(KRON)– The Menagerie Oddities, a California-based event organizer dubbing themselves as a “Jolly Band of Misfits”, is announcing San Francisco’s fourth annual World Goth Day Festival in collaboration with The USS Hornet Museum on May 4, 2024, from noon to 10 p.m.
Since its British debut in 2009, the international event has been both celebrating and informing the public on goth subculture by creating a “place-making event” for practicing and goth-curious folk alike, said Constance Garcia, CEO of The Menagerie Oddities to KRON.
The organizers’ credo is “This Ain’t Yer Grannies Craft Fair”. On display at the festival will be over 50 artisans, creators, crafters and purveyors of “eccentrically and esoterically Gothic” works of fine art, a day-full of local and international goth music performances, and a “anyone-can-register” fashion show for both humans and pets alike.
San Francisco’s World Goth Day initially started during the pandemic in 2020, when goth enthusiasts simply wanted to get together and share their passion for the subculture, but had no outlet to do so. A couple of months passed, and organizers from The Menageries Oddities found an outdoor venue allowing people to stand at safe distances.
Organizers weren’t the only ones who thought it was a good idea, as the lead-singer from Faith In The Muse, Monica Richards, along with 2,000+ goth enthusiasts showed up on the events’ first day. Goth Day garnered a loyal fan base since, as there are now over 14 “mini goth day festivals” touring state-wide every year.
Among some of the bands featured for live music, Sweden’s COVENANT band will be this year’s main headliners.
Many of the festivals are held in gothic, medieval, and haunted venues around California, with most also serving as a fundraising event for the historic sites or venues themselves. Some of its previous fundraising collaborators were with Preston Castle in Ione, or this year’s partnership with the USS Hornet Museum.
When asked about non-goth enthusiasts attending, World Goth Day organizers said they “have to be inclusive. If we’re not inclusive, that’s not what our scene or community stands for.”
Organizers of the event also “never want this to turn into a corporate event. Meaning that nobody’s going to ever have to come to our event and have to pay 50$ for a bottle of water, or to be treated like they’re not part of something really special. Because it’s the attendees and the artists and the musicians that make the event what it is.”
The 4th Annual World Goth Day Festival tickets are now on sale, with “Mini-Goths Under 7-years-of-age” eligible for free entry to the event.
