Sadgoth's Guide to Wave gotik treffen / leipzig 

Old Goths never die, but they do get sore feet and ache like mad, this page is for those of us that have reached an age when there may be a few restrictions on what we can and cannot do.

 

Damn my feet hurt - Boots, Shoes and Insoles

So one of the biggest complaints that I hear about WGT is that peoples feet hurt, its what we call "Treffen Foot", standing about watching gigs on concrete floors and doing lots of walking normally in boots we don't wear that much. There is also an epidemic of blisters at every WGT, they start early and only get worse as the weekend continues (and believe me if you get a blister starting at the Agra you are only going to be hobbling in pain by the time you reach a chemist. There are several solutions to this problem. 

• Bring at least two pairs of boots / shoes and travel in comfy shoes that are different to the ones you are going to be wearing for most of the festival. Also ensure that new boots are fully broken in before WGT...if you buy new boots at WGT I would be tempted to say don't wear them unless you are fully protected. 

• Always wear two pairs of socks for added comfort (sports socks if you can, movement then takes place between your socks and not between your boots and foot)

• From day one wear Compeed plasters on the rear of your feet to stop blisters from forming in the first place

• When you can sit down, you need to pace yourself if you don't like the band that is playing simply sit down and wait for the next band to start.

• Consider gel insoles as they add extra spring to your step and take some of the shock of walking all day

• Take pain killers, whatever your preferred poison is ensure you have them on you wherever you go and take them if you start to get a twinge in your feet.

 

Damn, I am so tired - The curse of having to go to bed early
One of the things about WGT is partying until its daylight, however for those of us getting on it gets harder to make daylight (and for some even midnight)...My view is you can sleep when you are dead, you are at the WGT and you should push yourself to enjoy every last minute that you can...so what do you do to relieve tiredness...

• Take catnaps if you can, I have been known to go to bed at 10/11pm for an hour before getting up and partying all night...really helps, and ensures you make it to day break.

• Sleep late and don't go out until you need to, this works for some, bands don't start until late afternoon so why get up any earlier than you need (maybe with a nice meal before the gig)...Give you extra time to relax

• Plan shopping around gigs you may be seeing at the Agra, don't bother with extra trips if you don't need to go down to the Agra, how much shopping do you really need to do?

• Eat well, poor festival food does not restock the energy you may need to get through the day, there are plenty of places in Leipzig to eat and its often quite cheap for decent meal.

• Don't over do it with the beer and remember to drink soft drinks every now and then...many people fall into the trap of drinking too much for far too many hours resulting in people having to miss a day due to feeling poorly...take it easy, WGT is a marathon not a sprint (the beer will be there the next day too).

• Don't stay out just because all your friends are, if you are feeling tired and are not enjoying yourself then its probably best to go and get a power nap or go to bed to make the best out of the next day

• Energy drinks, I find that if I get a yawning session then an energy drink or coffee helps me through (and speaking of coffee, I tend to drink 5/6 cups a day at home, however at WGT I am lucky if I have 1 or 2 for the whole festival, hence my body misses the caffeine, so an energy drink or a coffee at the hotel bar is always an added bonus).

• You may find you cant do everything, having a plan will work of what bands you want to see, what nights you want to stay out and when you can go shopping.

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To consider

You will probably take a rucksack to WGT, if you take one with you everyday then you may want to consider one that you can sit on, if you google "rucksack chair" you will find a range of rucksacks that have a fold out chair built into them...very useful when you are waiting for bands, not very goth, but hey you are reading this page to help you get through 4/5 days of potential agony.

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Go for comfort, if you are from outside of central Europe then you are never going to be able to compete for looking the best at WGT (be it the Victorian Picnic or Fetish Ball) unless of course you have driven or have a very light outfit...for most of us going for the comfort look is never something that we want to admit too, however partying for 4/5 days and being out for 12+ hours at a time means that we need to be realistic...looking good hurts / is normally uncomfortable (be it a corset or a mad steam punk outfit), take the time to test your outfit before you travel, tailor it to make it more comfy (changing the lace in a corset to elastic gives you the same look, but at least allows you to sit down and breathe)...