30 years of Gothic: Leipzig welcomes the anniversary Wave-Gotik-Treffen

The gothic festival attracts thousands of fans from all over the world. To mark the anniversary, fans of the dark scene can enjoy performances by bands such as Goethes Erben and Das Ich, who already performed at the first WGT in Leipzig in 1992. An ambitious programme of concerts, exhibitions, readings and lectures starts with a Victorian picnic on Friday afternoon.

WGT 2023 will once again host the traditional Victorian Picnic as the opening event. Leipzig is expecting thousands of visitors from all over the world over the long weekend.

From Friday until Holy Ghost Monday, Leipzig is hosting the world's biggest Gothic festival, the 30th WGT. Thousands of visitors and around 200 artists and bands are expected. In addition to concerts and parties, the programme includes exhibitions, films, readings, lectures and medieval markets.

Events take place at around 50 different locations around Leipzig, including the railway station, the old city swimming pool and the Southern Cemetery. The first highlight of the festival is traditionally a Victorian picnic in Clara Zetkin Park on Friday afternoon.

WGT 2023 presents a wide musical spectrum. From medieval tunes to gothic metal and apocalyptic folk to post-punk, there is something for everyone. The highlights of the 30th edition include performances of three bands which had already been on the first Wave-Gotik-Treffen in 1992: "Goethes Erben", "Das Ich" and "Endeavour".

New for this year, the "WGT for kids" project with its children-oriented musical theatre will take place on Sunday at the Museum of Small Gardens, where steampunk and retro-futurism fans are expected on Saturday.

Leipzig's cemeteries are also worth a visit during Wave-Gotik-Treffen: the South Cemetery offers special tours, and the funerary halls and crematorium are also open for viewing. In the Old Johann Cemetery you can hear stories about the graves and crypts of Bach, Wagner and other famous personalities of the city.

During thefestive weekend WGT visitors receive free admission to many of Leipzig's museums. There are also exhibitions on the subject of death and mortality at the station. Historically interested visitors can enjoy a lecture about punk in the East in the Stasi Documents Archive or learn more about Leipzig's Gothic history on a guided tour in the city archives.

The readings discuss the dark themes of the black scene, including bestselling author Sebastian Fitzek, and the work of fantasy author Christian von Aster. Criminal biologist Mark Benecke will give a popular lecture on the bloody "alien autopsy" in three sessions.