View source for Wave-Gotik-Treffen

{{Redirect|WGT}}
{{Short description|Annual world festival for dark music and dark culture}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox music festival
| name =Wave-Gotik-Treffen
| image =Wgt 05 agra vorplatz.jpg
| caption =WGT 2005 in Leipzig
| location =[[Leipzig]], Germany
| years_active =1992–present
| founders =
| dates =4 days on [[Pentecost|Whitsuntide]]
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Gothic rock]]
* [[gothic metal]]
* [[Electronic body music|EBM]]
* [[Industrial music|industrial]]
* [[Noise (music)|noise]]
* [[darkwave]]
* [[neo-folk]]
* [[Neoclassical music|neo-classical]]
* [[medieval music|medieval]]
* [[Experimental music|experimental]]
* [[deathrock]]
* [[Punk rock|punk]]
* [[symphonic metal]]
}}
| attendance = 18,000
| capacity =
| website = {{URL|wave-gotik-treffen.de}}
|image_size=250}}

The '''{{lang|de|Wave-Gotik-Treffen|italic=no}}''' ('''WGT'''; German for "Wave Gothic Meeting") is an annual world festival for "dark" music and "[[dark culture]]" in [[Leipzig]], Germany. 150+ bands and artists from various backgrounds ([[gothic rock]], [[Electronic body music|EBM]], [[Industrial music|industrial]], [[Noise (music)|noise]], [[darkwave]], [[neo-folk]], [[Neoclassical music|neo-classical]] and [[Medieval music|medieval]] music being examples) play at several venues throughout the city over four days on [[Pentecost|Whitsuntide]]. The festival also features multiple all-night dance club parties, several fairs with medieval, gothic, and related merchandise, a variety of cultural exhibitions and performances, large themed picnics, and a number of unofficial fringe events.<ref name="LeipzigTravelBlog">{{cite web | author1=Susi Maier |author2=the social media team of Leipzig Travel | title=Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2019: Leipzig Guide and Festival Guide | url=https://www.leipzig.travel/blog/wave-gotik-treffen-leipzig-guide-english/ | website=leipzig.travel/blog | publisher=Leipzig Travel | access-date=24 August 2019 | date=10 May 2019}}</ref>

With 18,000<ref>{{cite book|first=Roman |last=Rutkowski|title= Das Charisma des Grabes (The Charisma of the Grave)|language=de|year=2004|isbn= 3-8334-1351-4| page=61}}</ref> to 20,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spontis.de/schwarze-szene/gothic/| title=Subkultur! — Gothic |language=de|work=Spontis|year=2008}}</ref> regular attendants, the WGT is one of the largest events of the [[Goth subculture|gothic]], [[cybergoth]], [[steampunk]], and [[rivethead]] subcultures worldwide.

==History==

A first attempt at a ''Treffen'' was made in 1987 in [[Potsdam]]. However, as the laws of the [[German Democratic Republic]] made this kind of event illegal,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musik.terrorverlag.de/konzertberichte.php?id=1302 |title=Wave Gotik Treffen 2008 |language=de|work=Terrorverlag. Alternative Music Webzine|quote=In the former GDR, devotees of Dark Wave music were given quite a run for their money. ... many events were prohibited and dissolved.}}</ref> only a few hundred visitors attended.

[[File:WGT 1 ticket.jpg|thumb|Day ticket for WGT-1]]

In 1992,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.wave-gotik-treffen.de/english/past.php|title=~ Official Website Wave-Gotik-Treffen Leipzig ~|website=www.wave-gotik-treffen.de|access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref> after the [[German reunification|re-unification of Germany]], the first official Wave-Gotik-Treffen was held in the ''Eiskeller'' club (now [[Conne Island]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.conne-island.de/|title=Conne Island - Startseite|first=Conne|last=Island|website=www.conne-island.de|access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=20 Jahre Conne Island :: Chronik | url=https://20jahre.conne-island.de/chronik.htm | language=de | date=June 2011 | access-date=24 August 2019 }}</ref>) in [[Leipzig]]. Since then, the number of visitors has increased greatly.

The largest installment of the WGT was the one in the year 2000 with over 300 acts and an estimated 25,000 visitors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.germanrock.de/zeitung/sonderausgabe_2/wavegotik_2000/index.htm |title=9. Wave Gotik Treffen Leipzig 09.-11.06.2000|language=de|first=Kay|last=Lorenz|date=16 July 2000|work=German Rock News}}</ref> However, that year's festival suffered financial collapse on the third day and had to be aborted. After all festival security guards, most bands, and much of the technical staff had left, volunteer helpers and several bands who played for free staged a final concert. Contrary to police expectations,{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} no rioting of any sort occurred.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

==Description==

Over the four days of the festival, visitors are offered more than a hundred concerts and a wide range of cultural events. These include special film screenings, club parties, readings of eerie and romantic literature, exhibitions in museums and galleries, live role-playing, church concerts, medieval markets, and workshops on various topics. Visitors stay in hotels, guesthouses, or use the camping facilities at the main event site, the agra exhibition grounds, with a campsite.

