This weekend, as part of the Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas, the streets will be alive with the sights and sounds of the Goth community. 

This huge festival is part of Maldon Inc’s two week Maldon In Winter Festival, which kicked off last weekend with a community bonfire.

It’s time to dress up (don’t forget your thermals!), go Goth and enjoy yourselves! There are plenty of events on offer at the Gothic Festival, and some of them are family friendly. 

Such as the drawing session today (be quick!) for ‘mini Goths’ (under 16), being hosted by artists Kareen Anchen and Jeff Gardner at the Cascade Gallery.

There are also drawing classes for adults. Or the Gothic & Victorian picnic in the Maldon Shire Gardens tomorrow, which promises to be huge. Come one, come all, and don’t forget to dress up.

If you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to admire Maldon’s shop windows. The shopkeepers have really let their hair down, having a lot of fun playing with the themes of Fairy Tales or Scary Tales.

A quick look at goldfieldsgothic.com will show you that many of the events organised for the Festival have been sold out.  But there’s still plenty to see and do such as the Memento Mori exhibition at EDGE Galleries and the Gothic to Sublime show at Cascade Gallery.

Tonight’s burlesque show, at the time of going to press, had not yet sold out so check ticket availability.  You can dance the night away at No Lights No Lycra.  Or front up to the Dark Open Mic at the 48 Main Street Bar.  Perhaps hang out at the gin palace in Francis Street, which is open for the duration of the Festival.

Tomorrow afternoon, you can have a try out at the croquet club (Goths playing croquet; we’d like to see that!), or enjoy an afternoon of poetry.  Tomorrow night, dark alternative band IKON are performing at the Community Centre, while Miss May will be singing at 48 Main Street.

On Sunday afternoon, electrofolk band Dandelion Wine will perform at the Community Centre, and there will be a flower arranging class with a difference – Dark Blooms, presented by Winter Creek Flowers.  And there’ll be a few hearses tooling around the town!

Here’s hoping for an enjoyable time for locals and visitors this weekend, at a Festival that’s definitely one with a difference!

This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 1 July 2022.

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