| Music Festival Name: | Whitby Goth Weekend |
| Location: | Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Venue(S): | Whitby Spa 1997-2018, Metropole Hotel (overspill venue) 1999-2006, Abbey Wharf 2019-Current |
| Years Active: | 1994–present |
| Founders: | Jo Hampshire |
| Dates: | October/November (1994–present), April (1997–present) |
| Genre: | Gothic rock, dark wave, synth-pop, future pop, gothic metal |
Whitby Goth Weekend, abbreviated to WGW or nicknamed Whitby, is a twice-yearly music festival for the goth subculture, in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, organised by Jo Hampshire. The event is an alternative music festival, consisting of two nights of live bands, and three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) of alternative trade stalls at the Whitby Leisure Centre, and Whitby Brunswick Centre.
The term "Whitby Goth Weekend" is sometimes used as a generic term to describe events during the week in Whitby as a whole, although the name of the event and its associated logo are registered trademarks of Jo Hampshire of Top Mum Promotions.[1] [2] [3] [4]
The origins of WGW are in a meeting of around forty of Hampshire's pen-pals in 1994.[5] The first meeting was held in the Elsinore public house in Whitby along with the Little Angel, which continues to be a meeting point during the weekend.[6] Hampshire said Whitby was chosen for its Dracula connections, although probably more so because the connection had already fostered a sense of acceptance on the part of locals and businesses rather than any inherent romanticism regarding the location.[6] Until 1997, the festival was held yearly, after which it became twice-yearly in April and October. It has since grown into one of the world's most popular goth music events with thousands of attendees from across the UK and beyond.
In the mid-2000s the October weekend on or near Halloween began to attract large numbers of non-goths in Halloween, horror, historical, fantasy and sci-fi costume, which led to an increase in photographers and visitors. The weekend now attracts other alternative subcultures, including Victorian vampires, rockers, punks and steampunks. Some regulars consider it no longer a purely "goth" weekend, and it was acknowledged by Hampshire in the 2014 Whitby Goth Weekend Guide that in order to survive the event would have to diversify into other areas that have influenced goth. In recent years the costumed attendees now outnumber the goth attendees. Whitby Goth Weekend is now not as relevant on the Goth scene as it was 10-15 years ago.
The October 2007 festival was dedicated to the memory of the murdered Goth Sophie Lancaster (who had attended three Whitby Goth Weekends) and a collection of more than £3,000 was raised from various events to fund a memorial bench to her in the town.[7] [8] [9]
Newbies who have not attended the event before are referred to as "Whitby Virgins". To help introduce them to the event, there was a WGW Virgins Meet Up on the Friday morning at the Spa until about 2014.
In 2016, concerns were raised by locals about disrespect being shown to the graves in St. Mary's Churchyard by photographers using them for photographic purposes which has resulted in a petition to have the area closed during the event. The proposal was supported by Whitby Goth Weekend, saying that "behaviour displayed in the churchyard is disrespectful and offensive".[10] In 2016 The Bram Stoker Film Festival, which also took place in the town, rehashed a proposal to build a film set graveyard which photographers would be charged to use.[11]
In June 2018 there was a breakdown in the relationship between WGW and SIV Live, who operate the Spa. WGW was therefore unable to book the Spa for bands for October 2018.[12] In July a new promoter was found to put bands on at the Spa in October. Subsequently, WGW announced a different set of 2019 dates to those announced by the Spa and the new promoter,[13] with bands at Abbey Wharf, a large pub in Whitby.[14]
The event results in business for the town in general, with attendees spending around 10,000 bed-nights in Whitby and the weekend contributing £1.1 million per annum to the local economy.[15]
The "weekend" starts during the day on Friday and fringe events are held on Thursday, Sunday and Monday including club nights, markets, and a charity football match between visiting goth team Real Gothic, and local team Stokoemotiv Whitby. During the October/November event there is an independent custom car show, 'Whitby Kustom' in the grounds of West Cliff School. There are also several "meet ups" aimed at goths with a particular interest, e.g. Gothic Lolita.
The main event was held in the town's largest venue, the Whitby Pavilion[16] (known as the Spa) and the Bizarre Bazaar 'Goth Market' is also held there and at Whitby Leisure Centre and the Brunswick Centre. Access to the Spa in the evening required a ticket and live bands played on both Friday and Saturday from 08:00 until about midnight. The Metropole was often used as an overspill venue for the Spa, with bands due to play the next evening/or playing from the previous evening. In recent years it has been used as a venue for the markets as well as the clubs, Manic Monday and Sexy Sunday. Crafty Cove (formerly RAW Nightclub) holding Shadow Factory and Monster Mash (Dead Skool Disco) and Abbey Wharf are used for official fringe events; other venues including The Resolution, The Rifle Club,The Metropole and the Whitby Rowing Club housing an official SOPHIE Lancaster Fundraising Event, Dark Souls and INVASION on the Sunday are used for unofficial events.
For many years there was a 1980's music night held at Laughtons. The night would traditionally end with the song Vagabonds. In 2010 this venue became a Wetherspoons Hotel, but the lineal descendant of the 80's night continues to take place on the Sunday night.
