Editing Whitby Goth Weekend (section)

==History==
[[File:Screaming Banshee Aircrew WGW April 2005.jpg|thumb|right|Screaming Banshee Aircrew on stage at Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2005]]
[[File:Uninvited Guest WGW October 2006.jpg|thumb|right|Uninvited Guest on stage at Whitby Goth Weekend, October 2006]]
The origins of WGW are in a meeting of around forty of Hampshire's pen-pals in 1994.<ref name=":DS:">{{cite news|title=Goths descend on town to celebrate weekend|work=Darlington & Stockton Times|issue=2017–17|date=28 April 2017|page=22|editor-last=Richardson|editor-first=Andy|issn=2040-3933}}</ref> The first meeting was held in the Elsinore public house in Whitby along with the Little Angel, which continues to be a meeting point during the weekend.<ref name="wgwhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.whitbygothweekend.co.uk/FAQ.php|title=Whitbygothweekend.co.uk|access-date=2 March 2019}}</ref> Hampshire said Whitby was chosen for its [[Dracula]] connections, although probably more so because the connection had already fostered a sense of acceptance on the part of locals and businesses rather than any inherent romanticism regarding the location.<ref name="wgwhistory"/> Until 1997, the festival was held yearly, after which it became twice-yearly in April and October. It has since grown into one of the world's most popular [[goth subculture|goth]] music events with thousands of attendees from across the UK and beyond.

In the mid-2000s the October weekend on or near [[Halloween]] began to attract large numbers of non-goths in Halloween, horror, historical, fantasy and sci-fi costume, which led to an increase in photographers and visitors. The weekend now attracts other alternative [[subcultures]], including Victorian vampires, [[rocker (subculture)|rocker]]s, [[punk subculture|punks]] and [[steampunk]]s. Some regulars consider it no longer a purely "goth" weekend, and it was acknowledged by Hampshire in the 2014 Whitby Goth Weekend Guide that in order to survive the event would have to diversify into other areas that have influenced goth. In recent years the costumed attendees now outnumber the goth attendees. Whitby Goth Weekend is now not as relevant on the Goth scene as it was 10-15 years ago.

The October 2007 festival was dedicated to the memory of the murdered Goth [[Murder of Sophie Lancaster|Sophie Lancaster]] (who had attended three Whitby Goth Weekends) and a collection of more than £3,000 was raised from various events to fund a [[memorial bench]] to her in the town.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/stories-of-the-week/Memorial-planned-for-murdered-goth.3318289.jp |title=Memorial planned for murdered goth girl |work= Whitby Gazette|date= 9 October 2007|access-date=5 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/local-news/Goths-unite-in-tribute-bid.3231041.jp |title=Goths unite in tribute bid for tragic Sophie  |work=Halifax Evening Courier |date= 26 September 2007|access-date=5 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/Sophie39s-memory-to-live-on.3436311.jp |title=Sophie's memory to live on  |work= Whitby Gazette|date= 2 November 2007|access-date=5 November 2011}}</ref>

Newbies who have not attended the event before are referred to as "Whitby Virgins". To help introduce them to the event, there was a WGW Virgins Meet Up on the Friday morning at the Spa until about 2014.

In 2016, concerns were raised by locals about disrespect being shown to the graves in St. Mary's Churchyard by photographers using them for photographic purposes which has resulted in a petition to have the area closed during the event. The proposal was supported by Whitby Goth Weekend, saying that "behaviour displayed in the churchyard is disrespectful and offensive".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/whitbygothweekend/posts/1015075705251684 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/273203669438895/1015075705251684 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Whitby Goth Weekend|work=Facebook|access-date=2 March 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2016 The Bram Stoker Film Festival, which also took place in the town, rehashed a proposal to build a film set graveyard which photographers would be charged to use.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Burgess|first1=Kaya|title=Whitby to make a scene for the goths|work=The Times|issue=71912|date=17 May 2016|page=21}}</ref>

In June 2018 there was a breakdown in the relationship between WGW and SIV Live, who operate the Spa. WGW was therefore unable to book the Spa for bands for October 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theblogginggoth.com/2018/06/15/pavilion-parts-ways-with-whitby-goth-weekend-promoter/|title=Pavilion parts ways with Whitby Goth Weekend promoter|work=The Blogging Goth|date=15 June 2018|access-date=2 March 2019}}</ref> In July a new promoter was found to put bands on at the Spa in October. Subsequently, WGW announced a different set of 2019 dates to those announced by the Spa and the new promoter,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theblogginggoth.com/2018/07/06/fields-of-the-nephilim-paradise-lost-to-headline-new-whitby-event/|title=Fields of the Nephilim, Paradise Lost to headline new Whitby event|work=The Blogging Goth|date=6 July 2018|access-date=2 March 2019}}</ref> with bands at Abbey Wharf, a large pub in Whitby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whitbygothweekend.co.uk/wgw-whats-on/|title=WHAT'S ON AT WGW}}</ref>