Who: All ages are welcome! The party will also feature a 21+ area with a cash-only bar.
Admission: Your GeekGirlCon ‘17 pass gets you in for free. If you registered and paid online, you can pick up your pass at the party. If you don’t have a pass, you can still join us for $10 at the door.
Details: This year our theme is Geeky Anniversaries! 2017 is a big year in geekdom—Harry Potter is turning 20, Sailor Moon is turning 25, and Star Wars is turning 40. To celebrate, we’ll be hosting a contest to determine which of the three is the ultimate fandom. Guests can pick their favorite fandom and complete activities to earn points for their team. At 9:00p.m. we’ll tally up the points, and at 9:30 we’ll announce the winning fandom and give one randomly selected member of that team an awesome prize!
Ways to Earn Points: Start planning now to give your fandom an edge. You can earn points by:
Writing your name! Write your name on a piece of paper and add it to your team’s jar at the kickoff party to earn ONE POINT.
Dressing up! Wear a suit, gown, team-pride shirt, or cosplay to earn ONE POINT. If you cosplay a character from your team’s fandom, you will earn a SECOND POINT.
Tweeting! Tweet a team picture with your fandom’s hashtag (#TeamHermione, #TeamMoon, or #TeamRey) and #GGC17 to earn ONE POINT.
Playing Rock Band! Play a Rock Band song at the party to earn ONE POINT.
Knowing trivia! Each fandom team will get a trivia sheet full of questions about their fandom. Each correct answer is worth ONE POINT, plus answering all of the questions correctly is worth an additional FIVE POINTS.
Come out, support your fandom, and begin #GGC17 with a bang! We’ll see you there!
I don’t know about you, but with just a little over a week to go until the Con, I’m currently in full strategic planning mode, obsessively highlighting my copy of the panel schedule and inevitably overscheduling myself in the hopes of catching all of the amazing panels we have lined up.
That moment when you realize you’ve scheduled yourself to see two (or three…or four…) panels at the same time
In the leadup to #GGC17, we’ve been highlighting the incredible panels you’ll have the opportunity to see, including ones centered around Social Justice, Diversity and Inclusivity, GGC After Dark, and Pop Culture! I couldn’t be more excited about each of those topics, but today I’m here to introduce you to a group of panels that are especially near and dear to my heart: the ones Focusing on Fandom. As geeks, we are basically Olympic medal-ers in fandom, so let me give you a sneak peek at some of the panels that will let you revel in the joy, excitement, and possibility of fandom.
Ever wondered which fandoms and tropes are most popular in fanfic? Are you curious how comments affect an author’s writing skills, or how fans navigate the sexual content in fanworks? Join a panel of fandom analysts, moderated by Ruby Davis, for By the Numbers: The World of Fandom Statistics. This group of amazing analysts will present their findings on these topics (and more!), showcase data visualizations, explain their methods, and answer questions.
A representation of my feelings after Sense8 was cancelled
I personally had a day of mourning when I heard that Netflix had cancelled Sense8, and am eagerly awaiting next year’s two-hour finale special, which will hopefully give us heartbroken fans some much-needed closure. Sense8 has become a global phenomenon, earning itself an extremely diverse and loyal fanbase in only two short seasons. The panel I Am Also a We – A Sense8 Panel, moderated by Meagan Malone, will discuss the show’s successes and shortcomings, with panelists sharing their hopes for the upcoming special.
Me, deep into a binge-watching session of “Sailor Moon”
This year is the 25th anniversary of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, so it’s only fitting that the panel Humans of the Moon Kingdom: 25 Years of Sailor Moon, moderated by Misu Russell, will celebrate the impact that Naoko Takeuchi’s epic manga has had on countless fans around the world. Come discuss the ways you’ve been affected by a cute young girl in a Sailor Suit!
I love games, and I think that one of my favorite places at GeekGirlCon is on the Gaming Floor. It’s a big, open space and lends itself to all sorts of game-related content, be it board games to check out, a walk-up RPG area, console games, and more! Here are some of the cool things that will be happening in games over GeekGirlCon weekend:
We recently released our full panel lineup for #GGC17, and the con is brimming with a wide range topics. Previous Panel Highlights have covered panels that focus on Diversity and Inclusion, Pop Culture, and Social Justice, but I’m here to talk about a different side of GeekGirlCon—a darker side.
GeekGirlCon After Dark is a collection of panels that cover more mature content. Aimed at older audiences, these panels will discuss everything from the representation of women in Horror, to sex—real and fictional. Please note that all of these panels are 18+, and we will be checking attendees’ IDs at the door.
Yuri and Victor from Yuri!!! On ice.
Yaoi is one of the most popular subgenres of anime and manga, both in Japan and Western media—most notably among female fans. History of Yaoi: A Fangirls Not-so-Secret Shame will discuss the history of the genre while juxtaposing it’s popularity against the LGBT+ community’s fight for equality in Japan.
