Goth Prom is coming to Mad Planet and is expected to sell out
On Feb. 10 about 300 people will gather for prom in Riverwest, dressed up in black, red and purple — but mostly black.
It's the night Mad Planet is hosting the 4th annual Goth Prom, put on by Goth Barge, a local group of goth enthusiasts.
The group has put on gothic-themed events with punk and screamo music, eyeliner and out-there fashion since 2015.
"We enjoy the fashion and culture and music and the camaraderie that comes with sharing a dance floor with our fellow weirdos," said Goth Barge founder Jeffery "Dance Commandr" Joseph.
He said the group came together in 2015 when they got a boat for a friend's bachelor party. They played "goth music" and started yelling "goth barge" when other boats passed.
The group thought it would be fun to do it again, but they wanted to invite their significant others and more friends. They rented out a 60-person pontoon the next time.
It continued to grow. In 2023, Goth Barge partnered with Milwaukee Boat Line and sold out Vista King, a 150-passenger boat, twice.
"It just continued to grow because I don't know how to stop myself," Joseph said.
He and Jessie "JJ" Fortune have been in charge of Goth Barge since its beginning and have expanded to "landlocked" events as well.
That included their first Goth Prom that was held in 2019 at the now closed Riverwest Public House.
"It started at a humble 35 people and now we have more than 1,400 people interested in our Facebook event. We had a line around the block at Mad Planet last year," Joseph said. "We're just a couple of guys that do this as a hobby. It's pretty nice that the community thinks were doing some fun stuff."
He said he expects prom this year to sell out.
The group also hosted "Halloween That Should Have Been" in July 2021 after COVID-19 canceled most Halloween events in 2020. Last summer Goth Barge hosted a Goth Barbie Dance Party at X-Ray Arcade, 5036 S. Packard Ave.
"I love our locally owned businesses," Joseph said. "We just come up with events and try to support local as much as possible."
For the upcoming Goth Prom, admission is $10 at the door. It begins at 9 p.m. Feb. 10 at Mad Planet, 533 E. Center St. Joseph and Fortune will DJ, along with Mad Planet's DJ Paul H.
Goth Barge has partnered with Omen Subculture Clothing and Accessories, 1310 Milwaukee Ave., South Milwaukee, where customers can find goth clothing and get 15% off when mentioning Goth Prom. Goth Barge will crown a King, Queen or Kwing (for nonbinary folks) at midnight.
For more information, visit the group's Facebook page (facebook.com/gothbarge).
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Goth Barge to put on Goth Prom 2024 at Milwaukee's Mad Planet
