Dates and events for your Gothic calendar 2018

One problem that my woeful lack of organisation and forward planning skills often cause me is missing out on things I fancy doing because I don’t find out about them or get my shit together enough to arrange to do them until a couple of days before the event itself.

This is particularly true of Gothy events that run on a ticketed basis or require accommodation to be booked months in advance if you want to get a bed, so in an attempt to make 2018 the year that I spend less time missing out due to my own ineptitude, I have started hunting down and listing some upcoming Goth events that look like fun for the coming year.

I’ll revisit my list every few months to add or amend new events or to reflect any changes that arise as we go along, but for now, here is my working calendar of the best Gothic events and dates for 2018.

The Isle of Wight Gothic Circus, 13th April

Coming in just before the first Whitby Goth Weekend of the year, the Isle of Wight Gothic Circus takes place on the 13th April, which given that it is a Friday the 13th, I can’t believe was just coincidence.

This is an overnight event that takes place (as the name implies) on the Isle of Wight, which means that accom on the island itself is likely to be in short supply unless you book quickly. Find out more about the night and what it entails here.

Whitby Goth Weekend (Spring)

The two annual Whitby Goth Weekends are of course essential additions to any UK Goth’s calendar, and this is one event that is reliably very busy and so getting tickets for the best events and of course booking your accom well in advance is highly recommended.

In 2018, the first Whitby Goth Weekend will fall on the 27th-29th April, and you can find out more about the line-up for the weekend, get your tickets, and find some useful links for accommodation and other tips and advice on the official website.

World Goth Day, May 22nd

The 22nd May is annual World Goth Day, an international celebration of all things Gothy that usually involves lots of club nights, special events and other Goth-related goodness. If you’re looking for more information or want to know where to look for events, parties and other good stuff that will be planned all over the UK (and further afield) on the day itself, this is the link you need.

The Gothic Cruise, from September 22nd

If you’re sitting on a pile of money and want to blow it all on a truly awesome-sounding once in a lifetime experience, you might want to think about booking yourself a cabin on the 2018 Gothic Cruise.

Yep, you heard me – there is a literal cruise for Goths, and it sets sail from Miami, Florida on the 22nd September. If you have lots of questions (and I know I did…) you can find all of the answers here.

Goth City Festival, 11th-21st October

The Goth City Festival is a 10-day long event that takes place in Leeds to celebrate all things Goth, and highlight some of the city’s Goth heritage. You can find out more about what happens during the event and some of the highlights of things to see and do via the website.

Given that this is a 10-day long citywide event, there’s likely to be less of a bunfight to get tickets and book accom than there will be at many other Goth events, but it is still worth getting in early to make sure you don’t miss out. Tickets are on sale from the 1st May.

Halloween, 31st October

It took me a while to decide whether or not mentioning Halloween specifically would be a bit pointless given my audience – a bit like reminding Christians that Christmas will be falling on the 25th December this year.

However, I realised that it would look a bit stupid if I left it out, and so it seemed prudent to give Halloween a general mention, which will be supported a little nearer the time with some event dates and suggestions for what to do on the day itself when a little more info on planned events is available.

This is just a basic outline of some of the bigger, busier Gothy events that are planned over the course of 2018, and naturally, a lot more will be added as the year goes on. One particular event that I am hoping will be repeated this year but which I can’t find any info on thus far is the Gothic Manchester Festival, hosted by Manchester Metropolitan University.

You can find out more about last year’s event here, which I am assuming is also where news of 2018 events (if any) will also be posted later on in the year.

Finally, if you know of any Goth events for 2018 that I should add to my list, give me a shout and I will add them on.

Lady Gothique

The gal who runs www.gothicangelclothing.co.uk.