In addition to the admission tickets, special ''Obsorge'' cards are sold for the Wave-Gotik-Treffen. The basic admission ticket allows access to the events and use of public transportation during the festival. Owners of an Obsorge card can also use the campsites and received the festival program book Pfingstbote for free until 2017, which is now sold separately. Until 2007, a sampler CD – Silberling – Artists of the XX Wave-Gotik-Treffen was included. The CD featured selected songs from bands performing at the festival.

A major attraction of the Wave-Gotik-Treffen is the band performances.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.wave-gotik-treffen.de/english/past.php|title=~ Official Website Wave-Gotik-Treffen Leipzig ~|website=www.wave-gotik-treffen.de|access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref> Generally, the number of musical acts is close to 200,<ref name="auto"/> spanning the breadth of "dark music" from acoustic folk to medieval-influenced to [[deathrock]], to [[dark electro]], [[Electronic body music|EBM]], [[symphonic metal]], [[gothic metal]], [[Industrial music|industrial]]. A limited number of free tickets are also available for those officially participating in the festival to attend opera performances, classical music concerts, theatre, and ballet.<ref name="LeipzigTravelBlog" />
 
[[File:WGT2016.jpg|thumb|upright|Participants at the Festival's Friday "Victorian" picnic, 2016]]

There is a shopping market in the main event venue that runs the entire duration of the festival and is perhaps the largest for the goth and "dark culture" community anywhere in the world. Several permanent shops in Leipzig also specialize in gothic-style clothing, shoes, and accessories, and can feature promotions during the event.<ref name="CarolinesGuide">{{cite web | title=The Ultimate Wave Gotik Treffen Guide | url=http://carolinesometimes.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-ultimate-wave-gotik-treffen-guide.html | website=Caroline Sometimes blog | author=Caroline Åsgård | date=28 February 2017 | access-date=24 August 2019 }}</ref>

[[File:2014 WGT 253 Umbra Et Imago.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Umbra et Imago]] performs at WGT 2014.]]

Many museums in Leipzig such as the Egyptian Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Grassi Museums offer free admission or special guided tours for paid festival attendees.<ref name="LeipzigTravelBlog" />

In addition, there are [[Renaissance fair]]s, [[Viking]] and [[Paganism|Pagan]] markets, themed [[picnic]]s, [[Gothic romance|Gothic Romance]] events, CD/DVD and film premieres, literary readings, lectures and discussions,<ref>{{cite web | title=Wave-Gotik-Treffen: an international perspective | url=https://leipglo.com/2019/06/04/wave-gotik-treffen-an-international-perspective/ | website=The Leipzig Glocal | author=Jen Hoffert-Karas | date=4 June 2019 | access-date=24 August 2019 }}</ref> artist signing events, brunches celebrating [[absinthe]], and [[Sexual fetishism|fetishistic]] events.<ref name="CarolinesGuide" />

Later in the evenings there are many late-night danceclubs every night, with top-name dark music DJs, at venues such as Darkflower<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://darkflower.club/|title=Darkflower – Dein schwarzer Club in Leipzig.|website=darkflower.club|access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref> and [[Moritzbastei]], as well as a dance area within the main venue itself.

Many fringe events with separate admission take place in Leipzig simultaneously with {{lang|de|Wave-Gotik-Treffen|italic=no}}. There is an electronic music festival at NonTox,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nontox-le.de/|title=start|website=www.nontox-le.de|access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref> a "Gothic Pogo" festival,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gothicpogo.com/|title=Gothic Pogo &#124; Official Website of the Gothic Pogo Party and Festival|access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref> free events like [[Neo-Victorian|Victorian]] and [[steampunk]] picnics and a "Victorian Village", and more.<ref name="LeipzigTravelBlog" />

==Line-up==
[[File:2013 WGT 190 Fjoergyn.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Fjoergyn]] at WGT, 2013]]
The artists performing at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen cover the entire musical spectrum of the dark scene.
Their number has increased from eight at the beginning in 1992 to nearly 350 in 2000. In 2019, there were around 200,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wave-gotik-treffen.de/past.php |title=Official Website Wave-Gotik-Treffen Leipzig |access-date=28 April 2019}}</ref> spread across four days on parallel stages throughout the city.

