Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025…32nd Edition…June 6th-June 9th 2025…Leipzig …Festival Review…By Tzina Dovve (DJ Lady Davinia)…

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025…32nd Edition…June 6th-June 9th 2025…Leipzig …Festival Review…By Tzina Dovve (DJ Lady Davinia)…

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025… Leipzig… Germany… The largest and longest running international goth festival on the planet took place for yet another year over the Whitsun weekend, as it traditionally has for the last thirty-two years, celebrating dark/gothic music and culture once again… Commencing early June this year this fabulous dark celebration embraced around 20.000 goths from every corner of the globe in the exquisite city of Leipzig, the largest in the German state of Saxony… An iconic city covered in black for yet another year where goths of all ages and backgrounds gather and enjoy what they all have in common… their love for goth music and culture… A safe haven for all where everyone is welcome…

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025… Leipzig… Germany… Beginning back in 1992 on a much smaller scale founded by two passionate young goth lads, could anyone imagine how immense this goth festival would become over the next three decades… With around 200 international bands/artists on the bill again this year scattered around the 40 or so venues spread across the city and the numerous goth and fetish parties, picnics, operas, poetic readings, dark art exhibitions, goth markets, absinthe bars and so much more happening during this festival there is always an abundance to visit and party over the Whitsun weekend… From blistering sunshine to a little wind and rain this year fancy goth umbrellas, platform boots, winklepickers, fishnets, crushed velvet and lace, leather and pvc, Victoriana and Steampunk attire clad goths with strong hold hairspray and thick black eyeliner all relished their visit at this non-stop festival… Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025… 32nd Edition…

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025… Leipzig… Germany… This year’s festival was no exception in its diverse outlook of the subgenres of goth music as WGT has always been renowned for catering for all tastes of the dark/goth/alternative scene… From dark wave/dark electronic/dark synth to industrial/Ebm/fetish to gothrock/metal to post punk/deathrock to cold/minimal wave to ethereal/neofolk/classical to dark eighties and so on… Many oldschool distinguished bands from the very early days on the scene made their appearance this year and took to the WGT stages across the iconic city of Leipzig… From the UK’s Public Image Limited (P.I.L.) , New Model Army, And Also The Trees and The Membranes to U.S’s Eva O. to Germany’s In Mitra Medusa Inri and Alexander Veljanov of Deine Lakaien just to name a few… Many more contemporary bands were part of the 32nd Edition of WGT including some debut appearances at this acclaimed festival… From Sweden’s Then Comes Silence, Kite and Camouflage to U.S’s Fangs On Fur, Drab Majesty, A Cloud Of Ravens and Hallowed Hearts, Greece’s Selofan, France’s Soror Dolorosa and so many more…

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025… Leipzig… Germany… One of the highlights of this year, if one must choose, is the largest and most elaborate venue of WGT, Agra Halle, where a number of headline acts took to its stage once again… With a 10.000 capacity and an outstanding sound and lighting system this venue never disappoints… A venue where the main part of Wave-Gotik-Treffen took place back in 1992 and the earlier years of the festival and host to endless headline acts over the three decades of WGT’s existence… From Kite’s Midnight Special on Friday night to headliners Public Image Limited with the ever so potty and witty punk icon John Lydon and New Model Army to the very touching and exclusive WGT Silke Bischoff tribute to Felix Flaucher who sadly passed away in 2017… R.I.P… Alexander Veljanov of Deine Lakaien, Sven Friedrich of Dreadful Shadows, Zeraphine and Solar Fake and Axel Kretschmann, one of the founding members of Silke Bischoff, performed in commemoration of Felix… The very emotional intro accompanied by the spectacular visuals and classics ‘Engel’, ‘Under Your Skin’, ‘The Union’ and the dark hit ‘On The Other Side’ touched the hearts of the audience to say the least… Alexander, Sven and Alex honoured the legacy of Silke Bischoff with their heartful performance…

