAL & MISÞYRMING performance. DOLD VORDE ENS NAVN are always great, and EMPYRIUM too, of course … oh, I realize once again that I’d have to list the entire lineup right here in the introduction… hahaha. What a nonsense! I’d just be repeating myself later on… Okay. To cut it short: yes, I can’t wait to be back in the cave :)

On Thursday noon I hit the road for Balve. I wanted to be there early enough to capture a few impressions before the festival began; and I wanted to be on the lawn in front of the cave in time for the opening ceremony of the Prophetic Overture. Unfortunately, traffic and the weather threw a monkey wrench in my plans. At least I made it to the cave on time ;)

Many things that were new at my last PROPHECY FEST have since become cherished traditions, such as the locally brewed welcome beer. This year two varieties of Pilsner, one created by EMPYRIUM’s Markus Stock and the other by Tobias Mohrmann of the :: Landbrauerei Tobias Mohrmann ::, brewed exclusively for the Prophecy Fest. Since the beer is in high demand, be sure to arrive on time and bring your PROPHECY FEST cup from last year ;)

:: Prophetic Overture :: Friday :: Saturday :: Impressionsn ::

What's new, though, at least for me, is the Campfire Music session with :: Felix Tilemann :: and the Dark Yoga session on Friday with :: Caroline Jahnke :: (which was also offered last year and was apparently very successful).

In terms of organization and the program, not much has changed in the meantime. Of course, they’ve tweaked a few things here and there, but there haven’t been any major changes. The stage is now significantly higher, which improves the view from the back; however, the mixing console is still in the middle of the cave, so you end up with camera tripods right in front of your face. And I still can’t get used to the Second Stage. If you’re standing right in front of it, it’s okay, but if you’re further back, you hear both sounds - from the band playing and the soundcheck on the main stage. That’s annoying.

Prices have risen moderately, even compared to my last PROPHECY FEST in 2023. It’s inevitable that prices will go up year after year, after all, all costs are rising. This raises the general question of where this is all headed in the festival world… But that’s another topic. One token cost 2 euros. For 2 tokens, you could get beer, all non-alcoholic beverages (including Red Bull), stuffed grape leaves, fries, and currywurst. Soup was 3 tokens, large plates were 4-5 tokens, wine was 3 tokens, long drinks were 4, and cocktails were 5 tokens. I think that’s okay.

I think it's about time to bring some art back into the cave. There should be enough artists connected to the scene who have something to exhibit, right?

What was unusual was that PROPHECY FEST announced the first details for the next edition as early as Wednesday. The price for PROPHECY FEST 2027 will be 182.60 Euro (incl. fees). The headliner will be announced on Thursday during the Prophetic Overture. Ticket sales begin on Monday.
Now I'm really curious! It looks like something big is in the works :)

Before I go into detail, I’d like to once again extend my heartfelt thanks to :: Prophecy Productions :: for this wonderful and unique festival and this amazing weekend! Thanks to the :: Schützenbruderschaft Sankt Sebastian :: and the :: Festspielverein Balve ::. Thanks to all the helping hands, the paramedics, and Fiedel Security for a relaxed festival with seamless, worry-free organization.

And - of course – many thanks to all the bands for unforgettable live performances. Thank you! From the bottom of my heart! ♥♥♥

Story & Pics © Dajana & Dajana Winkel • Photography