Leipzig’s own Wave Gothic Meeting is back this year with a wide variety of concerts, markets, theatre and cinema. According to the wave-gotik-treffen website this time round there are more guests from all over the world, including visitors from Iceland, Taiwan, Mexico, Russia and New Zealand.
There are also venues like the student cellar bar in the Moritzbastei, Battle of Leipzig Monument, the Leipzig Playhouse and a number of churches to further add to the appeal of the events.
The idea of a Wave Gothic Meeting started some 20 years ago when, according to a message from the organisers posted on the infernal masquerade webzine, two Gothic people from Leipzig had an unusual idea. They didn’t want to create yet another dark music festival but rather a supra-regional gathering of like-minded fellows for relaxed meeting, chatting and celebrating.
In 1992 the first Wave-Gotik-Treffen took place at the edge of Leipzig with about 2,000 visitors and just a handful of bands and it is unlikely that anyone imagined that within a few years the WGT would become the largest meeting of Gothic people in the world, taking possession of a whole city every year. Now the WGT is celebrating its 20th annual occurrence and from last Thursday to today 20,000 Goths from all over the world are expected to come together again in Leipzig to celebrate the Wave-Gotik-Treffen as the international gathering of the dark family.
From its beginning the Wave-Gotik-Treffen has been much more than a music festival: its guests may step back to the romantic atmosphere of ancient times at the mediaeval market place and the pagan village. DJs from all over the world invite participants to dance until dawn and a large fetish party is held where entrance is only possible by following a strict voluptuous dress code.
The inhabitants of Leipzig have become familiar with the Gotik Treffen over the last two decades and the gothic guests are very welcome. The most fascinating aspect of the Wave-Gotik-Treffen is surely its unique magic atmosphere as Gothics from all over the world celebrate their gathering in a peacefully relaxed manner, turning Leipzig into a diverse wave of black.