Fan Conventions and the Decline of Music Festivals
The entertainment press is full of stories about the disappearance of music festival after music festival this year. Many factors are being blamed, some of which are specific to the music industry, such as its alleged failure to bring up new talent. But some factors potentially affect events of all sorts.
Inflation: The biggest reasons vary from country to country, but things are getting more expensive everywhere and have been since 2021. The burst of revenge travel is over and people are looking for more affordable experiences.
A shift toward big headliners: Marquee stars are still doing well touring, and large multi-festival organizations are doing much better than small independent ones.
Missed formative experiences: Habitual music festival attendees typically start going in their late teens, but pandemic lockdowns mean that many people never went to one in that critical window and aren’t about to start now.
Changing tastes: Gen Z just isn’t partying as much in general, whether because it just isn’t as into substance abuse that usually comes with it, or because of higher anxiety around big gatherings. Meanwhile, millennials are losing their interest in big party events as they age.
Inflation is certainly biting everyone, but the generational change may not be so bad for conventions. The conventions with a demographic that most closely resembles that of music festivals are anime cons, and we have not seen a big wave of failures among them.
In fact, the music industry’s loss may be the convention world’s gain. StudentBeans, a marketing company specializing in Gen Z, has this to say about young folks and events:
Festivals that tap into a range of their interests are increasingly becoming a popular choice for young people. Things like ComicCon, food festivals, film/TV conventions, and influencer-run events appeal to Gen Z because they’re a chance to have conversations with others who share the same interests. Contrary to popular belief, 62% of students attend conventions and conferences, so don’t neglect these types of events when conducting your student marketing strategy.
Just find a way to get them used to volunteering, and the near future of conventions should be secure.
In Brief
Having been unable to find the right staff for an in-person convention, Wiscon has now pivoted to trying to un an online convention in 2025. A new call for staff needs to be answered by October 2.
Infinity Con Gainesville (Gainesville, Florida) has rescheduled itself to October 12-13 due to the incoming Hurricane Helene. Anime St. Pete (St. Petersburg, Florida) is still on for this weekend.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 26-29) has added Robin Lively and subtracted Dick Van Dyke, saying it is “more than he is able to do at this time”.
The Great Con-Junction (Borehamwood, UK, February 8-9) has added Victor Yerrid, Simon J. Williamson, Toby Philpott, Lisa Maxwell, and Michael Kilgarriff.
Event Calendar
Weekend of September 27-29
Archon 47, Collinsville, Illinois, USA
Necronomicon 2024: Let the Journey Begin, Tampa, Florida, USA
Capclave 2024 (books), Rockville, Maryland, USA
Innsmouth Literary Festival (weird fiction and cosmic horror), Bedford, UK
Anno 1900 (steampunk), Lasauvage, Luxembourg
Furry Takeover: Dino Might (anthropomorphic), Fontana Dam, North Carolina, USA
Rügen Furcon 2024 (anthropomorphic), Binz, Germany
Planszówki w Spodku (gaming), Katowice, Poland
AB-Confusion (gaming), online
Shake, Battle & Roll (gaming), Southampton, UK
Just added: Meeple-A-Thon (gaming), Kansas City, Missouri, USA
ShireCon 2024 (gaming), Canaan, Connecticut, USA
TableToppers ‘24 (gaming), Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA
Hurricon 2024: Engaging in Asymmetric Warfare (miniatures gaming), Kissimmee, Florida, USA
Barrage 2024 (miniatures gaming), Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA
MAGWest 2024 (video games), San Jose, California, USA
Pixel Expo: Act III (video games), Perth, Australia
Portland Retro Gaming Expo (retro video games), Portland, Oregon, USA
SkålCon 2024 (Pathfinder& Starfinder RPGs), Plymouth, Minnesota, USA
Rappig Crossing (Tales video games), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Animate!, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Animeverse Fest, Pasadena, Texas, USA
