Years active 1999– present | Dates 5 May – 7 May 2017 | |
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Founded by Absynthe and Release the Bats Similar Drop Dead Festival, Whitby Goth Weekend, Wave‑Gotik‑Treffen, Infest Profiles |
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.
Contents

The 2010 event dates were April 30 - May 2, 2010 and 2011 dates were May 6–8, 2011.
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:

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 subculture. Other dark subcultures represented at the event include Horror punk, 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.