A two-day celebration of entertainment and pop culture is coming to Langford, and the guest list apparently includes at least one name from one of the biggest television series in recent history.
Organizers say they expect thousands of pop-culture and entertainment-industry fans to attend the inaugural edition of Island FanCon, which will be held at City Centre Park’s two arenas on April 13-14.
Event organizer Lonnie Eckardt says celebrity guests from the U.S. and Europe have been lined up for the movie, comic-book and gaming-focused convention, although names are not yet being revealed.
Planning for the event began last summer and has been ramping up since November, Eckardt said.
The itinerary includes a number of industry workshops and events, where attendees can learn about the nuts and bolts of the entertainment world.
It will be the first time a temporary dry floor is installed in City Centre Park’s ice arena for an event, which will increase the capacity to 4,800 people. City Centre was built in 2005 as Eagle Ridge Community Centre.
Island FanCon’s arrival comes as the fate of Victoria’s Capital City Comic Con remains up in the air following a hiatus in 2023.
Capital City Comic Con, founded in 2017 as a partnership between Cherry Bomb Toys, Downtown Victoria Business Association and Destination Greater Victoria, then known as Tourism Victoria, was last held in September 2022.
Organizers had originally planned a comeback this March after announcing the 2023 hiatus.
In a statement, Candice Woodward, co-owner of Cherry Bomb Toys, said there are no 2024 dates “at the moment” but an announcement regarding the Comic Con will come later this month.
Paul Nursey, chief executive of Destination Greater Victoria, said Comic Con will remain in hiatus for the next two years as far Destination Greater Victoria is concerned. “There was never a commitment to move beyond [that].”
https://www.timescol...n-april-8220032
Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 February 2024 - 05:14 AM.