Anime St. Pete, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
Tiger Con 2024 (anime), Valdosta, Georgia, USA
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, Bowness-on-Windermere, UK
Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (comics and animation), Columbus, Ohio, USA
La Mole (media), Mexico City, Mexico
SiouxperCon 2024: Happily Ever After (media), Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
King-Con 2024: Three Nights at King-Con (media), Kingman, Arizona, USA
Extremicon (media), St. Robert, Missouri, USA
Norcon (media), Norfolk, UK
FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Comic Con Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Fountain City Fandemonium (media), Bryan, Ohio, USA
Missouri Anime Festival, Springfield, Missouri, USA
Lodi Comic Con, Lodi, California, USA
Colorado Fan Fest (media), Greeley, Colorado, USA
Fantasy Festival (media), Peristeri, Greece
Mare Fair (My Little Pony), Orlando, Florida, USA
The Uncanny Experience (X-Men), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Weekend of October 4-6
Octocon 2024 (Irish national sf convention), Dublin, Ireland
Conflux 18: Missions & Quests, Canberra, Australia
CONFelicity (relaxacon), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
AuthorCon IV (books), St. Louis, Missouri, USA
FilkCONtinental (music), Wernigerode, Germany
Jewelry City Steampunk Festival, Attleboro, Massachusetts, USA
H-Con the Twentieth: Fractailed Dimensions (anthropomorphic), Erbach, Germany
Furror: Posthumanpol (anthropomorphic), Opole, Poland
Furnavia (anthropomorphic), Kristiansand, Norway
Carolina Furfare: Medieval in the Mountains (anthropomorphic), Hickory, North Carolina, USA
WPAFW 2024 (anthropomorphic), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Adirondacon 7 (gaming), Glens Falls, New York, USA
Arnecon 2 (gaming), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Dragon Fall (gaming), Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA
Nuke-Con (gaming), Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA
Game On Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Con on the Cob 2024: Eat Your Vegetables (gaming), Richfield, Ohio, USA
SydCon 2024 (gaming), North Ryde, Australia
KamCon ‘24 (gaming), Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Spieltage Essen (boardgames), Essen, Germany
SCG Con Washington DC (collectible card games), Washington, DC, USA
Pittsburgh Gaming Expo (video games), Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA
Sonic Con UK (Sonic the Hedgehog), Manchester, UK
Kami-Con HAI (anime), Huntsville, Alabama, USA
Anime Fiesta, McAllen, Texas, USA
Anime Ink (anime & tattoos), Richmond, Virginia, USA
Romics (comics), Rome, Italy
áyA Con 2024 (indigenous comics and art), Denver, Colorado, USA
Comic Con Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
Zurich Pop Con, Zurich, Switzerland
Kadabra Con (media), Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Just added: L.A. Comic Con, Los Angeles, California, USA
57th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, Sitges, Spain
Just added: 29th Annual H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival, Portland, Oregon, USA
Giganticon (superhero media), Killeen, Texas, USA
Magic Con (fantasy media), Bonn, Germany
Jemcon 2024: Free and Easy in Phoenix (Jem and the Holograms), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
UK PonyCon 2024 (My Little Pony), Nottingham, UK
Weekend of October 11-13
Stranimondi 2024 (Italian national sf convention), Milan, Italy
DeepSouthCon 62: ConToberFest, Helen, Georgia, USA
Fantasycon 2024, Birmingham, UK
Alamo City Furry Invasion: Dr. Virginia's Island Paradise, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Confuror 2024: Monstruos vs Luchadores (anthropomorphic), Guadalajara, Mexico
Atlanta Game Fest 44, Peachtree Corners, Georgia, USA
Viking-Con 43 (gaming), Tårnby, Denmark
Furnace Games Convention XIX (RPGs), Sheffield, UK
PAX Australia (gaming), Melbourne, Australia
Congress of Gamers Fall Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA
Icon Gaming, Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
Capital City Gaming Con (gaming), West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