Sex is weird. I know that, you know that, Planned Parenthood knows that—and they’re ready to answer any questions you may have about the act. Sex Ed Super Friends! Presented by Planned Parenthood is a panel comprised of “sex nerds” that are ready to take on whatever questions Google hasn’t solved for you. Whether you’d prefer to submit questions anonymously or are comfortable starting a discussion, all questions are welcome and all questions are important.
Chun Woo-hee in the horror film The Wailing.
Horror is my favorite genre as a writer, and every year it grows in popularity amongst female creators and fans. Women in Horror will discuss the history of how women have been presented in the genre and look at its growing appeal. How has this vocal demographic changed the industry from the inside, and where is the genre going?
GeekGirlCon After Dark brings more scandalous content to #GGC17. From continued Sex Education to horror and the popularity of Yaoi, After Dark panels ignite more mature discussions for older audiences.
Stay tuned for even more Panel Highlights in the coming days before the convention, and we’ll see you September 30 and October 1!
Last year, we launched our first ever fundraiser tee, and I’m excited to share that we’ve just launched our second fundraiser tee to benefit all things GeekGirlCon 2017!
…and let me say, it’s the cutest darn thing I’ve ever seen.
This year’s tee was created by California artist Celia Sutton, and not only is it absolutely adorable, it also shows some serious GeekGirlCon pride. The shirt reads “Support Your Local Geek Girls”–and sports a seriously cute pink-haired protagonist. Whether or not she looks like a smart scientist, or a peppy little witch, anyone can see something magical in this shirt.
The tee is available in both straight cut and fitted sizes. As of my writing this post, we have sold 27 of our goal of 50, and have raised $250.
There are still 15 days left, so make sure to grab yours now! After the fundraiser is over, we won’t be getting them again.
Artist Celia Sutton is a monster kid based in Los Angeles. She works as an artist assistant and screen prints in her studio garage. Celia enjoys foam fabricating props and costumes. In her free time she reads horror comics and pets dogs.
GeekGirlCon attendees at a 2015 panel discussing diversity. (Photo by Sayed Alamy)
We’re living in a time with an incredible volume of movies, television, comics, books, and games. The options seem nearly endless, and while that’s exciting, it can also be disheartening when so much of that content still isn’t diverse and inclusive.
During several panels at GeekGirlCon, we will celebrate diversity in fandoms, constructively criticize the media that we love, and uplift creators making a difference in a discussion about greater representation.
We are T minus three weeks to GeekGirlCon ‘17, and I’m already stressing over finding time for everything I want to do while I’m there. Panels make up a good 60 percent of my Con enjoyment, and I already have a list of must-see GGC panels with multiple alternates for some of the time slots, because there are too many that I’m excited about.
JC Lau already talked about the social justice panels we’ll have this year, so I get to tell you about our pop culture offerings. When life gets rough, I am all for escaping into the world of fiction, and with movies and shows like Hidden Figures, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Wonder Woman all being released in 2017, this has been a pretty good year for seeing women and women’s perspectives on screen. If you’re interested in discussing how far pop culture has come and how far it still has to go, you’ll be in good company at GGC ‘17.
This year has been a challenging one for most of us who follow politics. From the Women’s March to the March for Science to the numerous Black Lives Matter Marches, activism and getting involved in political action has been increasingly prevalent in our everyday lives.
How we understand politics is also pervasive throughout pop culture and the media we consume, and this is reflected in several of the panels that will be presented at GeekGirlCon ‘17. Even if you’ve never written political slogans on a square of cardboard, nor marched in the street, there’s a place for you to start learning about how your can take what you’re passionate about and transform it into effective activism.
We at GeekGirlCon know every cosplay is a labor of love, which is why we want to give you the opportunity to showcase your hard work and win fabulous prizes at this year’s GeekGirlCon Cosplay CONtest! Cosplayers of all ages and experience levels are welcome to register and reserve their spot for the CONtest on Saturday, September 30 at 4:00 p.m.
Whether you’re equipping yourself to fight Ganondorf:
This year the contest will have two age groups: Adult, for adult GGC passholders, and Child, for 12-and-under attendees with child GGC passes. The event will also have a new, masquerade-type format to give everyone more time on stage. Space is limited and entries are online-only, so submit your application early! Registration opens Tuesday, September 5 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time and closes when all of the spots are filled, or on Friday, September 22 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, whichever comes first.
UPDATE: The deadline for applying to be a geek model has been extended to Tuesday, September 12!
Are you a geek who loves fashion? Own the runway Saturday, September 30 at the GeekGirlCon Fashion Show! We are looking for a diverse group of individuals to model outfits created by designers from six geek fashion companies. Come be part of an evening that both highlights how empowering geek fashion can be and addresses the steps still needed to make geek fashion truly inclusive for everyone.
Experience what goes on behind the scenes at a fashion show and enjoy your time in the limelight with a fun community of design-minded geeks. Time is short and space is limited, so get your application in by Tuesday, September 12 at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time to be in the running.
For a first-hand perspective on what it’s like to be a GeekGirlCon Fashion Show Model, check out SJ-1’s blog post The Life of a Famous Geek Model.
