Summer Darkness is an alternative music festival in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
which was held annually from 2003 to 2013, around the second weekend in August in the city of
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
. Over the years its popularity has grown considerably.
Organisation
Summer Darkness is organised similar to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
's
Wave-Gotik-Treffen
The Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT; ) is an annual world festival for "dark" music and "dark culture" in Leipzig, Germany. 150+ bands and artists from various backgrounds (gothic rock, gothic metal, EBM, industrial, noise, darkwave, neo-folk, neo-cl ...
, albeit on a much smaller scale. Acts perform in various clubs throughout the city of Utrecht. The main stages are
Tivoli Oudegracht, Tivoli de Helling and EKKO. There are also individual performances at the
Domkerk and Leeuwenbergh church. Side events include a market, city tours and exhibitions by
LARP
A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their characters.(Tychsen et al. 2006:255) "LARPs can be viewed as forming a distinct category of RPG because of two unique feature ...
groups.
The festival was a joint venture by Cybercase,
Tivoli (Utrecht)
Tivoli is a popular music venue and cultural center in Utrecht, Netherlands. Tivoli is run by a non-profit organisation. The original organisation dates back to 1823 and functioned as a relaxing place outside the city's Stadsbuitengracht.
Tivol ...
, EKKO and
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
*Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* '' ...
until EKKO made the decision in 2009 to quit.
There have been some minor events held under the banner of Summer Darkness. For instance since 2007 there have been several "Summer Darkness - Winter Edition" events.
In 2014 the festival will be taking a
sabbatical
A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work.
The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of ''shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According to ...
from the usual summer edition, traditionally held in the last weekend of July.
In 2015 it was announced the festival would no longer be organised, as explained on the festival website.
[ ]
See also
*
List of gothic festivals
The following is an incomplete list of gothic festivals, which encapsulates music festivals focused on gothic music. Goth festivals may feature genres such as gothic rock and gothic metal, as well as industrial music. The festivals also tend ...
*
List of electronic music festivals
The following is an incomplete list of music festivals that feature electronic music, which encapsulates music featuring electronic instruments such as electric guitar and keyboards, as well as recent genres such as electronic dance music (EDM ...
References
External links
Official website{{Rock festivals
Music festivals established in 2003
Goth festivals
Electronic music festivals in the Netherlands