Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT) – is the world's largest Gothic music and art festival, held annually in Leipzig (Germany).
The date of the WGT changes each year as it depends on the Catholic and Lutheran holiday Trinity Sunday. WGT officially opens on Friday and lasts until early Tuesday morning, but in reality the entire action begins on Thursday night.
Goths from all over the world come to the festival to listen to gothic music and take part in gothic events that cover the whole of Leipzig for 4 days.
The Goths movement originated in England in the 1970s, a subculture very diverse, but to one degree or another it is characterized by the following features: a dark image, black in clothing, interest in mysticism and decadence, as well as gothic music.
In East Germany, a group of fans of this subculture decided to gather everyone who is close to them in spirit and worldview in one place. They called this event Wave-Gotik-Treffen (where «treffen» – meeting). And this first attempt was made in 1987 in Potsdam. But since the festival was not officially allowed and was held illegally, only a few hundred people visited it.
The first official festival was ready and took place in 1992 in Leipzig, at the Eiskeller club, and has already attracted about one and a half thousand people. Since then, WGT has been held annually in this German city, year after year gathering more and more fans of «dark» music from all over the world. Moreover, many famous musical groups began to approve of this event.
By the early 21st century, WGT had become one of the largest events of Gothic music and culture in the world. During the festival, the German city is filled with people in gloomy black robes, with metal jewelry and terrifying makeup.
The main idea of the festival is to hold concerts at 12-15 stage venues in the city, where many groups and musicians perform one after another – about 200 performers in various musical genres of Gothic culture. Every evening, these venues host parties with famous DJs.
But Wave-Gotik-Treffen – is not just a music festival. The holiday also includes various staged medieval fairs, premieres of films and audio products, exhibitions, theatrical productions, role-playing games, church concerts, all kinds of lectures, seminars, « tours of the oldest and most beautiful cemeteries in Leipzig» and much more.
Since 2001, the festival has been an official and large-scale event in Leipzig and is part of the cultural program of the city tourism department, so the city prepares for this event in advance, with support, including financial support, from the city authorities. Much attention is paid to issues of security, law and order and cleanliness.
Although during the festival Leipzig turns into a « refuge of Goths», the appearance of which is sometimes shocking: white makeup, black long hair, creepy makeup, unimaginable outfits and accessories, local residents have already become accustomed to this holiday over the long history of its holding, so the atmosphere in the city is full of friendliness and tranquility. Moreover, the Goths behave very kindly and do not refuse requests to take a joint shot. It is also worth saying that many guests of the – festival are middle-aged people, not just young people.
There are several festivals of gothic music and art on a global scale, but undoubtedly the largest and most popular is the Wave-Gotik-Treffen – Festival of Gothic Music and Culture in Leipzig.