The Goth Festival in Whitby
[Photo Credit: The Yorkshire Post]
Whitby is famed for a number of spooky elements. From the imposing clifftop Benedictine Abbey, it’s vampiric association as the landing site of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and more recently the bi-annual Whitby Goth weekend. This naturally atmospheric seaside town is the perfect place for an alternative festival centred around the ghoulish and macabre.
Running since the 1990s, the weekend takes place in both April and October and sees thousands of costumed celebrants and visitors descend on this novel fête. You’ll find eclectic and inclusive selection of attendees, from Victorian vampires to steampunks, rockers, and more. Although dressing up is optional it’s a wonderful occasion to marvel at the finery sported by the many that flock to this world-famous event on the gothic calendar.
If you are in the area during one of these events, it’s a great occasion to dust off the cape and steampunk goggles and get to the harbour to enjoy the weekend of music, trade stalls, and events.
A marketplace at the Abbey Wharf hosts the bazaar of choice for those looking to purchase a range of gothic subculture attire, vinyl’s and cd’s, new age and spiritual tools such as crystals and tarot cards, as well as jewellery and gifts.
Following a day of retail therapy, rock and metal DJ sets are located waterside for the goth community to party hard all night.
Alternatively, illuminations at Whitby Abbey tell the story of Dracula, who in the novel was seen to be running up the Abbey steps in the shape of a dog following his coastal landing. Explore for yourself the eerie majesty of these ruins and discover why they inspired such a story in Bram Stoker.
There’s something for every goth and however you like to experience the alternative lifestyle, this bi-annual celebration of all thing’s gothic is unmissable.