==Venues==
The venues for the {{lang|de|Wave-Gotik-Treffen|italic=no}} are spread out all over Leipzig.<ref>{{cite web | title=Locations | url=http://www.wave-gotik-treffen.de/english/info/orte.php | website=~ Official Website Wave-Gotik-Treffen Leipzig ~ | access-date=24 August 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Main Venues - Overview | url=https://www.sadgoth.com/wgt-venues | website=Sadgoth | access-date=24 August 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Maps - Useful | url=https://www.sadgoth.com/maps | website=Sadgoth | access-date=24 August 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929061628/https://www.sadgoth.com/maps |archive-date= Sep 29, 2020 }}</ref>

The main venue is the massive 10,000-person capacity [[Agra (site)|Agra]] fairground halls, 4.2 miles (6.75&nbsp;km) south of central Leipzig.<ref>{{cite web | title=WGT: Descent on Agra Park (and Dölitz) | url=https://leipglo.com/2018/05/28/wgt-descent-agra-park-dolitz/ | website=The Leipzig Glocal | author=Adam Carrington | date=28 May 2018 | access-date=24 August 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127052340/https://leipglo.com/2018/05/28/wgt-descent-agra-park-dolitz/ |archive-date= Nov 27, 2021 }}</ref> One of the two largest halls at the Agra is for the headline concerts, the other is for the main shopping market, and a third hall at the Agra houses a bistro area and a dance forum with many well-known DJs. In front of the Agra halls 1 and 2 is the "promenade" of the festival. The dozen-or-more additional venues for the WGT concerts and activities are as varied as the events, from the stately [[:de:Schauspiel Leipzig|Schauspielhaus]] to the somber Krypta of the [[Völkerschlachtdenkmal]] to the Parkbühne under the trees.

Festival participants typically stay either in designated camping areas on the Agra grounds near the main venue or in the hotels and hostels in and around Leipzig.<ref name="LeipzigTravelBlog" /><ref name="CarolinesGuide" /> In order to stay at camping areas, participants must pay extra for an ''Obsorgekarte'', which gives them a version of the wrist band that allows campground access.<ref name="WGTFAQ" />

Many food and drinks vendors set up stands in the "promenade" outside the Agra halls. Attendees with ''Obsorgekarte'' tickets/wristbands for camping may bring in their own food and drinks, which is otherwise restricted.<ref name="WGTFAQ" /> Official drinks vendors use sturdy "Wave Gotik Treffen" branded plastic cups instead of disposable ones, for which a [[Deposit-refund system|deposit]] (''pfand'') is required. Attendees may keep cups as souvenirs, or return them for a refund of the deposit. This arrangement greatly reduces the waste and needed cleanup of disposable containers around the venues.{{dubious|date=July 2022}}

==Dates==
[[File:Wave Gotik Treffen 3.jpg|thumb|right|A photo from Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2018]]
The dates of the Wave-Gotik-Treffen vary from year to year. It is held on the German holiday weekend of {{lang|de|Pfingsten}}, known in English as [[Pentecost]] or Whitsun.<ref name="WGTFAQ">{{cite web | title=WGT F.A.Q. | url=http://www.wave-gotik-treffen.de/english/info/az.php | website=~ Official Website Wave-Gotik-Treffen Leipzig ~ | access-date=24 August 2019 }}</ref> This is on the Sunday seven weeks after Easter and can range from as early as 10 May to as late as 13 June {{crossref|(see Pentecost [[Pentecost#Date and public holiday|Date and public holiday]])}}. Unofficial events start in Leipzig on the Thursday night preceding the date of {{lang|de|Pfingsten}}, with activities such as a social gathering for English-speaking attendees<ref>{{cite web |title=SADGOTH WGT PRE-MEET |url=https://www.sadgoth.com/wgt-pre-meet |website=Sadgoth |access-date=24 August 2019}}</ref> and multiple dance club nights with DJs in the Agra's bistro area as well as at local venues like Darkflower, [[Moritzbastei]], and others. The official festival starts on Friday, and as Monday is a [[Whit Monday|public holiday]] in Germany the events run until the end of the all-night farewell club parties in the early morning on Tuesday.

Example recent and/or near future dates:<ref>{{cite web | title=THE NEXT WGT | url=https://www.sadgoth.com/futurewgts | website=Sadgoth | access-date=21 May 2021}}</ref>

* 2019: 7 to 10 June
* 2020: 29 May to 1 June (Cancelled due to the global [[COVID-19 pandemic]])
* 2021: 21 to 24 May (Cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic)
* 2022: 3 to 6 June
* 2023: 26 to 29 May
* 2024: 17 to 20 May
* 2025: 6 to 9 June

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |title=Black Celebration: 20 Years – Wave-Gotik-Treffen |editor1-first=Alexander |editor1-last=Nym |editor2-first=Jennifer |editor2-last=Hoffert |date=2010 |isbn=978-3-86211-037-7}}

==See also==
*[[List of gothic festivals]]
*[[List of electronic music festivals]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{Official website|http://www.wave-gotik-treffen.de}}

{{Rock festival}}
{{Electronic music festival}}
{{Goth subculture}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Music festivals established in 1987]]
[[Category:Goth festivals]]
[[Category:Culture in Leipzig]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1992]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Leipzig]]
[[Category:Electronic music festivals in Germany]]
[[Category:Goth subculture]]