Bats Day in the Fun Park
Encyclopedia
Bats Day in the Fun Park, also known as Bats Day, Goth Day, Bats Day in the Park and Bats Day Out, started in August 1999 as a joint effort between the promoters of the goth
/industrial and deathrock
clubs Absynthe and Release the Bats. It has become an annual three-day event taking place in Anaheim, CA, United States
near Disneyland. In previous years, the events commenced on the weekend before Labor Day
. In 2008 the official Bats Day celebrations were held on November 8 and 9; the official Bats Day for 2009 was May 2 and 3.
The 2010 event dates were April 30 - May 2, 2010 and 2011 dates are May 6 - 8, 2011.
Up to date info can be found on the official website.
. Other dark subcultures represented at the event include Horror Punk
, Horror Rock
, Halloween
, Rockabilly
, Psychobilly
, Black metal
, Steampunk
, Hearse
Societies, Industrial
and EBM
.
The event draws people from not only the local area but all over the world, including New Zealand, England, Brazil, France, Germany and Mexico. It has evolved into a family friendly event as well. Parents in this subculture are able to bond with their children at the "Happiest Place on Earth" more comfortably at an event such as this one, whereas they might be regarded as out-of-place on any other weekend at Disneyland or other theme parks.
Information about this event, as well as photos from prior years, can be found on the official website. An article on the event appeared in the June, 2009 issue of Gothic Beauty Magazine.
Though there are rumors that this event occurred due to the success of a similar event called 'Baumaus', the two clubs promoting this event claim that they had no idea that 'Baumaus' ever happened.
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
/industrial and deathrock
Deathrock
Deathrock is a term used to identify a sub-genre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in 1979.-Characteristics:...
clubs Absynthe and Release the Bats. It has become an annual three-day event taking place in Anaheim, CA, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
near Disneyland. In previous years, the events commenced on the weekend before Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
. In 2008 the official Bats Day celebrations were held on November 8 and 9; the official Bats Day for 2009 was May 2 and 3.
The 2010 event dates were April 30 - May 2, 2010 and 2011 dates are May 6 - 8, 2011.
Up to date info can be found on the official website.
Events
Bats Day in the Fun Park has six events. Any or all of these event can happen during the event weekend. The 6 events are the following:- The Bats Day Black Market - A large gathering of vendors selling spooky items, including clothing, music, artwork, books, collectibles, toys, and other original genre items from the Dark Subculture.
- The Bats Day Ghoulish Gala (originally called The Bats Day Creepy Cocktail Party) - This event typically happens the night of the Black Market, and is a catered hors d'œuvres cocktail party with a raffle.
- The Nightmare Before Bats Day Dinner - A full sit down dinner.
- The Bats Day Dark Park Festival - A live music and DJ event festival geared to the Dark Alternative Subculture. This event was added in 2008.
- The Bats Day Happy Haunts Swing Wake: A Costumed Celebration - NEW FOR 2011. is a Costumed Gala Event, where attendees are required to dress as the deceased. Creativity is celebrated, and appearances by spooks and spirits from all time periods are encouraged to attend and celebrate the afterlife. We hope to have several prominent ghosts from creepy old crypts all over the world in attendance. From elaborate ghostly visages, to the ghastly faces of the recently deceased, this is one party everyone will be dying to attend. This event happens the night of the Black Market, and is a catered hors d'œuvres cocktail party, for the first hour, with a raffle, Djays and Live Entertainment.
- Bats Day in the Fun Park - The Big Spooky Trip to Disneyland. Bats Day patrons dress in their GothicGothic fashionGothic fashion is a clothing style worn by members of the Goth subculture; a dark, sometimes morbid, eroticized fashion and style of dress. Typical Gothic fashion includes dyed black hair, black lips and black clothes. Both male and female goths wear dark eyeliner and dark fingernails. Styles are...
attire for the annual visit to the park. There are other scheduled events and gatherings on this day, including a large group picture in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, group pictures at the Haunted Mansion, and a photo scavenger hunt.
History
The event started as a relatively small goth "meet up" event of about 80 people from two dance clubs, Absynthe and Release the Bats. It has grown to include more aspects of the goth subcultureSubculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
. Other dark subcultures represented at the event include Horror Punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
, Horror Rock
Horror Rock
Horror Rock is a rock lying 3.5 nautical miles west of South West Point, Annenkov Island, South Georgia. Named by United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee from the circumstances of the rock's discovery by HMS Owen on February 21, 1961. The ship avoided striking the rock in rough weather...
, Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, Rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, Psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
, Black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
, Steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
, Hearse
Hearse
A hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...
Societies, Industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
and EBM
Electronic body music
Electronic body music or industrial dance is a music genre that combines elements of industrial music and electronic dance music...
.
The event draws people from not only the local area but all over the world, including New Zealand, England, Brazil, France, Germany and Mexico. It has evolved into a family friendly event as well. Parents in this subculture are able to bond with their children at the "Happiest Place on Earth" more comfortably at an event such as this one, whereas they might be regarded as out-of-place on any other weekend at Disneyland or other theme parks.
Information about this event, as well as photos from prior years, can be found on the official website. An article on the event appeared in the June, 2009 issue of Gothic Beauty Magazine.
Though there are rumors that this event occurred due to the success of a similar event called 'Baumaus', the two clubs promoting this event claim that they had no idea that 'Baumaus' ever happened.