The art of darkness: Thousands descend on quiet English seaside
A quiet seaside town was besieged by thousands of Goths at the weekend during a unique festival that celebrates the art of darkness.
Goths, romantics and macabre fans travelled over the moors to Whitby, which has become their spiritual home.
The town in North Yorkshire was chosen because it was where Bram Stoker wrote the gothic classic Dracula.
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Spooky: Goths Heath Waller and his daughter Meagan, 10, pose during the Goth festival in Whitby
Armour: Liam Murray was dressed in an elaborate costume when he visited the festival
Zombie walk: The festival in Whitby is now in its 19th year and attracts around ten thousand people
Glamorous Goths: Artist Anne Sudworth, left, and festival goer Tara Price, right, strike a pose
Goths come out to play at special weekend in Whitby
It is filled with Goth landmarks including Whitby Abbey, which is said to be the inspiration behind Dracula's castle.
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The Whitby Goth Weekend is currently in its 19th year and is one of the biggest festivals of its kind in the world.
Since being launched in 1994, the event has become so popular it is held twice a year.
Festival founder Jo Hampshire said the town is 'the heart' of the event.
Piercing: Tara Price shows off her nose, lip, cheek and eyebrow studs
Eye-catching: The festival celebrates Goth culture including the music and fashion styles that grew from Punk
Bleak scenery: Rex Beck, left, and Scarlet Readman-Riley, right, dress up in full Goth costume
Colourful: Festival goers show there is more to Goth fashion than just wearing black
The undead: A woman leans on a gravestone in Whitby in her costume complete with fangs
She told Whitby Gazette: 'I don’t think it will ever move from Whitby.
'Whitby is its home. Goths come to Whitby all year round, whether it’s goth weekend, they come because of its connections to Bram Stoker’s Dracula or for Whitby Gothic Weekend, it would not be the same to run it in another town, Whitby is at its heart.'
Thousands of extravagantly dressed people wandered the streets at the weekend and took in festival highlights at club nights, live music and markets.
The festival celebrates Goth culture, which emerged from the punk scene in the 1980s and developed its own music and fashion styles.
Goths about town: A couple dressed in Victoriana walk their dogs through the streets of Whitby
Behind bars: Thousands of Goths flock to Whitby, where Bram Stoker wrote Dracula
Scantily clad: Janice Unthank braves the cold in her skimpy costume as she walks with husband David
Macabre: Debra Scourfield poses in an intricate face mask during the festival
Dark: Goths pose on the steps of the picturesque town dressed in the traditional black
Hellraising: Such is the popularity of the festival that it is now held twice a year