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025… Leipzig… Germany… More highlights of this year’s festival was the appearance of quite a vast number of new and upcoming bands on the goth scene… A perfect way to discover newcomers from around the globe as they made their debut on WGT’s numerous stages… From U.S’s A Cloud Of Ravens and Hallowed Hearts, who performed an outstanding and uplifting show at Moritzbastei with a full band line-up including the charismatic multi-tasking goth man Gordon Young (Children On Stun, NFD, The Dream Disciples) on guitar, to Spain’s Darkways and Brazil’s Plastique Noir who performed their first ever European show…

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025… Leipzig… Germany… This non-stop festival not only had an abundance of bands to choose from again this year and what a task that was with some of the inevitable clashes, something WGT punters have grown accustomed to over the years, but also a wide selection of all-night parties and various events across the city of Leipzig… WGT 2025 was in party mode once again with some of the finest international DJs across the many venues across the city keeping the dark dancefloors on fire til the wee hours of the morning for the festival’s visitors… Some highlights from these parties the central Leipzig Darkflower Club with its different DJ events hosting ‘Witching Hour’ with DJ George P. & Malice F. of Electrowelt Athens, Greece and the ‘Dark Romantic’ parties at the stylish, picturesque and elegant Parkschloss Im Agra-Park… A slight change of venue for the classic ‘When We Were Young’ party this year from Taubchentral to Naumanns (next to Felsenkeller)… A smaller location and very cosy but still goth, hip and happening as they say… Plenty of fetish parties at WGT again this year with the ‘Fetish Ball-Dark & Bizarre’ and ‘House Of Pain-BDSM Event Play & Dance Party’ at the kinky‘Katz Club’ and much more… One must not forget the historic Moritzbastei, every goth’s fave, which hosted a number of dark dance parties again this year, one of which was the popular Warm Up Party on Thursday night, the unofficial start to WGT every year… Another prime Warm Up Party this year was the ‘WGT EBM Warm-Up Party’ at Felsenkeller with interesting performances by Buzz Kull, Kontravoid and Absolute Body Control just to name a few…

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025… Leipzig… Germany… Another highlight of WGT this year the ever so popular and admired Victorian Picnic on Friday June 6th… One might say that this extravagant and flamboyant event at Clara-Zetlin-Park traditionally stamps the beginning of the festival each year… Despite a little rain early in the day vistors nevertheless grabbed the opportunity to still dress up, take plenty of pics, unite with friends and enjoy picnic treats and the sunshine that eventually filled the Leipzig skies… Thousands of visitors flocked to this glorious picnic and made most of the day for yet another year… Without a shadow of a doubt another highlight of WGT is The Pagan Village… A short trip back in time and a must for all visitors of Wave-Gotik-Treffen each time they attend the festival… This year was no exception… Each time one visits there is always something new to discover and experience on this short journey back to medieval times… From folk music to traditional blacksmiths, toolmakers and the classic medieval market to the best fruit wine, beers and tender meat dishes one has ever tasted… Most definitely one of the best highlights of WGT 2025 by far… Not to be missed…

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025… Leipzig… Germany… June 6th- June 9th 2025… 32nd Edition… After four days of this non-stop dark celebration WGT came to an end way too quickly for the 20.000 or so goths attending this fabulous festival for yet another year… Sooo many bands, sooo many parties and so much to see and do during such a small space of time… Not enough time… One must not forget goth shopping at one of the biggest alternative markets at Agra… An enormous space with stalls selling everything every goth’s heart desires… Difficult choices and sacrifices have to be made every year at WGT and of course very comfy goth boots in order to visit as many places as possible in-between bands and the all-night parties… No rest for the wicked as they say and this year was no exception… New friends were made again this year and older ones were re-united from every corner of the globe once more… A melancholy vibe was lingering in the air at the closing party at Moritzbastei on Monday June 9th, the last night of this annual dark celebration as WGT 2025 was coming to a close of yet another extremely successful year… A dark wave of sadness and nostalgia hung high in the Leipzig air as the city slowly emptied the following day… Time for everyone to return home although goth hearts were still in Wave-Gotik-Treffen mode… The largest and longest running international goth festival on the planet… Thankyou Leipzig for your hospitality again this year and to all the WGT team who made this 32nd Edition a very special one… Until next year goths around the world… Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2026… May 22nd- May 25th 2026… Save these dates… and remember… Everyday is a goth day… By Tzina Dovve (DJ Lady Davinia)…

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