It’s that time of year again! When your favorite celebrities from niche (and not-so-niche) nerddoms gather for panels and pictures. Your People™ — the nerd communities of all sorts: video games, comics, anime, television and movies, music, tech — come out in droves in their best cosplays to celebrate, engage in trivia, sing-a-long sessions, tutorials, and round-table style discussions. If you’ve never been to Fan Expo Denver (formerly Denver Pop Culture Con), here are a few tips on what to expect for 2023.
The schedule for the weekend is absolutely packed with exciting panels and activities. For a more creative and participatory outlet, there are workshops on Fanfiction, Manga illustration, 3D printing, cosplay, costume makeup, and running your own Tabletop Roleplaying Gaming sessions (there are several workshops here — from world-building all the way to NPC creation). On the social side of things there are meetups scheduled regularly throughout the weekend for cosplay, trivia, video game tournaments (Tekken and Super Smash Brothers sessions stand out in particular), and even a beer crawl with Breckenridge Brewery! As a family-friendly con, there are plenty of activities tailored to younger audiences as well. Most notably, be sure to check out anything on the schedule flagged “Pop Culture Classroom”; these events vary from panels and lectures to hands-on activities like gardening sessions curated by the Denver Botanic Gardens.
Personally, the celebrity panels are what I’m looking forward to the most this year. Nothing is better than getting the hilarious (sometimes touching) insights into life on the set, character development, cast interactions, and behind-the-scenes stories of your favorite productions. This year has a fantastic line-up for Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, including Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, and Gates McFaddon. There’s also an impressive lineup for National Lampoon’s Family Vacation, with Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid, Christie Brinkley, Anthony Michael Hall, and Dana Barron. For fans of the horror classics, there is a panel for Scream, with Neve Campbell, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, and Jamie Kennedy. I’ll be seeing you in all those old familiar places! Day passes are still available: https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpodenver/buy-tickets/
