Wave‑Gotik‑Treffen 2025, the 32nd edition of the world’s largest goth festival, took place in Leipzig from June 6 to 9, 2025, inline with the German Whitsun holiday. The event spread across 40+ venues—most notably the Agra Messepark—the event attracted around 20,000 attendees.
The four-day lineup featured nearly 200 acts, spanning gothic rock, darkwave, medieval, synthpop, and industrial. Highlights included headliners Public Image Limited with John Lydon (Really?), a heartfelt tribute to late Silke Bischoff, and sweeping synth‑pop sets by Alphaville, Drab Majesty, and KITE.
German synth‑pop pioneers Alphaville and British romantics And Also The Trees opened Friday’s festivities, while KITE’s atmospheric set in the Agra hall closed Day 1 on a transcendent note.
Beyond music, Wave-Gotik-Treffen offered immersive medieval markets, Victorian picnics, fetish balls, exhibitions, and all‑night club nights—most famously at Darkflower and Moritzbastei—reinforcing its reputation as a cultural nexus for dark arts.
Wave‑Gotik‑Treffen 2025 further cemented its status as the epicenter of dark culture, blending legendary acts, emotional tributes, and rich community experiences against the gothic backdrop of Leipzig.