If only for a time, fanciers can revel in their diversion among people who share their interests. From comics and sci-fi to anime, cosplay, fantasy and horror fiction, video games, pop culture, and roller coasters, there are fan conventions for just about every enthusiast. The gatherings are big business in the events industry, attracting thousands of attendees, and they have become an integral part of the fandom experience.
Southern states host dozens of fan conventions each year. The Southern Fandom Resource Guide is an online convention calendar that lists gatherings from Chupacabracon to ArmadilloCon to Comicpalooza.
In-person fan cons are something of an alternate universe that lets attendees temporarily escape the real world and be a kid again.
Rockin’ roller coasters
Exclusive access to some of the nation’s best roller coasters is among the perks available to the 7,000 international members of American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) at the group’s annual convention known as Coaster Con. This year marked the 45th Coaster Con, at which roller coaster fans rode their way through Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Carowinds in Charlotte, N.C., in June. The event travels to different theme parks every year, offering extended in-park hours, behind-the-scenes tours, and comaraderie.
“Every year, it’s like the most fun week of the year and the most exhausting week of the year,” says Derek Perry, ACE’s communications director, a longtime coaster fan who’s attended ACE conventions for a decade. “It takes me back to being a kid. I love the whole escape of the real world.”
Perry’s enthusiasm is evident. “If I’m zooming around and strapped in … it feels like being able to fly,” he says. “Every time I’m on a roller coaster, I smile.”
Beyond the rides, ACE attendees hear from industry experts who share the inside scoop on new roller coasters and rides coming to theme parks.
Finding kindred spirits who share a love of roller coasters gives the ACE convention a family reunion atmosphere, Perry says. This year, the convention attracted about 1,300 people worldwide—500 of whom were first-timers.
Roller coaster fans “always want to have no regrets, and chasing coasters takes us to places we haven’t been before,” Perry says. “It’s a good way to travel.”
UFOs and tinfoil hats
A frightening incident 57 years ago inspired the annual UFO Festival and Conference hosted by the City of Edinburg in Texas. In 1966 in north Edinburg, construction workers at a gravel pit saw bright lights appear in the sky in the middle of the night, accompanied by a loud humming sound.
“[Witnesses] described the attack as looking like lightning that looked like fire,” says Magdiel Castle, assistant director of Cultural Arts for the City of Edinburg. “It struck a truck, and the truck exploded. Workers came out of their RV running.” Moments later, the RV was struck.
The next day, the local sheriff took his son with him when he investigated the site. According to Castle, the son—the only witness to the scene who is still alive—remembers seeing the burned, twisted wreckage. Three days later, men in uniform showed up asking the sheriff for reports about the incident,
Castle says.
The incident site is now a privately owned ranch, and some years, UFO conference attendees are allowed to tour the area. Castle anticipates a visit to the ranch will be part of the 2024 conference.
Festival organizers tout the event is ranked third in the world for bringing together guest speakers, including alien researchers, authors, FBI agents, as well as those who are curious about the possibility of UFOs. The conference takes a scholarly approach to extraterrestrials, and guest speakers share their investigative work about the UFO phenomenon, Castle says.
“It’s the caliber of the speakers,” she notes. “There’s a certain seriousness given to the idea of UFOs existing coming from us. We are a city government. That elevates it more than a private festival.”
A portion of the festival is free and open to the public and features fun events such as costume contests, a laser light show, alien-inspired art, footage of UFO sightings, and a tinfoil hat-making station.
Pop goes the culture
CharlestonCon bills itself as South Carolina’s pop culture event, a one-day convention designed to offer a less expensive, yet full fan experience. Carmine De Santo runs the event, in addition to the Charleston Anime-Fest and 68 other fan conventions, most held in the South.
“I’ve always known the industry,” says De Santo, who has collected comics since 1978. “I have a lot of experience as a vendor, and then I started promoting. I went to some big events in the past, and I would hear families say it was too big, they couldn’t get to everything, and people just can’t afford it.”
The events De Santo operates typically go to smaller cities, making them more accessible and less expensive while still providing a comic con experience complete with cosplay, vendors, video game tournaments, costumed characters, and celebrity guests.
“We’re budget-friendly for the family,” De Santo says. “We’re the economical [convention] for parents to have some fun with their kids. We’re seeing more and more families dressing up and having a good time.”
In Nashville, Tenn., Music City Multi Con is promoted as the city’s largest annual gaming, comic, cosplay, and pop culture convention. Dave and Julie Corrigan run the event and promote it as a family-friendly gathering with something for everyone, from Ms. Pac-Man to cosplay competitions. The event boasts it offers more than 100 arcade and pinball machines, 100-plus video game consoles, and Tennessee’s largest pinball tournament.
“I don’t see a lot of other shows doing arcades and pinball as much,” says Dave Corrigan, who owns an arcade. “The difference with our show is the huge gaming presence.”
Multi Con is expanding to include celebrity voice actors, comic artists, and, by popular demand, professional wrestlers. The organizers hope to attract 5,000 attendees to the event next month.
BrickUniverse showcases the imaginative work of professional artists whose medium is Legos. The Lego fan events are held nationwide, with many in the South, and feature galleries, life-size sculptures, building zones, and interactive displays.
“We have on display the most Lego creations built by professional artists under one roof,” says Angela Beights, co-organizer of BrickUniverse. “We hope to continue to share the endless possibilities of Lego bricks and demonstrate how everyone’s favorite brick is much more than a toy; it’s an art medium, as well.”
Beights says what sets BrickUniverse apart from other Lego fan events is that it has been a family-run event since 2014. Her fellow organizers are her three adult children.
“All of my children played with Lego bricks growing up, and two participated in various Lego fan events,” she says. “We loved how these shows brought so many people and families together and inspired creativity.”
Writers on the storm
Since 1975, the World Fantasy Convention has been bringing together professionals, collectors, and those interested in fantasy art and literature. The convention usually is held around Halloween, and this year, it will be in Kansas City, Mo. The annual event also will have a virtual component.
“World Fantasy Con really kind of walks a line between a professional writers’ conference and a fandom convention,” says Rosemary Williams, who co-chairs the event. “It really is geared toward the business side of fantasy and horror writers. You get a lot of agencies and publishers.”
The event offers networking opportunities for writers to meet agents and strengthen their industry contacts. In fact, many members of the organizing board are publishing industry professionals. But the gathering also welcomes fans of the fantasy genre and includes an autograph session where attendees can meet authors.
“The people who like to read fantasy and sci-fi always want more to read, and that audience absolutely has grown,” notes Williams, who writes science fiction. “It’s really taken over the culture in a lot of ways, and there’s a huge number of fantasy fans.”
Swag includes free printed books and e-books. Panel discussions offer the chance to learn about the craft of writing, get tips on the writing process, and discover new authors. With attendance capped at 1,000, people have more opportunity to interact with guest authors.
“The fan-to-author ratio is so low,” Williams says, “you often can have a chance to have a drink with someone whose books you’ve been reading for years.”