CinCityCon 2024 (gaming), Hamilton, Ohio, USA
ConFABulous (LGBTQ+ gaming), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Houston Arcade Expo, Houston, Texas, USA
Travellercon/USA 2024 (Traveller RPG), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
Banzaicon 12: Spooktacular (anime), Larvik, Norway
Animasia (anime), Bordeaux, France
Anime Mundo, El Paso, Texas, USA
Anime USA, Arlington, Virginia, USA
Iberanime, Matosinhos, Portugal
Polaris (anime), Hamburg, Germany
WasabiCon (anime), Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Oni-Con 2024 (anime), Galveston, Texas, USA
Tsubasacon 2024: Cyberpunk vs. Steampunk (anime), Charleston, West Virginia, USA
NW Idolfest (anime idols), Seattle, Washington, USA
Rescheduled: Infinity Con Gainesville (media), Gainesville, Florida, USA
Geek Days Caen (media), Caen, France
MondoCon 2024 (media), Budapest, Hungary
Creation Charlotte (media), Concord, North Carolina, USA
Nickel City Comic Con, Buffalo, New York, USA
Comiccon de Québec, Ville de Québec, Québec, Canada
BADcon (media), Pleasant Valley, Missouri, USA
Hypercon (media), Wichita Falls, Texas, USA
Spooky Empire (horror media), Orlando, Florida, USA
57th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, Sitges, Spain
Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival, New York City, New York, USA
Weekend of October 18-20
ICON 49: New Horizons, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
OryCon 44: Villains, Portland, Oregon, USA
BuchmesseCon, Dreieich, Germany
Multiverse, Peachtree City, Georgia, USA
World Fantasy Convention 2024, Niagara Falls, New York, USA
OctoGônes 14 (gaming), Villeurbanne, France
TringCon (gaming), Marsworth, UK
Erie Days of Games, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
Festival Draconis (gaming), Montréal, Québec, Canada
ACWest (gaming), Telford, UK
Austi-Con 2024 (gaming), Austin, Minnesota, USA
Armour Con 2024 (gaming), Marlborough, UK
Gamehole Con 11 (RPGs), Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Video Game Summit, Schaumburg, Illinois, USA
Made in Asia (anime), Brussels, Belgium
MoTownCon (anime), Concord, North Carolina, USA
Anime Fusion: This Is Halloween, Plymouth, Minnesota, USA
Another Anime Convention, Westford, Massachusetts, USA
Anime Nebraskon 2024: Legends of NebKon Past, Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA
Wauke-Con (comics), Waukegan, Illinois, USA
ValleyCon 49 (media), Fargo, North Dakota, USA
Dallas Fan Festival (media), Irving, Texas, USA
New York Comic Con, New York City, New York, USA
Cincinnati Comic Expo, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
PonyCon Holland 4: Level Up! (My Little Pony), Zeist, Netherlands
Weekend of October 25-27
MileHiCon 56, Denver, Colorado, USA
Hallowcon 2024 (fantasy/horror), Dalton, Georgia, USA
3rd Annual Sturgeon Symposium, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Ohio Valley Filk Festival 40 (music), Worthington, Ohio, USA
GLC 14: Toffee and the Argonauts (anthropomorphic), Hasliberg, Switzerland
Infurnity (anthropomorphic), Taichung, Taiwan
Reffurence: Howl-o-Ween (anthropomorphic), Rotterdam, Netherlands
Carnage 27: Children of the Con (gaming), Killington, Vermont, USA
Zilele Jocurilor (gaming), Târgu Mureș, Romania
GaelCon 2024 (gaming), Dublin, Ireland
Big Bad Con 2024 (gaming), Burlingame, California, USA
Phantasm 34th (RPGs), Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
LAN All Night X: X-LAN LANs of Future Past (video games), Grapevine, Texas, USA
GDEX 2024 (video games), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Retro Palooza (retro video games), Arlington, Texas, USA
YumeCon USA (anime), San Jose, California, USA
DerpyCon 2024 (anime), New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Destination Tokyo (anime), St-Maurice, Switzerland
Ramencon (anime), South Bend, Indiana, USA
Winnipeg Comiccon, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
The Penti-Con 2024 (media), Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Festival of Fantastic Films, Manchester, UK
VoltCon 2024 (Voltron), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Coda
Basic lab ingredient gets weird (Science, hat tip: The Atlantic)
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