BBC Fest

'Ello, govna!

Review by Jeffrey Bulger
Originally posted February 17, 2013
Updated February 18, 2013

There are very few things I get really, really excited about these days; Breaking Bad, Dr. Who, and conventions. Unfortunately for me Breaking Bad is on a hiatus and Dr. Who is hibernating as well. What is fortunate for me, however, is that a new convention has made its way to the Boise area (or Garden City to be more specific). BBC Fest is the newest convention in town and I had the privilege to attend the convention's inaugural event. BBC Fest's organizer, Laura Fuller, had invited me to experience Garden City's first UK pop culture themed mini-convention, and I just couldn't miss that opportunity. After all, with Dr. Who still in hibernation, I needed to get my fix of British goodness.

Wizards makin' wands

BBC Fest was held on February 9th at the Garden City Community Center, a venue that has been the home of Fandemonium dances recently. If you've kept up with the blog for a bit now you'll know that I've covered Fandemonium in the past and some of their staff was on hand to assist with registration and events at this convention as well. I have to hand it to the Fandem staff, they had to organize a dance the night prior to BBC Fest in the same venue, tear everything down, and help set up for BBC Fest the very next day. Kudos to them, they did a great job.

BBC themed Whose Line dating game
"Exterminate! Destroy! Exterminate!"

While conventions are a great place to hang out with friends, all conventions have to have events to engage attendees and press alike. Naturally, BBC Fest had quite a few to sample. I, through a horrid scheduling error, had to leave for a few hours in the middle of the convention to go to my "day job" or whatever they call it these days, but I was fortunate enough to witness a few events take place, such as wand making, BBC themed Whose Line (pictured above), costume contest, TARDIS building and of course the closing ceremonies.

A rather dapper TARDIS

There were plenty of costumes at BBC Fest, and costumes are part of what initially sparked interest in creating the mini-convention in the first place. As Fuller explained to me, the idea was to initially get people together for a BBC-themed photo shoot. The idea began to snowball and eventually became what was BBC Fest. I don't know what the attendance numbers were but I saw a healthy number of people at the convention, which seemed to be encouraging to attendees and staff alike. It's always good to see fans banding together and making something positive happen, be it big or small.

The brightest witch of her age peruses a mystical book
(Thanks again for letting me use the backdrop, Tim)

Outside of the main events area there was a photo booth set up, where local photographer extraordinaire Tim Boothby of Redzone Fandom was taking pictures of the attendees in their cosplays. Tim is a regular at most of the local conventions and is always very approachable and professional. If you're ever at a local con here in the Boise area, take the time to visit his booth/room and have some pictures taken.

Cookies, Mountain Dew, and Monster:
The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.

Elsewhere at the Community Center, the library had been converted into the "Discussion Room" (pictured above), where attendees could sit, drink tea, and eat cookies and snacks. I spent the majority of my downtime in this room because A) I have a horrid back and B) I like free stuff. I think one of the most important things about any convention is having a place for downtime and relaxation, and I really appreciated that. There was also a video room playing various BBC shows and the like, but I didn't think that would really show up well on the blog. You know -- a dark room, a digital camera and a projector... Not a good combo for pictures. I will say, however, that I did gain a new found love for Top Gear UK, or as they call it across the pond, proper Top Gear.

From weaving wands to designing Daleks

Being a one day convention at a smaller venue, there wasn't a huge array of things to snap photos of, but the mini-con did offer a very fun experience for those that attended. On the heels of the the success of the convention's first year, the BBC Fest staff fully intends to hold the convention again next year. Some of the things we might look forward to include the possibility of a new venue, a rebranding to reflect the convention being about all UK pop culture and even expanding the convention to two days instead of one. Selfishly, I hope the convention does expand to two days because I do love covering these types of events and two days is always better than just one.

Closing Q&A Session

Overall, I'd give BBC Fest's first outing a favorable review and I definitely hope to be there for their second year. Thanks to everyone on staff; you were all very lovely and cordial people. I hope to see you all again next year if you'll have me.

Speaking of second year conventions, FurIdaho is just around the corner on March 8 - 10th. I'll be there taking pictures, conducting interviews, and hopefully shooting some video to post on the YouTube channel (God knows that thing needs some love).

Until then, until then.