WAVE GOTIK TREFFEN FESTIVAL 2024

( 17.5 - 20.5.24 )



 

WAVE GOTIK TREFFEN is the biggest dark goth underground festival worldwide and has been around for 31 years. It takes place in Leipzig, Germany on every Whitsun, and hosts around 20,000 visitors from literally every corner of the globe! It's a very unique and you've definitely never seen something like this before... The whole city is transformed into a huge goth celebration! Concerts everywhere, painting and photography exhibitions, museums, picnics, cemetery tours, evening specials and afterparties, and so much more for four whole days - and nights - straight. The ticket price is quite affordable when you consider that you have a choice of about 200 bands to see live, you get free transportation if you use a tram, you can visit the museums for free, and dance on the afterparties dance floor for no extra entrance fee. As for accommodation, it's best to secure it early. Unless you want to stay at the campsite, where you can find a comfortable place to pitch a tent right up until the last minute.

Of course the warm ups start already on Thursday. There are endless arrivals of the goth family arriving in the city, to wear the coveted festival wristbands for another year and enjoy all the preliminaries.

Friday traditionally kicks off with the Victorian picnic in Clara Zetkin Park. There you can see lots of spectacular scenery, lots of people dressed in period clothing, carriages, steampunk cars, and so much more..Also this year we had the honor and pleasure to meet many friends of the Geisterwelt community, and have a glass of wine together, at the traditional meet up ( information can already be found now for the 4th Geisterwelt Nights Meet Up which will take place in the next wgt here: ( https://www.facebook.com/share/UGCcmDJRcKYaeNPu/ ).

But time flies faster when you are having fun, so in the afternoon we packed up and headed to Agra ( the main festival venue ) , so that we could pick up our tickets. It should be noted, that generally one can pick up their wristband from many different places around the city without any problem.

Some of the names that paraded from the stages on this day were Peter Heppner und Band, Gvllow, Ladytron, Echoberyl, Dancing Plague, Kontravoid, Rendez-Vous, Blackbook, Miranda Sex Garden, The Cemetary Girlz, Principe Valiente, Ostara, Extize, Derniere Volonte, and many more...

Peter Heppner und Band


Gvllow


It was Saturday morning, and now you had to choose which corner of the city to be in. At the same times many favorite bands were playing, and the decision was really hard to make. Before the concerts started, we took a walk through the Völkerschlachtdenkmal the most impressive monument in the city as it is 91 meters high! Afterwards, and since we had some time left, we visited the cemeteries located right next door.


Marlen at Völkerschlachtdenkmal

Südfriedhof 


Then, we continued on to the Hellraiser venue which was just outside the city that we would be visiting for the first time, to then enjoy favorite bands like The Waning Moon, The House of Usher, Still Patient!!, and Girls Under Glass. 

The Waning Moon

The House of Usher

Still Patient!

Hellraiser venue



At the same time at other venues one could see live performances by the also beloved The Bellwether Syndicate as well as Ausgang, Tragic Black, Sexgang Children, Other Day, Dorsetshire, In Strict Confidence, Placebo Effect, Nitzer Ebb, Martin Dupont, Dead Astronauts, Abu Nein, Nemuer, Kellermensch and many, many more...

Having reached the halfway point of the festival, it's time to ask yourself if you'll be able to do all the things you want to do, if you'll get to see all the friends you've been arranging with for a long time, and if you'll visit all the places you promised yourself by looking at the map and the festival programme.

So Sunday has arrived, and with great determination we start our day with a visit just outside Leipzig to the so-called Kirchenruine for the one and only concert that takes place every year during the festival days. The Kirchenruine as the word itself reveals is the ruins of a neo-Gothic church which was built in 1867 and badly damaged during the Second World War. The place is now used for various artistic events.

audience / Camerata Mediolanense at Kirchenruine 

Kirchenruine Wachau


Later, we continued to the Volkspalast , another special -in architectural way-  venue that on the days of the festival is overrun by people who seem to love this place and of course the bands that are chosen for this day. This year some of the names that appeared on this stage were The Secret French Postcards, A Projection, Nürnberg, Soviet Soviet, The Foreign Resort, Agent Side Grinder και άλλα..

 

Volkspalast


Next venue of the day is Agra for bands like The Beauty of Gemina, The Danse Society, Diva Destruction (who also returned after twenty years for an exclusive show).

The Danse Society

The Beauty of Gemina

Diva Destruction



Agra, as mentioned above, is the largest and most central venue of the festival. There is also the Agra market where you can find everything from clothes, shoes, corsets, stuffed crows, jewellery, patchouli of all kinds.  You can even get a relaxing massage if you feel like you need a little break, as well as have a snack or drink. The selection caters for all tastes, and of course you have vegan options. So after taking a little break ourselves, we continued on later for the midnight special Editors' live show.

Editors



During this day in other venues you could see on stage many other bands like Tiamat, Death Loves Veronica, Neila Invo, Sextile, Spiritual Front, Haujobb and many more..

So Monday finally! and we have reached the last day of the festival... the feelings are mixed. On the one hand you try to make up your mind to wear sneakers to endure another day of standing, you are a little bit sleepy but... it's the last day of this great festival and you are determined to give it all!

This day starts with a visit to the Medieval Village ( which is located next to the main festival and camping area ). There you can see concerts, drink traditional fruit, honey, hemp wine or anything else you can or can't imagine, browse the shops for very special jewellery, ornaments, do archery, see how handmade swords are made live, taste freshly baked handmade bread and much more you can discover if you have a little more time on your hands. Our advice is to visit the place during the day and at night when they light the big fire and everyone hangs around enjoying the bands in more chill out conditions.

Medieval Village at day

Medieval Village at night

Medieval Village concerts

Eihwar at Medieval Village


The countdown has begun... we return to the main concert venue for Merciful Nuns and later to close the night and WGT 2024 with the last concert for this year by the Italians Kirlian Camera. The venue is packed, and the crowd is ecstatic to the end.

Merciful Nuns

Kirlian Camera

Agra venue


Earlier, like every other day during the festival, other bands were playing, mentioning a few like Omnimar, She Hates Emotions, Eihwar, and more..

Of course as every year the afterparties lasted all nights until the early hours of the morning and the choices as always were many.

This was in a nutshell the 31st WAVE GOTIK TREFFEN 2024!

What do you think? Will we see you next year in Leipzig?

The 32nd Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025 will be from
06th June 2025 until 09th June 2025 in Leipzig/Germany.




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