The gothy horror show! 20,000 visitors dressed as beasts and devils in PVC costumes descend on German town for largest festival for the subculture in the world
Wave-Gotik Treffen festival in Leipzig first started in 1987 and is now the largest Wave Gothic meeting in the world
It attracts weird costumes from the bizarre subculture with Gothic rock bands, church tours and literature readings
Published: 10:20 EST, 23 May 2015 | Updated: 12:16 EST, 23 May 2015
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It's a weird weekend in Leipzig as thousands of people in the diverse Wave Gothic scene take to the streets donning costumes ranging from PVC-clad horses to a vampire pope.
Around 20,000 people take to the streets in the annual Wave Gothic festival which celebrates a dark subculture that's spotted in the mainstream.
The weird and wonderful costumes are often a little naughty, heavy on the PVC and rather revealing, with some people looking as though they might look more at home in a dominatrix's dungeon. But they take a slightly different direction, often with animal heads or a tail.
There are lavish dresses with some looking like Victorian aristocrats or masquerade Casanova's from renaissance Italy.
And they all come together in the downtown pedestrian area of the German city were they mix with passers by in what must look like one of the weirdest coming togethers in the world.
The festival is the largest of its type in the world and has been going since 1987 when just a few hundred came together in what was actually an illegal meeting under the German Democratic Republic.
But the Wave-Gotik Treffen has been growing ever since and now features more than 100 bands playing Gothic rock and other genres, as well as church tours and literature readings.
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Around 20,000 people take to the streets in the annual Wave Gothic festival celebrating a subculture that's rarely spotted in the mainstream
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The costumes range from the dark and bizarre to some decorative and beautiful outfits which festival-goers spend months preparing
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The festival takes in a wide range of subcultures, from those with tattoos and huge platforms to more classical dressess
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Nothing is too weird for the Gothic festival, reflecting a period which is known for its dark culture, art and architecture
Thousands decend on Leipzig for Wave-Gotik Treffen festival
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Dark and bloody: This blood-splattered trio are a tribute to the sometimes brutal Germanic people from centuries ago
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The weird and wonderful costumes are often a little naughty, heavy on the PVC and rather revealing
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A little blue: These party-goers have painted faces but often the costumes are quite suggestive
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Goth to have it: These people spare no expense when it comes to adorning themselves for the biggest event on the Wave Goth calendar
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Often the costumes are a dark and ghoulish, with many centred around death an the dead
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Some of the thousands of costumes are a little less dark but equally as intricate, often a modern take on 19th-century dress
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Some people look as though they might look more at home in a dominatrix's dungeon. These are so-called Pet Players dress up and act like animals
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During the Whitsun weekend, Leipzig hosts some 20,000 followers of the dark scene from all over the world
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Menacing grin: Smiling faces aren't always what they seem at this weekend's festival
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Coming religiously: A lot of the people come back every year and some choose dark takes on modern figures
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Visitors wearing Steampunk costumes. The outfits incorporate technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery
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Mixing in: The festival-goers mix with members of the public enjoying the bank holiday weekend as the festival takes over the town
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There are lavish dresses with some looking like Victorian aristocrats or masquerade Casanova's from renaissance Italy
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Piercing gaze: There are no shortage of piercings at this weekends festival, and black is en vogue
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Masquerade: These fancy dressers look as though they could have been hedonistic aristocrats from Italy's great houses
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Modern twist: A Goth takes a break from the festival as he sits down in a cafe to check his phone
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Military precision: The event attracts people from a wide range of backgrounds and countries
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Revellers attend the Victorian Picnic, one of the many special events taking part in Leipzig this weekend
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Promenade: Passers by take in the view with a glance at the elaborately dressed women walking in Leipzig
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High-street-chic: This woman wears her tight-fitted Gothic dress for a tour of the town
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A family takes pictures with people from the Wave and Goth festival walking through the downtown pedestrian zone in Leipzig
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Wave-Gotik Treffen has been growing since 1987 and now features more than 100 bands playing Gothic rock and other genres, as well as church tours and literature readings
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Coming together: The Wave Gothic scene is hugely diverse and actually incorporates a number of smaller subcultures
I think it's kind of cool. I doubt I would ever go, but a part of me can't help but think of ways to make some of those costumes. A lot of creativity went into some of them.
Some of it more fantasy meets steam punk than goth.
But it is creative.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Awesome! I went to a metal fest friday night to see my cute nonboyfriend's (interesting arrangement....works for us so far lol....), band play. There were several bands and got progressively more goth and hardcore. Talk about people watching, lol.
Had a blast:)