It's that time again - time to look ahead. Many of us love cons, love the bustle, love seeing our confriends, love the chance to experience art and activities and interaction with our favorite creators and performers. But cons also take more planning than just a weekend jaunt, and often times a lot more in the way of a hit on the budget. So here’s a look ahead at the cons in our region coming up over the next few months. Summer is a slower con season in the Mid-Atlantic, but its also the time for the some of the largest cons we have all year. Have a look, make your wishlist, and start planning now so you can get out there and just have fun when the time comes.
July
13th - 15th - ConnectiCon - Hartford, CT - General Geek - $60 for the weekend
This is one of the big ones for the summer in the northeast (and mentioned in this week’s This Week in Geek [and should we rename that, loyal readers?]). Its looking like 10,000 or more attendees to this year’s gathering in Hartford, and if you take a few minutes to look at the guest list and events planned it’s easy to see why. And on a side note: cons that let me register before I even get there for limited seating events make me happy.
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| Its time to pillage! Image via Will Merydith |
19th - 22nd - Historicon - Fredericksburg, VA - Miniatures Gaming - $40 for the weekend
I will admit, this was a con I had never even heard of, despite the fact that its half an hour away. And then a looked. And was utterly fascinated. Hundreds of games, thousands of die hard hobbiests gathering together to show off and challenge one another in battlefields from across history and across the imagination. This year’s theme focuses on battles of colonial warfare, imperialism, and gun boat diplomacy. The history fan in me is agog.
27th - 29th - Otakon - Otaku - Baltimore, MD - $80 for the weekend
Really, if you’re even a modest fan of anima, manga, asian stories and culture, you’re going to know about Otakon. Its the nineteenth year for the convention, and its even larger and and more heavily attended that ever. More than 30,000 people turned out last year, and the vast number of events just gets more impressive as time goes on.
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| Otakon tests the mind and bladder of many a young otaku. Image via phil_g |
August
3rd - 5th - Shore Leave - Hunt Valley, MD - General Geek - $85 for the weekend
Hitting its 34th year this time around, these folks still know how to through a fun, relaxed con with a broad scope of interests. From a lineup of scifi actors to writing workshops to a voluntary exsanguination (fine, fine, a blood drive) to model building to astronomy... the list just goes on.
16th - 19th - GenCon - Indianapolis, IN - General Geek - $80 for the weekend
The grandaddy of modern gaming and geek cons, GenCon is still going strong 44 years later. With attendance well over 120,000 these days, you'll need to prepare yourself for a whole new level of con going. Games from every corner of the planet and every taste spectrum, art the dazzle, nearly 10,000 events on the schedule, there really is no way to do this con just in black and white words. Grab friends, grab cash, grab your good luck charms and go get lost in the masses of geeks.
31st - September 3rd - DragonCon - Atlanta, GA - General Geek - $120 for the weekend
Yes, Atlanta is a bit outside our normal range. But its Dragon*Con. Its huge, its become iconic for the geeks of the east coast, and the beast just keeps on growing. We’ll even have our own Scooter covering bits and pieces of the event this year. And let me be clear: it doesn’t matter what your geek interests are. They are represented and very possibly too crowded for you to get into at Dragon*Con.
September
8th - 9th - Baltimore Comic*Con - Baltimore, MD - Comics - $40 for the weekend
This is the local spot for comic fans. A long list of artists, comic writers, studios showing off and the unstoppable juggernaut of fun, Stan Lee will all be there. Its nearly in your backyard. It has an amazing costume contest. Do I really need to say much more?
15th - 16th - Small Press Expo - Bethesda, MD - Comics - $15 for the weekend
While ComicCon can be fun, its the SPX that feeds my soul. Devoted to small press and independent comics, what hooks me even harder is that they don’t allow retailers to sell at the expo. If someone is selling you a comic at SPX, they are the writer or publisher of that comic. Last year the expo drew more than 3000 attendees and 450 exhibitors. Expand your horizons, take some cash, and hit up the expo. I know I have yet to be disappointed.
21st - 23rd - Intervention - Rockville, MD - Geek Culture - $45 for the weekend
They claim its one part new media, one part gaming, one part nerd party, and from everything I heard from those I interviewed last year, they aren’t lying. This one has rapidly become my must-go con for the early fall. Webcomics authors and artists, game creators, party events, panels, demos, games and games and it should crest 1000 attendees this year, so still not too big. Can you tell I speak in run ons and nested phrases when I get excited?
29th - 30th - New York Makers' Faire - Queens, NY - Making Things - $40 for the weekend
What qualifies one to take part in the Makers' Faire? Making things! And what wonderful things are to be seen (and played with) there. From large pieces that blur the line between art and artifice to machines bashed together from pieces never meant to play with one another to demonstrations and classes and ideas on how to put your visions into solid forms, the Makers' Faire is a weekend that is not to be missed. Oh, and did I mention this is the WORLD Makers' Faire? And the only one near us for a while?
That’s what we’ve got on the calendar till September bids us farewell. Did we miss anything? If you know of a con in the area we haven’t talked about then comment here or email us.
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