London Film and Comic Convention is an annual event for film, TV and comic book fans. This was my second year and it was bigger and better than before! The event boasted celebrities from shows like X-files, Game of Thrones, Firefly, Dr Who and many more. The most anticipated guests were Gillian Anderson (Scully, X-Files), John Simm (Dr Who), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine, ST:Voyager). As well as opportunities for photos, autographs and attending talks with the guests, there were loads of vendors selling an array of items such as film prop replicas, posters, key chains and signed pictures.

As you can see from the picture above, the event is massive. The attendees were very diverse with an almost equal split of the sexes and a range of age groups from the very young to the very old. Most are very far from the stereotypical geeks some people would expect (I did say ‘most’). Everyone is extremely friendly and you quickly get chatting to people while queuing. There is always a great buzz in the air as everyone is exicted to meet thier favourite guests or checkout the vendors merchandise.

If you have never been to anything like this before, the first thing you will notice is that some people dress up in costumes of their favorite characters. This can can seem a little strange at first but for some people it is a big part of the event. For me, its great to see the effort some people have gone to and the amazing reactions they get throughout the day. Although I wouldn’t go to the effort myself, it wouldn’t be the same if others didn’t. I spent some time escaping the crowds in the balcony where we tried to spot characters from our favourite shows. Check out some of the costumes we caught on camera in the image gallery below.

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As I attended last year, I knew what to expect and was very much looking forward to it. I didn’t realise how much bigger is was going to be. There was were a huge number of stars pulling in a massive crowd which resulted in a great atmosphere. I planned to get photos with a few Star Trek and Firefly actors. I have always been a huge fan of both shows and decided it would be worth splashing out for the experience. Unfortunately 3 of the 5 people I wanted to see canceled but I still got to meet Jewel Staite and Jeri Ryan. Both were very friendly and seemed to appreciate their fans coming along to meet them. It was great too see so many of The Game of Thrones cast there too. I even got a  picture on the  Iron Throne!

I went to a Firefly talk with Jewel Staite and Adam Baldwin but to be honest it was a complete waste of money. It only lasted 20 minuets and you could barley hear them. I wouldn’t recommend the talks at this event but some others did seem to enjoy it. The queues can get very big so get there early if you want to be able to see the stage.

I enjoyed the day, passion and excitement are very infectious so its easy to get caught up in it all. I certainly did my fair share of geeking out. Overall, the event was well organised. With the larger crowd and move to a bigger venue, there were the inevitable issues.  Some people came away disappointed if they missed an opportunity but you could see the staff doing everything they could to help.  I came away exhausted after one day, can’t imagine how they felt after a full weekended.

The popularity of these types of events has been growing at a fast rate in the past couple of years. Probably due to franchises like Harry Potter, Twilight and the popularity of box sets which have introduced a lot more people into the fandom culture. Digital distribution has been giving an ease of access to films and TV shows from the other side of the pond. And of courssocial media has broken down barriers in communication. One things for sure, we are starting to see a shift where geek culture is becoming more mainstream.

I would highly recommend going next year to anyone who is even a little curious. Tickets are only £6 so it wont break the bank. Be prepared for long queues so get there early and make the most of it. If you do come along, stop me and say hi.

Checkout the video I recorded of a Storm Trooper and Captain Jack Sparrow Dancing to LMFAO’s Sexy and I know it