Hailed as Australia's weirdest festival, Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas returns in August, celebrating the dark side of the goldfields in all its gruesome glory.
Off the back of its wildly successful first edition last year, Maldon’s infamous Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas returns for an expanded three-day festival from the 4th to the 6th of August in 2023.
Described as ‘Victoria’s answer to Dark Mofo’, Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas will once again ignite Victoria’s goldfields with a boundary-pushing program of events, with ghost tours, cemetery tours, themed food experiences, workshops and performances, plus talks on death, goldfields history and the shadowy side of life – all of which is sure to surprise, delight, incite and excite you.
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Highlights of the program for the second-ever festival include an exclusive performance by iconic Australian new wave band Real Life (Remember their hit song “Send Me An Angel“?) as part of the Fright Night mini music festival and the mysteriously magical Sass and Secrets featuring Australia’s most renowned female magician and mentalist Cath Jamison.
Continuing the celebration of dark things, the Australian Hearse Owners Association of Australia will be bringing their annual national meetup to Maldon as part of the festivities.
Freakish families also won’t be disappointed, with a range of family-friendly events on offer including the dress-up Maldon Gothic and Victorian Picnic, magic workshops and the new Dark Market featuring purveyors of alternative goods.
There will also be Groosome Roofest which will see free live entertainment all weekend at the Kangaroo Hotel, The Gin Palace Festival Bar presented by Panacea Winery and Death Gin, talks featuring local writers and historians, and a Ghost Train featuring a live cabaret show on the Victorian Goldfields Railway.
“Goldfields Gothic was a huge success last year and brought a new diverse audience to the region. We are delighted to be presenting our second festival in 2023 and look forward to exploring the dark side of the goldfields again in Maldon,” says Festival Co-Director Valentina Tansley.
Inspired by the dark undercurrent of the 1850s Victorian Goldfields and intriguing stories of the past, Goldfields Gothic showcases the dark side of the goldfields in all its gruesome glory.
Come dressed in your blackest finery and experience the dark side this August.
Goldfields Gothic takes place 4 – 6 August in Maldon, Victoria. Tickets on Sale Friday 28 April. Head here for more info and to explore the full program.
