The Official Day 1 of FantasyCon was yesterday, July 3 and was filled with cosplay, LARPing, music and heraldry. A few awesome Middle-earth costumers visited our booth, and we even had a Dwarf in a Barrel. The barrel and the 4 Hobbits standee proved to be quite popular with those holding a camera, especially the children.
At 11am TheOneRing.net hosted their first panel at the convention with the Preview of The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies to an enthusiastic crowd. We fully expect that the trailer will be out by the time San Diego Comic Con rolls around in a few weeks, at which point our Preview panel will be dramatically updated.
Near the end of the day, the entirety of the Tolkien programming track was introduced on stage at the Middle-earth kickoff party. Artists, musicians, writers and TheOneRing.net staff on hand, plus an Avalanche of Dwarves, as John Rhys-Davies put it, a Wizard and a pair of Hobbits converged on the Main Ballroom stage to thunderous applause. Moments later, the entire room went silent, you could almost hear a pin drop, along with one wee Hobbit singing his heart out.
During the panel, numerous questions were asked of many Dwarves, Hobbits and a Wizard, but none were handled with quite so much originality as the one about the Dwarven prosthetics.
The day ended with the Red Party, a less bloody affair than the Red Wedding. Costumed denizens of Westeros and many other realms all danced the night away.
Wednesday in Salt Lake City was set up day for FantasyCon at the Salt Palace convention center. The FantasyCon people have been setting things up for days, and when you see some of the images of the sculptures, you will know why. They have gone all out to achieve a rocking cool Fantasy atmosphere, and with the various fan groups they’ve brought in, this promises to be a memorable weekend.
They then closed the hall today at 5pm to allow vendors to leave, or go eat and come back later for the charity event. At 7pm, the doors were opened again for numerous kids and their families who are beneficiaries of various charities, including Angel’s Hands Foundation, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Kids on the Move and Hope Kids. The children and their families were escorted in by a Piper past a processional of costumed warriors, fairies, stormtroopers, Hobbits and wizards. It made for a joyous entry as they were then lead to the main stage for the unveiling of Volos, the King of all the dragons attending the convention.
There are numerous costumed combat troops that will be demonstrating and teaching during the con, there is Dragon training going on, gaming, actors on panels, loads of cosplay everywhere, a Castle, numerous Dragons, giant Sentinels, and last but not least, a Rock Monster.
Panels begin in earnest tomorrow morning, with a Red Party capping off Thursday’s schedule. Friday opens with a Costume parade and Saturday ends the whole convention with a bang, and really really Big Bang of the Fireworks variety. Should you find yourself anywhere near Salt Lake City in the next couple of days, this may well be the funnest way you will find to spend your July 4 holiday. http://www.fantasycon.com
FantasyCon is about to take over the airwaves here on TORn, but before it takes over completely, here is your friendly reminder about the Lake-town Luau taking place in San Diego during comic con. We are planning a number of fun and rather unique games for you all, giving everyone multiple chances to win prizes. So here are your 5 reasons to attend the Lake-town Luau.
1) Golfimbul – For the fans in LA who attend the Baggins’ Birthday Bash, you are all familiar with this game, and for those who aren’t local, you might recognize the name from the first chapter of The Hobbit. Anyhow, this game involves a baseball bat, a goblin head and some rabbits, and remember, there are NO SPECTATORS, ONLY PARTICIPANTS!!!
2) Pin the Black Arrow on the Dragon – This is a Middle-earth twist on an old game, come try your luck and see if you have what it takes to Be Like Bard.
3) Last Fan Standing – This is a trivia contest that creates pandemonium when played, especially when more than half the field is eliminated in the first question or two. Are you brave enough to try and be the Last Fan Standing?
4) Costume Contest – Speaks for itself, but you can enhance your chances for a prize if you can also quote a line or two of the character you are dressed as. This one is for the Hams out there.
5) Hobbit Hula Dancing – Well, we won’t turn down Dwarves, Elves or Orcs doing the Hula either. This event is pending until we find out if we can get an A/V system to play a little Hawaiian music.
So now that you know what is going on at the Lake-town Luau on Friday, July 25, get yourself your tickets, the prices go up after July 10. Lake-town Luau ticketing page
There is a lot of very important info. Please take note of the following:
-To join the TORn Cosplay group, simply email me at Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net to RSVP for everyone in your group, and then follow the below instructions on when and where to meet up. You can also stop by our booth #519/521 to sign up on Thursday.
-The parade is on July 4th at 8:30 am.
-Fantasycon goers get free parking at Gateway Center
– We will start staging at 7:30 am. Please arrive as close to 7:30 am as possible. I will be dressed as Bilbo after the spider fight (think cobwebs), so find me to check with me, and then I will check in for the whole group.
– If you are a walking group, you MUST be in the staging area by 8:10 am. *If you are not in the staging area by the allotted time, you will NOT be able to participate in the parade!
– You will only be allowed to drive up/down 50 North until 8:00 am.
– The staging will take place in the North-West corner of the parking lot on the corner of 50 North and 500 West.
Check-in will be at the staging area. Please send ONE person to check-in as soon as every member of your group has arrived in the staging area. Again, find me in this staging area (look for other denizens of Middle-earth) and then I will check in for the group at 8am sharp. Our group number is 27 and there will be roller skaters behind us.
– Every member who participates in the parade will be receiving one (1) free one-day pass for Friday, July 4th. You will receive them at the parade check-in.
**When marching, please keep 2 – 3 car lengths between your group and the group in front of you. Please also be aware that we have many varying groups that will be on roller blades, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, etc. that many need additional space to do tricks or performances.
