GOTH CITY
FESTIVAL 2020-21: THE GREAT FLOUNCE FORWARD
Goth City V: Video Nasty to take place from 15th-18th
October 2020
Goth City to move to a summer schedule from 2021
The story so far:
Since we began in 2016, Goth City Festival has firmly
established itself as a part of the UK goth festival calendar,
putting on many fantastic acts and building great relationships
with venues, bands, and fellow promoters. We have raised over £10,000
for our chosen charity PAFRAS, and maintained our countercultural,
anarcho-goth spirit by building a DIY, grassroots festival firmly
rooted in the Yorkshire goth community. We are therefore
delighted to celebrate our fifth anniversary this year.
The current situation:
It is clear that our current scheduling and operational
structure presents real challenges for us. As a small, DIY
festival we do not have the financial backing of other events in
an increasing busy festival calendar, and we face difficulties
both in raising the sums we wish for our charity and in
attracting the acts we wish to perform at Goth City. In order for
us to raise the figures we aim for (£2-£3,000 a year) and
attract bigger national & international acts we need to have
a greater number of attendees, and make the festival more
attractive & professional.
What we are doing:
We have therefore decided to run Goth City over a
compressed 4-night/2-day schedule, with various events taking
place across Leeds, rather than over a weekend-to-weekend format,
beginning in October this year. Furthermore, we will move to
summer dates starting from 2021.
Why the compressed schedule?:
It is clear that many attendees are having to choose
which weekend they attend at Goth City, and we consider it best
that all our events take place over a single long weekend to
maximise attendance and footfall in the city. It is clear that
our weeknight events suffer as a result, and whilst the intention
has always been for other promoters to utilise spare days during
Goth City week for their own events ultimately few of them have
done so. We therefore consider a 4-night, multi-site festival (similar
to the model used at Leipzig and Whitby) to make perfect sense.
There will be night events on Thurs 15th and Fri 16th, and events
all day on Sat 17th & Sun 18th October.
Why the move to summer?:
The calendar of events is extremely busy for a two-month
period from late August to early November, taking in Infest,
Shadow of the Castle, Black Rose, HRH Goth/Industrial, various
Halloween events, Tomorrows Ghosts and other Whitby
festivals, and Damnation. Running a goth festival on our current
model during this period is therefore extremely challenging, both
in terms of attracting supporters and in booking performers. We
feel that by moving to the summer we will have the space to grow
and develop as any event, attract exciting performers, and
utilise outdoor event space in Leeds that we are unable to in
October.
What else are you doing?:
We are improving and updating other parts of our
operation, including ticket sales and web presence, and expanding
our range of events and venues.
What steps are we taking the make the event sustainable?:
We are looking for small and independent shops,
producers, and makers to join our team by sponsoring the event
and will be approaching potential partners over the next few
weeks.
We will also be looking to secure arts and other funding to
consolidate the festival. Additionally, we will be looking for
friends & supporters to help raise the required funds for our
charity by extensive independent fundraising activities.
What if we are not successful?:
Changes to the scene, and to the personal circumstances
of the organisers, mean that Goth City will need to become
financially self-sufficient through ticket & merch sales,
sponsorship, and arts funding within the next 18 months. We will
be no longer be able to underwrite costs incurred by the festival
after this year, so the future of the event is contingent upon
this.
What happens now?:
Well be announcing our first events and acts for
2020 over the next few weeks. The 2021 dates will be announced as
soon as they are confirmed.
How can we help?:
Spread the word, share our events, buy merchandise and
tickets, and keep the Wessie faith. See you in October!
Click below to donate to
the Goth City Festival Snakebite & Black Fund for
Vainglorious Music Promoters - please give generously!