Leeds’ Goth City Festival is set to return this October for a special one-off event celebrating its tenth anniversary. The city-wide gothic and post-punk festival will run from 12 to 17 October, bringing together live music, spoken word, theatre, discussions and cabaret across venues in Leeds.
Goth City Festival first launched in 2016, highlighting the gothic heritage of Leeds and
Yorkshire alongside talent from the UK goth scene. Over eight years, the festival has featured
acts such as Skeletal Family, 1919, Salvation, Rose Of Avalanche, Inkubus Sukkubus and Children On Stun. The festival ended at Leeds Warehouse in July 2023 after raising £20,000 for local refugee charity PAFRAS. In May 2025, Goth City was inducted into the Leeds Goth Hall Of Fame.
The anniversary programme begins on Monday 12 October at Wharf Chambers, with Hurtsfall headlining alongside The Golden Age Of Nothing and Shallow Halo. The following evening, The Packhorse will host a panel discussion, ‘The State Of It: Goth in 2026’, chaired by Tim Synystyr of The Blogging Goth.
Image Credit: Goth City Promotions
The programme continues with performances from The Penny Magpie Theatre Company
and the return of the cabaret evening ‘A Night Of The Dark Arts’, before the main weekend of live music at Boom Canalside. Rome Burns, Witching Hour and Silk Circus will perform on Friday 16 October, followed by Grooving In Green, Westenra, Black Rain, Velocette and Threat Detector on Saturday 17 October. DJs will also perform across the weekend.
Image Credit: Goth City Promotions
Funds raised will go to the Goth City Community Action Fund, with proceeds shared
equally between PAFRAS, RETAS, TransLeeds, Leeds North & West Food Bank and
Yorkshire CND. A new event, the Leeds International Gothic Assembly is planned to take place in Goth City’s stead in October 2027.
Tickets are available via Skiddle.
Featured Image Credit: Goth City