If you are confused, or need any help the day of the parade, find someone in a FantasyCon volunteer t-shirt. They will be more than happy to provide any needed assistance.
The parade line-up is as follows:
Police Car
Royd Tolkien
Bagpipes & Drummers
1 – Volunteers w/ Banner & Dragons
2 – FantasyCon Performers
3 – LARPERS
4 – Utah Film Commissioner
5 – Fear Factory
6 – Umbrella Corp.
7 – Mandalorians
8 – Jabba da Hutt
9 – Rouge Base Rebel Legion
10 – Ghostbuster
12 – Castle of Chaos
13 – Midvale Main Street Theatre
14 – NUAD
15 – VIP Limo & Voodoo Productions
16 – Fairy Cosplayers
17 – Loop & Hook
18 – Rose Court Guild
19 – Winter Faire
20 – Atomic Hype
21 – Rocky Mountain Muggles
22 – DrumBus
23 – MASK Costume
24 – Out of Shadows Theater Group & Salty Horror Film Fest/Convention/Productions
26 – Nihon Matsuri
27 – LOTR Cosplay Group
28 – Red Rockettes Roller Derby
29 – United Furry Fandom
30 – Steampunk Cosplay Group
31 – Nightmare on 13th
33 – ****Cosplay Chaos Group All solo cosplayers or small groups
****All solo or small group cosplayers, that are not listed above, will be in the “Cosplay Chaos Group”, which will be ending the parade.*** *
San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) 2014 will mark the final year that there will be a new Hobbit or Tolkien themed film, coming soon to a theater near you. This year, we have decided to add a party to properly celebrate all that is Middle-earth.
The past few years has seen a huge increase in ‘off site’ activities and we are jumping into the fray alongside Pirate themed parties, various geek comedy shows, the symphony, the zombie walk, and dozens of cosplay photo shoots, among so many more.
But why a Luau you ask? Well, that is dedicated to our lovely location, the Kona Kai Resort and Marina. They are allowing us to take over their lawn and patio area, complete with Tiki Bars. And if we increase in size beyond the capacity of the lawn area, we can move the party to their beach. Yes, this resort has its own beach area, so we have more than enough room for all you Hobbits, Dwarves, Wizards and Orcs, this will be an ‘all ages’ type of party.
Here are all the details and important points you will want to know.
Where is it:
Kona Kai Resort and Marina, 619-221-8000
1551 Shelter Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92106 – http://www.resortkonakai.com
When is it:
Friday, July 25 from 7pm till 10pm. The party officially ends at 10pm, but the hotel has a free concert scheduled inside the bar by a very popular local artist, so you are welcome to stick around for that.
How much does it cost:
$40 + $1.99 service fee from now until July 10, the price increases to $60 + $2.49 service fee from July 11-17. We must close the ticket sales by 9pm pst on Thursday, July 17 in order to give the hotel the final head count for the chef. We will post during the week of the con if we are granted permission to sell tickets at the door.
Food:
There will be Hors d’oeuvres served throughout the evening
Drink:
This will be a cash bar
Activities:
A Costume contest and some new and exciting games for the whole family to play and hopefully win some prizes.
Transportation:
Yes, the Kona Kai is on a shuttle route, and as soon as SDCC posts this year’s shuttle info we will announce which shuttle route to take. You can also drive to the hotel, we have negotiated the low parking rate of just $10 for the evening, the best deal you will get on parking during SDCC. Driving directions to follow shortly.
Why should you go:
This event is separate from SDCC, no con badge is required to attend. If you or some friends or family were unable to secure tickets to SDCC, never fear, you can mix and mingle with as many Tolkien and Middle-earth fans as we can fit into the party. There will be plenty of prizes, games, silliness and costumes. And it’s going to be family friendly, which is not the case with many of the other events going on around town. The fact that the Kona Kai is out on Shelter Island gets you a little ways away from the crazy hustle and bustle of Downtown, and the view is spectacular.
Terms and Condition:
Because of deposit requirements with the venue, tickets for this event are non-refundable, but you can change the name for who will be attending as long as you email me at garfeimao@TheOneRing.net and get a confirmation for the name change. This name change must be done no later than 8pm on Thursday, July 24. As mentioned, the hotel has said that if we oversell beyond the capacity of the lawn area for the party, we can move over to the beach area. The flip side is that if we don’t reach the minimum number for the space allocated to us, we will have to cancel. In case TheOneRing.net has to cancel the event, you will receive a full refund minus the Eventbrite service fees.
SALT LAKE CITY — Elijah Wood isn’t joining fellow Fellowship actors Billy Boyd, Sean Astin and John Rhys-Davies for autographs and panels at FantasyCon July 3 – 5, but he is joining the adventure in other ways. The Daily Herald broke the news yesterday that Wood will DJ an evening event the night before it all starts to get FantasyCon rolling.
The event follows an invite-only charity event that same evening for seven different children’s charities that helps kids get access to FantasyCon that otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend an event like a big public convention. You can read more about Wood’s event RIGHT HERE and read more about the guests at FantasyCon here. Those who purchase VIP tickets (ticketing here) to FantasyCon look to have access to the event that will likely have very limited availability to the public. Continue reading “DJ E-Wood? FantasyCon lands Elijah Wood for its opening night party”
The Official Day 1 of FantasyCon was yesterday, July 3 and was filled with cosplay, LARPing, music and heraldry. A few awesome Middle-earth costumers visited our booth, and we even had a Dwarf in a Barrel. The barrel and the 4 Hobbits standee proved to be quite popular with those holding a camera, especially the children.