(*) indicates headline act for each night/event
| Event # | Title | Date | Bands (split into nights where applicable) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitby 1 | Friday: Manuskript* | Saturday: Inkubus Sukkubus*, 13 Candles, Nightmoves, All Living Fear[17] [18] | |||
| 2 | Whitby 2 | Saturday: Children On Stun*, Shadowmaker, Suspiria, The Horatii, Manuskript | ||||
| 3 | Whitby 3 | The Marionettes*, Die Laughing, Midnight Configuration | London After Midnight | |||
| 4 | Whitby 4 | Friday: James Ray's Gangwar*, Dream Disciples, Libitina | Saturday: Stun*, The Merry Thoughts, Judith | Sunday: Emma Conquest, Robed In Desire, The Tortured, Violet Times | ||
| 5 | Whitby 4.5 | 31 October – | Inkubus Sukkubus
| Rosetta Stone
| ||
| 6 | Whitby 5 | Die Laughing*, Nekromantik | All Living Fear
| |||
| 7 | Whitby 5.5 | Sunshine Blind
| Rosetta Stone
| |||
| 8 | Whitby 6 | Switchblade Symphony
| Manuskript*, This Burning Effigy, Star 80 | |||
| 9 | Whitby 6.5 | Dream Disciples*, Manuskript, Passion Play, The Breath Of Life (band) (at overspill venue), Sneaky Bat Machine (at overspill venue) | The Breath Of Life
| |||
| 10 | Whitby 7 | Mesh
| Sigue Sigue Sputnik
| |||
| 11 | Whitby 7.5 | Clan of Xymox
| Inkubus Sukkubus
| |||
| 12 | Whitby 8 | Dream Disciples
| Je$us Loves Amerika, The Last Days, Seize, The Faces Of Sarah | |||
| 13 | Whitby 8.5 | Andi Sex Gang | ||||
| 14 | WGW 9 | Paradise Lost
| Action Directe, Arkam Asylum, Little Match Girl, Synthetic | |||
| 15 | WGW 9.5 | Last Rites | Beautiful Deadly Children, Ordinary Psycho, Season's End, Spermwhale | |||
| 16 | WGW 10 | Belisha, deadfilmstar, Scary Bitches, The Ghost Of Lemora, Torsohorse | Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
| |||
| 17 | WGW X | 30 October – | ||||
| 18 | WGW 11 | The Damned | The Mission
| |||
| 19 | WGW 11.5 | Manuskript*, The Last Dance, Corrosion, Faetal | Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction
| Alien Sex Fiend
| ||
| 20 | WGW 12 | Gene Loves Jezebel | In the Nursery
| |||
| 21 | WGW 12.5 | Doctor and the Medics
| Rico
| |||
| 22 | WGW 13 | The Breath Of Life
| ||||
| 23 | WGW 13.5 | The Damned
| XPQ-21
| |||
| 24 | WGW 14 | The Last Dance
| The Crüxshadows
| |||
| 25 | WGW 14.5 | The Cassandra Complex
| The Birthday Massacre | |||
| 26 | WGW 15 | Star Industry*, Skeletal Family, Cauda Pavonis, Dyonisis | Clan of Xymox
| |||
| 27 | WGW 15.5 | 31 October – | Specimen
| Wayne Hussey | ||
| 28 | WGW 16 | Abney Park
| Diary of Dreams
| |||
| 29 | WGW 16.5 | 30 October – | The Eden House | Faith and The Muse | ||
| 30 | WGW 17 | Justin Sullivan
| Anne-Marie Hurst | |||
| 31 | WGW 17.5 | Wayne Hussey (with special guests Simon Hinkler, Miles Hunt and Erica Nockalls)*, Autumn Cannibals, The Last Cry[34] | Manuskript*, The Stripper Project, Pro-jekt[35] | |||
| 32 | WGW 18 | [36] | Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
| The Damned
| ||
| 33 | WGW 18.5 | [37] | Abney Park
| Chameleons vox | ||
| 34 | WGW 19 | [38] | In The Nursery
| Gene Loves Jezebel
| ||
| 35 | WGW 19.5 | [39] | Mesh
| Alien Sex Fiend
| ||
| 36 | WGW 20 | Voltaire | Clan Of Xymox
| |||
| 37 | WGW 20.5 | William Control
| Diary Of Dreams | |||
| 38 | WGW 21 | Toyah
| New Model Army
| |||
| 39 | WGW 21.5 | 31 October – | Heaven 17
| Voltaire
| ||
| 40 | WGW 22 | Thursday: The Birthday Massacre*, Abney Park*, The Red Paintings, Ashestoangels | Sunday: The Damned*, William Control*, Doctor And The Medics, Pussycat And The Dirty Johnsons | |||
| 41 | WGW 22.5 | 30 October – | Altered Images
| Spear of Destiny
| ||
| 42 | WGW 23 | Therapy?
| Wayne Hussey | |||
| 43 | WGW 23.5 | Heaven 17
| The Mission
| |||
| 44 | WGW 24 | Toyah
| Voltaire | |||
| 45 | WGW 24.5 | Theatre of Hate
| The Birthday Massacre*, Fuzzbox (cancelled), Vince Ripper and the Rodent Show, Massive Ego | |||
| 46 | WGW 25 | Dr Haze's Circus of Horrors, Desmond O'Connor, Rayguns Look Real Enough[40] | Aurelio Voltaire, The Last Cry, Sigue Sigue Sputnik Electronica, 1919 | |||
| 47 | WGW 25.5 | Thursday @ Abbey Wharf: As Sirens Fall | Saturday @ Abbey Wharf: Soraya Vivian, Dead Ringers | |||
| 48 | WGW 26 | Thursday @ Abbey Wharf: Chasing Dragons | Saturday @ Abbey Wharf: David Live (David Bowie tribute) |