Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas is taking over Maldon this July with performances, tours, themed food experiences, conversations on dark topics and more
Step aside Dark Mofo, a new sinister winter music and arts festival is making its way onto the circuit this year, giving punters another dark and mysterious event to add to their calendar.
Igniting Victoria’s goldfields with a boundary-pushing program of events, the Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas will take over the town of Maldon for the very first time this July.
As part of the town’s annual Maldon in Winter series, the new festival (running from July 1 to July 3) celebrates the dark side of the goldfields with performances, tours, themed food experiences, conversations on dark topics and a range of strange and unforgettable happenings sure to surprise, delight, incite and excite you.
The key takeaways
- The inaugural Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas will take over the town of Maldon this July
- The new festival celebrates the dark side of the goldfields with performances, tours, themed food experiences, conversations on dark topics
- The first round of events includes a performance from IKON, a dark high tea, ghost tours and street display of Hearses.
Keep up with the latest festival news via our website.
The brainchild of Co-Festival Directors Valentina Tansley and Paul Kooperman, the festival arrives with the aim to help revitalise the humble, covid-impacted town.
“As a National Trust Notable Town, Maldon has always been a tourist destination. In late 2021 we felt there was a real thirst in the community to revitalise the events program, so we came up with the idea to do something a little different this year.”
Alongside delivering a program of music, performance, and feasting in a celebration of dark winter energy and the town’s history, the enigmatic festival also hopes to attract new visitors to the historical gold mining region, from towns nearby and further afield.
“There is a perception that Maldon is attractive solely to retirees, but we want to challenge that concept by showcasing all the amazing architecture, history and hospitality Maldon has to offer to a younger audience too”.
Renowned as one of the most picturesque of towns in the region, it’s Maldon’s rich and intriguing history that inspired the festival. From the 1850s, the Victorian goldfields were home not only to miners, but also a darker undercurrent of ghost-hoaxers, spiritualists and secret societies. It’s these intriguing stories of the past that Goldfields Gothic aims to explore, showcasing the dark side of the goldfields in all its gruesome glory.
Peering into the darkness, the first announcement of festival events includes The Gothic & Victorian Picnic – a free family-friendly event in Maldon’s shire gardens; a live performance by legendary Australian dark alternative band IKON; a special meeting of the internationally renowned Death Café at Café Maldon, a uniquely crafted Dark High Tea at Maldon Rose, Ghost Tours by award-winning spook sleuths Twisted History and a street display of collectible Hearses.
More events will be announced in the coming weeks, so be sure to follow the Goldfields Gothic Instagram and Facebook for updates.
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Come dressed in your blackest finery and experience the dark side this winter in Maldon.
Goldfields Gothic takes place 1 – 3 July 2022 as part of Maldon in Winter. Head to the website here for more info and to book tickets.
