Thursday, 8 August 2024, 18:00 BST
The Worldcon has started in Scotland.
It is the largest event dedicated to science fiction authority, creativity, community and culture and is run entirely by volunteers on a non-profit basis.
It takes place on Glasgow’s The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) takes place from 8 to 12 August and offers a programme of lectures, workshops, readings, panel discussions and entertainment.
Ceilidhs, fan tables and parties, an art exhibition, a fancy dress masked ball, special exhibitions and guided tours were also organised, along with a variety of other activities.
There are even a Batmobile or two.
Tajinder Hayer has taken part in three previous Worldcon events, but this time he is participating with the Department of English Literature and Creative Writing at Lancaster University.
He told Sky News that it was the sheer scale of the programme – and the opportunity to meet up with friends from previous conferences – that kept him coming back.
Mr Hayer added: “I think the fact that it also has an academic core means that there is actually a kind of real interrogation of what it means to be a fan, but also what these different genres are doing at any given time.”
Mr Hayer said “we live in a science fiction age” when it comes to issues such as the climate crisis.
He added: “I find it very encouraging to be surrounded by people who are exploring this in thoughtful, meaningful ways.”
Some of the biggest names in the genre will join the festivities, including award-winning English author Adrian Tchaikovsky, known for his Shadows Of The Apt and Children Of Time series.
His latest novel, “Service Model,” is the darkly humorous story of a robot servant who inadvertently kills his master and then sets out to find a crumbling human society.
Award-winning authors Mary Robinette Kowal (Lady Astronaut series) and Charlie Jane Anders (Unstoppable trilogy) are also involved.
game of Thrones The author George RR Martin had already announced that he would appear at the conference – albeit unofficially, after he has not completed the registration form for participation in the approved event programme.
The renowned American author behind the fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire” told his fans that he would be “hanging out at the bar”.
Cumbernauld-based Crossfire Gaming Club has set up a stall to recruit new members.
Players who enjoy Warhammer 40k, Age Of Sigmar, Blood Bowl and Star Wars: X-Wing are welcome to join.
The club was founded about a year ago and has already secured funding from the National Lottery.
Chris Mooney, who founded the club with friends, said: “We’re about inspiring people to get out and get involved in the community. We want to bring people together.”
“We want people to have fun and participate. It’s about being positive.”
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The main event will be the World Science Fiction Society’s Hugo Awards.
The award honors the best science fiction and fantasy works of the previous year in the areas of literature, nonfiction, plays, art and fan works.
The ceremony will take place on Sunday evening at 8 p.m. at the SEC Armadillo. It will also be streamed live to the event area of the Lomond Auditorium.
The World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) began in New York in 1939.
The event, which has now become an annual event, takes place all over the world, including in Chicago, Dublin, Helsinki and London.
Glasgow 2024 is the eighth Worldcon to be held in the United Kingdom and the third in the Scottish city after 1995 and 2005.
It is scheduled to take place in Seattle next year.
Esther MacCallum-Stewart, chair of this year’s event, said: “I was overwhelmed to see so many people here in Glasgow so happy and excited – people from so many countries, from babies to people who have been coming to Worldcon for decades.”
“We have almost 1,000 program items, from books to comics to TV shows and games.
“We’re hosting the debut of a brand new opera, we’re having two full orchestral performances. We’re even asking big questions, like whether cheese survives in space or who the best cat in science fiction is.”
“Worldcon is a real labor of love. Some of our volunteers have worked for eight years to prepare for the convention.
“It is great to see so much enthusiasm for science fiction and fantasy, and we are delighted to host the biggest event in the science fiction calendar after Scotland.”
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