For
many, attending a convention is one to add to the bucket list. As the world of
conventions expands and becomes ever more popular, the list of existing
conventions increases. I myself have always wanted to attend a convention,
through the power of Youtube I have watched many different panels over the
years; and while the likes of San Diego Comic-Con and London Comic Con are
still very much out of my reach, I was able to book tickets for a smaller
convention at the beginning of the summer six weeks.
It's
well documented that I have a love for the famous boy wizard, Harry Potter. So,
when my cousin told me about a convention she was attended in Manchester that
was dedicated to the magical world I immediately set my sights on getting
my own tickets; and successfully managing to get a pair for me and my best
friend.
The
convention was taking place over the weekend of July 21st and 22nd; with
tickets only valid on one day and the same events happening on each day. Our
tickets were valid for July 21st, and with the convention lasting between
10am - 6pm we decided to make a weekend of it and booked into a hotel in
Manchester.
Thanks
to my supply teaching I was able to take off on the last Friday of the
term and travel up on the morning, decided to use the train due to the ticket
price coming out significantly cheaper than it would have been had I paid for
petrol and car parking across the weekend. I arrived with plenty of
time, however, my friend who was travelling from Southampton, was caught
in traffic and it meant I had a little waiting around for her before meeting up
at the hotel for check in.
After
we were finally checked in and had engaged in our annual catch-up, we
decided to head out for some dinner before we attended the Driagcon Pre-Party.
We walked over to the Printworks where the convention was happening, and had a
fantastic night filled with a Harry Potter costume world record attempt and
Harry Potter themed cocktails. They were absolutely delicious, and I'm not bias
but the Ravenclaw cocktail was definitely the best.
The
next day me and my friend were dressed and out the door for just after 9.
Although the event did not start until 10am, the doors opened from 8:30am for
the attendees to collect tickets in order to minimise the chance of people
missing any of the events. After a quick stop at Greggs for a bacon sarnie and
coffee, we arrived at the Printworks around half 9, and with the queue already
rounding the corner we were both pleased we had opted to get down a little
early.
We joined the queue, surrounded by other Potter fans; many dressed in their wizard robes and making me regret my decision to leave my Hermione Granger costume at home, although I did have my Ravenclaw cardigan so that was something. Thankfully, despite the amount of people in the queue, the organisers were prompt with getting everyone through so we had our wristbands and were inside the Printworks for just after 10am.
For anyone who has ever been to the Printworks in Manchester you would know it was the perfect venue for a Harry Potter convention. The old fashioned design, the cobbled street, it very much has a Diagon Alley vibe to it. With the many venders and props scattered around the place, there was already a magical feel to the day.
The event was like every other convention but on a smaller scale,
there was multiple stalls selling a ray of Harry Potter gifts and gadgets in
the main Printworks walkway. There was then autograph signings, actor meet
and greets, actor talks and many other shows and magical features.
We
were also very lucky that those organising the event made it so that those who
had purchased a ticket were able to get two free actor autographs. This is
unheard of in the convention world and we all knew we were lucky enough that we
could add some extra signings to our autograph collections without having
to take out a bank loan.
The event wasn't a huge event like the San Diego and London conventions, and this was the first year it had been held, so the actors appearing where not the main stars of the movies, there was no Radcliffe, Grint or Watson in sight. But me and my friend were lucky enough to meet Chris Rankin, the man behind the estranged Percy Weasley along with many other actors from both the Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Every actor we met was lovely, more than happy to talk to the fans, answering our questions and even asking their own. It was an insane day for any Harry Potter fan, and I was in my absolute element.
Along
with meeting the cast, there was also a ray of different shows and Q&As. Me
and my friend highly prioritised meeting the cast as we knew this was a once in
a lifetime opportunity, but we were able to fit a few shows into our day as
well. On our lunch break we caught a magic show with a comedy magician, when we
first entered the convention we held owls that played a large role in the
magical universe - and considering I have a fairly big fear of birds, this was
a huge step for me and looking back I am still a little awed that I held an
actual living owl. We witnessed a potions class which included a battle of
houses, caught a Q&A with Walles Hamonde - who I also got a selfie and
autograph from - and we finally capped off our jam packed day with a
performance from the orchestra.
I have to say, the orchestra was definitely a personal highlight of the event; I have never had the experience of watching a live orchestra and it was truly magnificent. They performed a half an hour to 40 minute set and played some of the best and most well known movie soundtracks, from Star Wars to Indiana Jones to Jurassic Park; with the finale a hair raising performance of Hedwigs theme. It was stunning for both your eyes and ears and really was the perfect way to end our first ever convention experience. (Sadly I only got videos and not photos so I am unable to share a glimpse of the orchestra with this post)
After a long day spent in our element among fellow Harry Potter fans alike we headed back to our hotel, weighed down with autographs and gorgeous Harry Potter merchandise. It was only a short 20 minute walk back, but by the time we reached the room we were both tired and ready to spend the rest of the night resting our feet and having a good old girlie chat.
Our first convention had been an success and we had
loved every moment of it; their was also great news that the event had been
such a success between fans that the organises are holding another one next
year. However, the timing of next years is sadly not in my favour and I won't
be able to attend around my teaching so am unable to purchase tickets. The
whole event has definitely give me and appetite for more conventions, the dream
is to one day get to the one in London - or in my wildest dreams, San Diego -
but it was nice to start with a small one, get a feel for the way they work
without too much going on and too much happening. It allowed us to get our
bearings. So for anyone considering a convention, I would recommend trying to
do a smaller one first, get a taste before you aim for the big ones. Although
that is personal preference so the decision is yours.
Thanks for reading, feel free to add comment if you
have any questions or inquires about my experience or the convention in
general. Plus, keep your eyes tuned for my next post, where I will be showing
you inside one of my favourite sitcomes.
UPDATE: After reading my blog post, my best friend very kindly sent over her photo of the orchestra for me to post for you guys. Photo credit: Amie :)
UPDATE: After reading my blog post, my best friend very kindly sent over her photo of the orchestra for me to post for you guys. Photo credit: Amie :)
