List of gothic festivals


The following is an incomplete list of gothic festivals, which encapsulates music festivals focused on gothic music. Goth festivals may feature genres such as gothic rock and gothic metal, as well as industrial music. The festivals also tend to feature aspects of the Goth subculture, such as fans and bands in goth fashion. Goth is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late-1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes. The genre itself was defined as a separate movement from post-punk due to its darker music accompanied by introspective and romantic lyrics. Gothic rock then gave rise to a broader subculture that included clubs, fashion and publications in the 1980s.

Festivals

NameYears activeCountryLocationNotesPicture
Wave-Gotik-Treffen1987– presentLeipzig,
Germany		One of the largest Gothic festivals in the world. A four-day event covering most of the city of Leipzig, Germany.
Whitby Goth Weekend1994– presentWhitby, North Yorkshire, EnglandTwice-yearly goth music festival.
Castle Party1994– presentPolandAbove the town Bolków stand the ruins of Bolków Castle, built in the 13th century. Devastated in the Thirty Years' War it became a property of Grüssau Abbey in 1703, though restoration efforts did not begin until 1905. Since 1997 the ruin is the site of the annual "Castle Party" Gothic rock festival. First three editions were on Grodziec Castle.
Convergence 1995– present
North AmericaAnnual net.goth party run by and for members of the alt.gothic and alt.gothic.fashion newsgroup, and other related Usenet newsgroups. Events at Convergence typically included live bands and club nights, bazaars, fashion, art shows, panels, and tours of goth-themed locales in the host city. In recent years, however, the festival aspects of this event have been stripped away leaving the event transformed into a meet-up for old friends from past Convergences to get-together.
Dark Storm Festival1997– presentGermanyOne day festival on Christmas Day, city hall of Chemnitz.
Infest1998– presentBradford, EnglandAn annual festival featuring a mixture of electronic, industrial and gothic music. The festival features club/DJ events, live concerts from established international artists & new bands to the scene, both clothes & music stalls.
Bats Day in the Fun Park1999– presentAnaheim, CaliforniaStarted in August 1999 as a joint effort between the promoters of the goth/industrial and deathrock clubs Absynthe and Release the Bats. It has become an annual three-day event.
M'era Luna Festival2000– presentGermanyA festival of goth, metal and industrial music. It is held annually on the second weekend of every August, in Hildesheim, Germany.
2000– presentUkraineA festival of goth, metal and industrial music. The largest on Ukraine and in the CIS festival of gothic/dark/electro music and art. Now a journey on a festival became annual tradition of admirers of gothic/dark/electro aesthetics from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and other former Soviet Union countries. Annually passes in September in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Lumous Gothic Festival2001– presentFinlandCommonly known as Lumous, it is the largest festival dedicated to the goth subculture in Finland and the northernmost Gothic festival in the world. covering musical genres such as gothic rock, deathrock, industrial, EBM and neofolk.
Reverence2003– 2009Madison, WisconsinAn electronic music festival. Featuring primarily aggrotech, electro-industrial and synthpop bands, it has also included other electronic dance music genres as well.
Summer Darkness2003–2013Utrecht, NetherlandsActs perform in various clubs throughout the city of Utrecht. The festival was a joint venture by Cybercase, Tivoli, EKKO and Mojo until EKKO made the decision in 2009 to quit.
Eccentrik2004– presentRaleigh, North CarolinaA three-day industrial and goth music festival. Started in October 2004, Eccentrik features various musical styles including deathrock, gothabilly, industrial, gothic rock, psychobilly, post-punk, synthpop and other related genres.
Lima Gothic Wave Festival2004– presentLima,
Peru		An event that brings together the Peruvian and Latin American Gothic subculture.
Amphi Festival2005– presentGermanyA two-day festival of dark music. It is held annually on the third weekend of July, in Cologne, Germany.
Blacksun Festival2005 – 2007New Haven, ConnecticutWas created in 2005 is a three-day industrial and goth music international festival. Because larger goth festivals take place in Europe, the festival gives American bands a closer opportunity to play.
Darkland Fire2008– presentRakvere, EstoniaThe Neofolk/Dark folk /Industrial Music Festival DARKLAND FIRE is inviting all music lovers to Rakvere in December. As a unique event of its kind in the nearby region, the dark music festival Darkland Fire offers a perfect opportunity to discover various shades of dark folk and industrial music, exciting symbioses and enchanting soundscapes from some of the most outstanding representatives of their genres.
Dark Bombastic Evening2009– presentRomaniaFestival spanning several days in Ryma, Alba Yulia, Romania.
ENTREMURALHAS2010– presentPortugalIt's Portugal's biggest goth and industrial music festival. It is held annually on the last weekend of every August, in Leiria, Portugal.
Castrum Nigra2011– presentBrodenbach,
Germany		One day festival within the complete castle Ehrenburg featuring a mixture of electronic, industrial and gothic music. The festival features DJ and club events, artists and performances.
Dark Munich Festival2012–2015Munich,
Germany		Insolvent.
Runes & Men2012–2016Leipzig,
Germany		Two day neofolk festival.
Alt-Fest2014EnglandA crowd-sourced alternative music and lifestyle festival, intended to run from 2014 onwards at Boughton Estate, Kettering, England. The inaugural festival promised six stages and 180 bands, but instead, the event was cancelled due to lack of funding, with the controlling company consequently going into liquidation.
Autumn Moon Festival2015– presentHamelin,
Germany		Two day Gothic festival in October.
SPECIES2015– presentCo. Leitrim,
Ireland		Annual Gothic arts and culture gathering, a grass roots collaborative festival run by its creative contributors. Music from a diverse array of Ireland's dark, Gothic and Industrial DJs with live bands and Performances, Gothic Décor, Art Installations, Live painting, Gothic market and camping over a span of two nights and three days.
San La Muerte Festival2016 – presentAustin, TexasTexas-based music festival for goth, deathrock, and dark punk musicians from across the world.
Goth City2016Leeds, EnglandA Leeds-based Goth festival over two weeks from 11 – 26 November.
Subkultfestivalen2016 – presentTrollhättan, SwedenTwo-day culture festival with a focus on subcultures like goth, synth, postpunk, indie, metal, punk, emo, lolita, industrial & electronica.
Dark Side of the Con2017 – presentNew York Metro,
United States		A Celebration of the Darker Side of Popular Culture: Villains, Goth, Horror, Halloween Parsippany, NJ.
Gothic Dark Wave Festival2017Tilloloy Castle, FranceA two-day festival with 22 bands, at a castle in the north of France. It took place on 19 and 20 August 2017. The festival is unlikely to have a second edition.
Darkside of Belgrade2017– presentBelgrade,
Serbia		One day festival featuring a mixture of electronic, industrial and gothic music. The festival features club/DJ events,live bands and performances
Deepland Festival2017 – presentSão Paulo,
Brazil		Goth music event held by Brazilian alternative record label Deepland Records.
Dark Malta Festival2018 – presentMontekristo,
Malta		Two-day festival featuring a mixture of EBM, industrial, gothic & Metal music. The festival features live bands, dj- & club-events.

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