It’s that time of year again. Time for Summer Darkness, the dark alternative festival that comes to Utrecht every year. Considering Goth is a part of the festival, and Utrecht has its very own half-standing Gothic cathedral, it’s a match made in heaven. Or Hades. Depending on your perspective. All I know is that the little Goth girl in me of my teen years would have LOVED this festival. As it is, I’ve been tempted to go see Nitzer Ebb or Killing Joke when they perform this week as part of the festival.
As I’ve done the past couple of years, I will definitely head over to the Domplein to check out the fashion shows and outdoor market they set up for the weekend. It’s always fun for people watching, especially some of the visual contrasts that pop up.
As I said, the cathedral in Utrecht, which is located at the Domplein, is one of the best examples of French Gothic architecture in the Netherlands, so it’s an ideal setting for many of the festival attendees, as well as for all the photographers who swarm the Domplein to get some interesting photos of the visitors. It’s quite common to see photographers approaching some of the more interestingly dressed people to then head to the cloistered gardens for a Gothy photoshoot. It’s not just photographers, either. Lots of interviews take place there, as well.
I don’t really the look the part anymore, and my Bauhaus t-shirt is a bit too snug now, but maybe I’ll buy one of the purple wigs they have each year in the market. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had purple hair.
A Flamingo in Utrecht 
Soooo Cool! I think that I too had some deep dark Goth dreams in my youth, sadly in NZ the family situation was so controlled that I wasn’t even allowed the style of haircut I wanted and home life was difficult enough without “extra” tensions so I sucked it in and conformed.
I do *still* like aspects of the Goth look… hmm not the piercings though. I’d love to visit when this is on some time in the future.
Admittedly, I didn’t color my hair until I was around 23. My mum HATED it. 🙂 Summer Darkness is held every year, usually in early August, but this year they moved it up to July. It’s definitely worth a visit.
Love your post and pics as usual. It sure is an eye opening panorama for a country dog from a small Florida town. Some of those pics look painful! Love the hair colors. I’m thinking of having my human dye me Irridescent Pink. What do you think.
Sandy
It’s all much fancier and extreme than I remember from my days in Orlando (when Orlando wasn’t quite so big as it is now). We usually just wore black. Not the easiest thing to do in Florida! That might be why I never truly committed to the look. 🙂
The photo of the goth lady with her daughter is great
Yeah, that was one of my favorite photos I took that day. There were a surprisingly number of families there, both goth and normal.