Other European festivals are also tightening security measures.

A German festival has banned backpacks and all kinds of bags from being brought onto its festival grounds in the wake of recent terror attacks.

Thomas Jensen, organiser of Wacken Open Air festival, which takes place from August 4-6 in the village of Wacken in northern Germany, told Billboard yesterday (July 27) that the festival updates its security plan constantly, “counting in recent events such as bad weather or the security situation in Germany.”

Last Sunday, 15 people were injured by a “deliberate explosion” outside a festival in the German town of Ansbach. The incident followed an attack in Munich the previous week, in which nine people were killed by an 18-year-old Iranian-German, and last Monday’s axe attack on a train near Würzburg, which left five people wounded.

“Due to the recent events we decided that backpacks and all kind of bags are no longer allowed on the festival grounds,” said Jensen. 85,000 people are expected to attend the metal festival next month.

Elsewhere, Yo Van Saet, director of Belgium’s Rock Werchter festival, also told Billboard that Rock Werchter, along with a number of other Belgian festivals, including Pukkelpop and Tomorrowland, will install special metal detection gates at their festival sites.