Whitby Goth Weekend: photos as hundreds turn out in 2024

They were pictured wearing dark period dress over the two Goth Weekend events in April and November.

Stunning photographs by members of The Press Camera Club show attendees walking Whitby’s cobbled lanes and seafront promenade, which featured in Bram Stoker's gothic masterpiece Dracula.

They sampled live music – across the metal, nu wave, glam and rock genres – and visited an alternative market with more than 100 different stalls Whitby Leisure Centre and Brunswick Centre.

An attendee gets into the spirit of the Whitby Goth Weekend (Image: Simon Abbott) Goths were also seen relaxing in the town’s cafes and pubs, where Stoker sourced ideas for his vampire book, Dracula.

The Irish author visited the harbour town in 1890 – and viewed the 16th century ruins of the monastery and graveyards as the setting for the landing on these shores of his blood-sucking title character.

In the novel, and taking the shape of a black dog, Count Dracula runs up the 199 'Whitby Abbey' steps into the shadows of its ruins.

Rain doesn't stop goths from having fun in Whitby (Image: Garry Hornby) The first Goth Weekend event was hosted by Jo Hampshire 1994, when she invited 40 of her pen pals to The Elsinore Inn, close to the centre of the idyllic town.

Jo put an advert in NME magazine asking if any goths fancied meeting in the town around the weekend of Halloween.

And the event has continued to grow ever since – now being regarded as one of the most famous gothic events in the worlds, attracting guests from all over to celebrate.

The Whitby Goth Weekend returns in April and October 2025.

For more information, visit: whitbygothweekend.co.uk